Pedro Da Covilha

However, it was under King João II (John II) that Covilhã’s true potential was realized. João II, known as the "Perfect Prince," was obsessed with a singular goal: breaking the Venetian and Muslim monopoly on the spice trade. To do this, he needed two things:

: While the Ethiopian Emperors welcomed his knowledge, they refused to let him leave. pedro da covilha

He wrote a triumphant letter to the Portuguese king, delivered via Jewish merchants from Cairo. In that letter, he famously advised: "For the ships that sail around Guinea to this land of India, once they have knowledge of navigation, they will trade easily. For the pepper and cinnamon of Calicut are worth more than the gold of Mina." However, it was under King João II (John

In 1487, while Bartolomeu Dias prepared to round the Cape of Good Hope, the King launched a simultaneous, secretive overland mission. He chose two men: Afonso de Paiva, a fluent Arabic speaker, and Pêro da Covilhã, a squire with a reputation for languages, loyalty, and an eidetic memory. He wrote a triumphant letter to the Portuguese

This intelligence was the "green light" for the subsequent expedition of Vasco da Gama. Covilhã had proven that India was not a myth and that the oceans were connected. The Golden Cage: Exile in Ethiopia

: His journey took him through Naples, Alexandria, Cairo, and Aden, eventually crossing the Arabian Sea to India.