| Another man important in Lagos� history was King Sebastian. He became king at the age of 14, and during his reign he honored Lagos in 1573 with the royal title of �city�, a rare occurrence in those days. In 1578 when King Sebastian died at the age of 24 in battle in Morocco, he left Portugal heirless. Because of this, Spain was able to easily invade Portugal in 1580, and for 60 years Portugal was ruled by Spain. |
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| The third man held in high regard by Lagos was Gil Eanes. He was a native of Lagos and a squire of Prince Henry. It was he who in 1434 commanded the first ship to sail beyond Cape Bojador in West Africa and actually return. At this time that cape was considered the �cape of no return� by Europeans, and his successful return opened up the Discovery period. |
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| Soon after our arrival in Lagos, we went out for a day to Cape Sagres and Cape St. Vincente, the two jutting headlands at the southwestern tip of the Algarve and Europe. For ages this area was considered the �end of the world.� Like many, we believed the myth that Prince Henry�s Navigational School had been located at Sagres. This never was the case, and in fact, Prince Henry never had a navigational school anywhere in Portugal. Instead, Sagres was a fortress in which Prince Henry�s town �Vila do Infante� had been located and where he spent much of his last years. Before leaving the area, we watched fishermen casting their lines off the 150 foot cliffs, standing ever so close to the edge. |
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