Navigations: The Portuguese Discoveries and the Renaissance

(Hardback)

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Navigations re-examines the Portuguese voyages of discovery by placing them in their medieval and Renaissance settings. It shows how these voyages grew out of a crusading ethos, as well as long-distance trade with Asia and Africa and developments in map-making and ship design.

The slave trade, the diaspora of the Sephardic Jews and the intercontinental spread of plants and animals gave these voyages long-term global significance. The voyages of discovery are narrated within the context of Portuguese politics, and this book describes the role of the Portuguese ruling dynasty - including its female members - in the flowering of the Portuguese Renaissance and the distinctive ideology of the Renaissance state, and in the cultural changes that took place within a wider European context.

Reviews

"Few living scholars know as much about the Portuguese empire as Newitt. None writes about it with more confidence, clarity, critical acuity, and common sense. His new book is the precious gift of a long lifetime's work and reflection, enlivened by moments of subtle humor and distinguished by objectivity, reliability, and restraint in judgement"--Felipe Fernndez-Armesto, William P. Reynolds Professor of History, University of Notre Dame

Author Bio

Malyn Newitt has taught at the universities of Rhodesia and Exeter, and until he retired was the Charles Boxer Professor of History at King's College London. His many books include The Braganzas (Reaktion, 2019).