The 2022 paper also reviews cartographic evidence that St Helena and Ascension were known to the Spanish in 1500, before either João da Nova or Estêvão da Gama sailed for India. The fact that nothing seems to have been said about the island, da Gama's scrivener Lopes regarding the island as unknown, again implies da Nova found Ascension but not St Helena. An anonymous Flemish traveler on one of da Gama's ships reporting that bread and victuals were running short by the time they reached the Cape, so from da Gama's perspective there was a pressing need that he be told water and meat could be found at St Helena. The latter left Lisbon about six months after João da Nova’s return so Albuquerque and his captains should all have known whether João da Nova had indeed found St Helena. On 12 July 1503, nearly three weeks before reaching St Helena, Lopes described how Estêvão da Gama’s ships met up with a section of the Fifth Armada led by Afonso de Albuquerque off the Cape of Good Hope. Second, when a section of the Fourth Armada under the command of Estêvão da Gama sighted and landed at St Helena the following year on 30 July 1503 its scrivener Thomé Lopes regarded it as an unknown island yet named Ascension as one of five reference points to the new island’s location. First, given that da Nova either returned on 11 September or 13 September 1502 it is usually assumed the Cantino planisphere completed by the following November includes his discovery of Ascension Island (shown as an archipelago with one of six islands marked as “ilha achada e chamada Ascenssam”), yet this map fails to show St Helena. However, several reasons exist for doubting da Nova made this discovery. Although contradictory in describing other events, these chronicles almost unanimously claim João da Nova found St Helena sometime in 1502, although none of them gives a precise date. This tradition was reviewed by a 2022 paper which concluded the Portuguese chronicles published at least fifty years after the sighting are the sole primary source to the discovery. Main article: History of Saint Helena Early history (1502–1658) João da Nova, a Galician navigator serving the Portuguese Empire, was the first person to sight Saint Helena.īy long tradition, the island was sighted on by the four ships of the 3rd Portuguese Armada, commanded by João da Nova, a Galician navigator in service of Portugal, during the return voyage to Lisbon, who named it Santa Helena after Saint Helena of Constantinople. Saint Helena is known for being the site of Napoleon's second exile, following his final defeat in 1815. St Helena is the United Kingdom's second-oldest overseas territory after Bermuda. For about four centuries, the island was an important stopover for ships from Europe to Asia and back, while sailing around the African continent, until the opening of the Suez Canal. It is one of the most remote islands in the world and was uninhabited when discovered by the Portuguese enroute to the Indian subcontinent in 1502. It was named after Helena, mother of Constantine I. Saint Helena measures about 16 by 8 km (10 by 5 mi) and has a population of 4,439 per the 2021 census. It is one of three constituent parts of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. It is a remote volcanic tropical island 1,950 km (1,210 mi) west of the coast of south-western Africa, and 4,000 km (2,500 mi) east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. Saint Helena ( / ˌ s ɛ n t ( h) ɪ ˈ l iː n ə, ˌ s ɪ n t-, s ə n t-/, US: / ˌ s eɪ n t-/ ) is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean.
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