May 21: Portugal: Prince Henry gains appointment (from his father King John I) as head of the very wealthy Order of Christ, the Portuguese successor to the Knights Templar.
The prior year, 1419, Henry had been appointed governor of the province of Algarve.
From these two power bases, Prince Henry would direct notable Portuguese study and advances in the inter–related fields of cartography, navigation and exploration, in particular. Prince Henry (born 1394, the third son in–line) evolves into the prime catalyst for Portuguese sea navigation up through his death (in 1460). He leaves a major historic legacy as steward of Portugal’s historic explorations.
The following Portuguese captains/explorers, among others, set out under his aegis: Zarco, Perestrelo, Teixeira, Velho, Eanes, Tristão, Goncalves, Dias (Diaz), Cadamosto and da Gama.
In parallel, Prince Henry played a key role in consolidating and advancing Portuguese advanced study in all the major disciplines of the time. Eventually, in 1431, he consolidated all the various centers of study in his formidable orbit—both of the hard sciences and the soft—into the Estudo Geral, which eventually evolved into the University of Lisbon.