Fernão Mendes Pinto (pronounced [fɨɾˈnɐ̃ũ ˈmẽdɨʃ ˈpĩtu], Old Portuguese: Fernam Mendez Pinto) (1509? – 1583) was a Portuguese explorer and writer. Portuguese ( or língua portuguesa) is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia (Spain and northern Portugal. The Portuguese people (os Portugueses literally the Portuguese) are the Ethnic group or Nation native to the country of Portugal, in the west His exploits are known through the posthumous publication of his memoir Pilgrimage (Portuguese: Peregrinação) in 1614, an autobiographical work whose validity is nearly impossible to assess. Portuguese ( or língua portuguesa) is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia (Spain and northern Portugal. An autobiography, from the Greek αὐτός autos "self" βίος bios "life" and γράφειν graphein "to write" In the course of his travels in the Middle and Far East, Pinto visited Ethiopia, the Arabian Sea, China (where he claimed to have been a forced laborer on the Great Wall), India and Japan. The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East. The Far East is a term often used by people in the Western world to refer to the countries of East Asia. NOTE This intro is the result of careful NPOV work Please do not make potentially controversial edits to it without first discussing on the talk page The Arabian Sea ( Arabic: بحر العرب transliterated: Baḥr al-'Arab Sanskrit: सिन्धु सागर transliterated: China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National The Great Wall of China ( or ( is a series of stone and earthen Fortifications in China, built rebuilt and maintained between the 6th century BC and the 16th India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. He claimed to have been among the first group of Europeans to visit Japan and initiate the Nanban trade period. The Nanban trade ( Japanese: 南蛮貿易 nanban-bōeki, "Southern barbarian trade" or the Nanban trade period ( Japanese: 南蛮貿易時代 He also claimed to have introduced the gun there in 1543. A gun is a particular Weapon that propels Projectiles The projectile is generally fired through a hollow tube known as the gun's barrel. It is known that he funded the first Christian church in Japan, after befriending a Catholic missionary and founding member of the Society of Jesus later known as St Francis Xavier. A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth A missionary is a member of a Religion who works to convert those who do not share the missionary's faith someone who proselytizes. The Society of Jesus ( Latin: Societas Iesu, SJ and SI or SJ, SI) is a Catholic religious order Saint Francis Xavier ( Konkani / Konknni: Sam Fransisku Xavier/ Sanv Fransisk Xavier Basque: San Frantzisko Xabierkoa Spanish: San Francisco At one time Pinto himself was a Jesuit, though he later left the order.
Pilgrimage shows Pinto as sharply critical of Portuguese colonialism in the Far East, recording moral and religious objections to what he perceived to be a hypocritical and greedy enterprise disguised as a religious mission. See Colony and Colonization for examples of colonialism which do not refer to Western colonialism This view would later become common, but was unusual at the time [1]. The vivid tales of his wanderings over twenty years – he wrote, for example, that he was "thirteen times made captive and seventeen times sold" – were so unusual that they were mostly not believed. They gave rise to the saying "Fernão, Mentes? Minto!", a Portuguese pun on his name meaning "Fernão, do you lie? Yes, I lie!" [2]. A pun (or paronomasia) is a Phrase that deliberately exploits confusion between similar-sounding Words for humorous or Rhetorical
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Early life
Fernão Mendes Pinto was born in Montemor-o-Velho in 1509 to a poor country family. Montemor-o-Velho ( pron mõtɨ'mɔɾ u 'vɛʎu is a town and municipality of the Coimbra district, in Portugal. It is known he had at least two brothers and at least two sisters. His brother Álvaro was present at Malacca in 1551 and other letters reveal that one of the brothers suffered martyrdom in Malacca. The term martyr ( Greek μάρτυς martys "witness" is most commonly used today to describe an individual who sacrifices their life (or personal freedom It is also known that he had a wealthy cousin, Francisco García de Vargas who was present at Cochin in 1557. He departed for Lisbon, capital of the Kingdom, in 1521, where he served George, Duke of Coimbra (natural son of King John II of Portugal). Lisbon (Lisboa liʒˈboɐ is the Capital and largest city of Portugal. Jorge de Lencastre or George of Portugal (1481&ndash1550 Portuguese: Jorge, pron Wikipedia talkFeatured lists#Proposed_change_to_all_featured_lists for an explanation of this and other inclusion tags below -->This is a list of Portuguese João II ( Portuguese, ʒuˈɐ̃ũ English: John II) ( March 3 1455 &ndash October 25 1495) the Perfect Two years later, he sailed for Setúbal, to work for a nobleman called Francisco de Faria, but during the voyage the ship was attacked by French pirates who abandoned the crew and passengers on the beach near Alentejo. Setúbal (sɨˈtubaɫ or) is a city and a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 172 This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Piracy is Robbery committed at sea or sometimes on shore without a commission from a sovereign Nation (as distinct from Privateering Alentejo (ɐlẽˈtɛʒu is a south-central region of Portugal.
Voyages
Pinto's travels can be divided into three phases; his initial voyages from Portugal to India, in which he attempted to join Portuguese outposts on the Western coast of India, and was diverted several times, travelling through many nations around the Red Sea, from the coast of Africa to the Persian Gulf. The Red Sea is a Salt water Inlet of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia. The Persian Gulf, in the Southwest Asian region is an extension of the After eventually reaching India, he then voyaged to the eastern coast of India and to Portuguese possessions around Malacca, bringing him to Sumatra, Siam, China, and Japan. Sumatra (also spelled Sumatera) is the sixth largest island in the world (approximately 470000 km² and is the largest island entirely in Indonesia (two The Kingdom of Thailand (ˈtaɪlænd ราชอาณาจักรไทย, râːtɕʰa-ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k-tʰɑj Finally, Pinto returned to Europe.
First voyage to India
Fernão's first voyage to India began on March 11, 1537 when he set sail from Lisbon. Events 1425 BC - Thutmose III, Pharaoh of Egypt, dies (according to the Low Chronology of the 18th Dynasty Little happened on the voyage besides a brief stop in the Portuguese colony of Mozambique. Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique (Moçambique or República de Moçambique, ʁɛ'publikɐ d musɐ̃'bik is a country in southeastern Africa On September 5, 1537 he arrived in Diu, a fortified island and town northwest of Bombay, which had been taken into Portuguese possession two years earlier. Events 1590 - Alexander Farnese 's army forces Henry IV of France to raise the siege of Paris. Daman and Diu ( Gujarati: દમણ અને દિવ Marathi: दमण आणि दीव Portuguese: Damão e Diu is a Union territory Mumbai ( Marathi:,, IPA: formerly Bombay, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the financial According to his account the fortress was under the siege by Muslims led by Suleiman the Magnificent, who was determined to overthrow the Portuguese rule in India and to maintain the Muslim monopoly on eastern trade. Suleiman I (سليمان Sulaymān, Süleyman almost always Kanuni Sultan Süleyman) ( 6 November 1494 5/ 6 September 1566
Enticed by the tales of riches that could be obtained by attacking Muslim shipping, he joined a reconnaissance mission to the Red Sea, with a brief stop in Ethiopia to deliver a message to the Portuguese soldiers who were guarding Eleni of Ethiopia, the mother of "Prester John" (Emperor Dawit II of Ethiopia) in a mountain fortress. Eleni or Helena (died April 1522 was the wife of Zara Yaqob, and Empress of Ethiopia. The legends of Prester John (also Presbyter John) popular in Europe from the 12th through the 17th centuries told of a Christian Patriarch Dawit II ( Ge'ez ዳዊት dāwīt) enthroned as Emperor Anbasa Segad ( Ge'ez አንበሳ ሰገድ anbassā sagad, Amh After leaving the Ethiopian port of Massawa, the Portuguese ships engaged three Turkish galleys, but were defeated. Massawa, formerly known as Mitsiwa ( Ge'ez ምጽዋ miṣṣiwa, Arabic مصوع maṣṣawaʿ The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish Galleys redirects here For other uses see Galley (disambiguation. They were taken as prisoners to Mocha, a port in southwest Arabia, and put on an auction block. Mocha ( Arabic: المخا) is a port city on the Red Sea coast of Yemen. The Arabian Peninsula (in Arabic: شبه الجزيرة العربية šibh al-jazīra al-ʻarabīya or جزيرة العرب jazīrat al-ʻarab) Pinto was sold to a Greek Muslim whom he claims was a cruel master, and threatened to commit suicide which convinced his master to sell him to a Jewish merchant for about thirty ducats' worth of dates. Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ The ducat (ˈdʌkət is a Gold coin that was used as a trade currency throughout Europe before World War I. The Date Palm ( Phoenix dactylifera) is a palm in the genus Phoenix, extensively cultivated for its edible Fruit.
His new master takes him on the caravan route to Hormuz, then the leading market town in the Persian Gulf, where Pinto was offered to the Captain of the Fortress of Hormuz and the King's special magistrate for Indian affairs, who had recently been sent by the Governor of Portuguese India on a mission for the crown. A caravan ( Persian: کاروان is a group of people traveling together often on a trade expedition The Persian Gulf, in the Southwest Asian region is an extension of the Portuguese India (Índia Portuguesa or Estado da Índia) was the aggregate of Portugal 's colonial holdings in India. Fernão was freed at a cost of three hundred ducats paid by the crown.
His second voyage to India was soon after becoming free when he signed on a Portuguese cargo ship that was bound for Goa, the Portuguese colony and naval base that had been established to seize complete control of the spice trade from other European powers after traditional land routes to India had been closed by the Ottoman Turks. Goa ( Konkani: गोंय /ɡɔ̃j/ is India 's smallest state in terms of area and the fourth smallest in terms of population. A naval dockyard is a Dockyard that primarily serves a Navy. See also Military base Royal Navy Dockyards Spice trade is a commercial activity of ancient origin which involves the merchandising of Spices and Herbs. Against his will Pinto was transferred while on route to a naval fleet bound for Dabul to try to capture or destroy the Ottoman Turkish vessel anchored there. The Ottoman Turks were the subdivision of the Ottoman Muslim Millet that dominated the ruling class of the Ottoman Empire. After a number of engagements in the Arabian Sea, with varying success, Pinto ultimately reached Goa.
Malacca and the Far East
From 1539 on it appears Pinto was based in Malacca under the newly appointed Captain of Malacca, Pero de Faria, who sent Pinto to establish diplomatic contacts with the unknown states in the region.
Most of his early time in Malacca included missions to the petty kingdoms of Sumatra, which was allied with the Portuguese against the Muslims of Achin in northern Sumatra. Sumatra (also spelled Sumatera) is the sixth largest island in the world (approximately 470000 km² and is the largest island entirely in Indonesia (two See also Sultanate of Aceh Aceh (ʔaˈtɕɛh generally anglicized as ˈɑːtʃeɪ is a special territory ( daerah istimewa) of Indonesia During these voyages he made private trades, hoping to make profits himself, but remained loyal to the King's interests, in contrast to many of his colleagues, who would engage in private trade to the extent that it would be a detriment to the interests of the crown.
Patani voyage
Following his mission to Sumatra, he was sent to Patani, on the eastern shore of the Malay peninsula. Pattani ( Thai ปัตตานี is one of the southern provinces ( changwat) of Thailand. The Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula (Semenanjung Tanah Melayu (คาบสมุทรมลายู is a major Peninsula located in Southeast In a joint venture with countrymen based in Patani, Pinto travelled with a shipload of merchandise to the coast of Siam (modern-day Thailand), but they were attacked by a pirate, who stole their profits. The Kingdom of Thailand (ˈtaɪlænd ราชอาณาจักรไทย, râːtɕʰa-ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k-tʰɑj The Kingdom of Thailand (ˈtaɪlænd ราชอาณาจักรไทย, râːtɕʰa-ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k-tʰɑj Sailing in search of the pirate, they essentially become pirates themselves, under the command of António de Faria. Faria's exploits lead him to become a popular figure in Portuguese literature.
Pinto continued in this role for months, operating in the Gulf of Tonkin near Indochina, in the waters of the South China seas, and raging northward along the coast of China and Korea, where he claims to have raided the Emperor of China's tomb. The Gulf of Tonkin, in Vietnamese: Vịnh Bắc Bộ or in Chinese: Beibu Wan is an arm of the South China Sea. Indochina, or the Indochinese Peninsula, is a region in Southeast Asia. The South China Sea is a Marginal sea south of China. It is a part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from Singapore to the The Emperor of China ( refers to any sovereign of Imperial China reigning since the founding of the Qin Dynasty in 221 BC until the fall of
After a shipwreck left them in the hands of the Chinese, the survivors of the ordeal were sentenced to one year of hard labor on the Great Wall of China, but Fernão did not complete his sentence, becoming a prisoner of war after a Tatar invasion. Tatars ( Tatar: Tatarlar/Татарлар sometimes spelled Tartars, are a Turkic -speaking ethnic group or multiple ethnic groups Pinto and his comrades bought their freedom by teaching the Tatars how to storm a fortress, and in the company of a Tatar ambassador, they traveled toward Cochinchina, the southernmost part of modern-day Cambodia and Vietnam. Cochin China is also a type of domestic fowl. Cochinchina, from Cochin-China (see note below (known locally as Nam The Kingdom of Cambodia ( formerly known as Kampuchea (, transliterated: Preăh Réachéanachâkr Kâmpŭchea) is a country in South East Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially
While on the journey, they encounter a major religious figure Pinto describes as "pope-like", — possibly the Dalai Lama — who had never heard of Europe. History See also History of the Papacy Catholics recognize the Pope as a successor to Saint Peter, who Jesus named as the "shepherd" and The Dalai Lama is the spiritual and political leader of the Tibetan people according to Tibetan Buddhism. Frustrated with the slow pace of travel, and still in the vicinity of the deserted islands off the coast of Canton, Pinto and two companions boarded a Chinese pirate junk, which was cast by a storm onto Japanese island of Tanegashima, just south of Kyūshū; this is the source of Pinto's claim to be the first westerner to enter Japan. Tanegashima ( Japanese: 種子島 is an Island lying to the south of Kyūshū, south Japan, and is part of the Kagoshima Prefecture or Kyushu is the third-largest Island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands.
Voyages to Japan
A few years later (1542), Pinto made his first voyage to Japan, accompanied by other Portuguese, supposedly introducing the arquebus, a kind of firearm, to that country. The Arquebus (sometimes spelled harquebus, harkbus or hackbut; from Dutch haakbus, meaning "hook gun" is A firearm is a Tool that projects either single or multiple Projectiles at high velocity through a controlled explosion
They landed in Japan in 1542 or 1543 and gained the favor of a feudal lord, to whom they claim to have given the first firearm to have entered Japan, the Portuguese arquebus. The weapon was rapidly reproduced and had a major impact on the ongoing Japanese civil wars. Pinto returned to the coast of China after being released at Ningpo, and made contact with Portuguese merchants who were highly interested in a trade mission to Japan. Ningbo ( literally "Tranquil Waves" is a Seaport with sub-provincial administrative status. Their expedition was shipwrecked on the coast of the Ryukyu Islands, however, where they were arrested for piracy but were released because of the compassion of the women of the island. The Ryukyu Islands, in Japanese called the (literally Southwest Islands are a chain of Japanese islands in the western Pacific Ocean at the eastern limit
In 1549, Pinto left the port of Kagoshima but he took with him a Japanese fugitive known as Anjiro, and introduced him to Saint Francis Xavier. is the capital city of Kagoshima Prefecture at the southwestern tip of the Kyūshū island of Japan, and the largest city in the prefecture by some or, later known as Paulo de Santa Fé, was a well known Japanese interpreter from Satsuma Province. Xavier joined Fernão's voyage to Japan, and famously went on to spread Catholicism to that country. In 1551, Pinto met Xavier again, and worked for him during the evangelization period of the region. Evangelism is the Christian practice of proselytisation. The intention of most evangelism is to effect Eternal salvation to those who do not follow the
In 1554, Fernão decided to return home to Portugal with the fortune he had gained during his voyages, but prior to returning home he underwent conversion to the Society of Jesus and donated a large sum of his wealth to the Society itself, becoming a brother of the Society. Pinto then departed with Xavier as a shipmate when Xavier left his work in Japan to a successor.
Final voyage to Japan
A letter from Otomo Yoshishige supports the history of these events: when the daimyo of Bungo requested that Pinto return to Japan, and offering his conversion. Saint Francis Xavier ( Konkani / Konknni: Sam Fransisku Xavier/ Sanv Fransisk Xavier Basque: San Frantzisko Xabierkoa Spanish: San Francisco also known as Fujiwara no Yoshishige (藤原 義鎮 and Ōtomo Yoshishige (大友 義鎮 was a Japanese feudal lord ( Daimyo) of the Ōtomo clan The ( were powerful territorial lords who ruled most of Japan from their vast hereditary land holdings The letter arrived at the same time as Xavier's body was being displayed in Goa. Fernão was to accompany the mission, which to a small degree was a successful diplomatic mission, establishing an embassy, but he failed to convert Otomo because of an ongoing civil war — Otomo could not afford to alienate his supporters by converting to a foreign religion during the conflict. Twenty-two years later, however, Otomo eventually did convert to Christianity, at the same time as Fernão was completing his autobiography.
During Pinto's final voyage to Japan (1554-1556) with Xavier's successor, he served as the Viceroy of Portuguese India's ambassador to the daimyo of Bungo on the island of Kyūshū. was a province of Japan in eastern Kyūshū. It bordered Buzen, Hyuga, Higo, Chikugo, and Chikuzen provinces
At the end of the voyage, Fernão lent money to Xavier to create the first church in Japan. For an unknown reason, he abandoned the Jesuits in 1557 on his return trip.
Martaban
Fernão returned to Malacca and reported to the captain who sent him on a mission to Martaban which is today part of Lower Myanmar. Mottama, formerly known as Martaban, is a small town in the Thaton district of Mon State, in southern Burma. Burma, officially the Union of Myanmar ( pjìdàunzṵ mjàmmà nàinŋàndɔ̀ is the largest country by geographical area in mainland Southeast Asia. He arrived in the midst of a siege and took refuge in the Portuguese camp of mercenaries who had betrayed the Viceroy of Martaban. At the end of the siege, Fernão was likewise betrayed by a mercenary. He was made a captive of the Burmese and placed under the charge of the king's treasurer who took him to the kingdom of Calaminham which is identified now as Luang Prabang. The Bamar ( bəmà lùmjó also called Burman) are the dominant Ethnic group of Burma, constituting approximately 68% (30000000 of the population Luang Prabang, or Louangphrabang (Lao ຫລວງພະບາງ, IPA /luaŋ pʰabaːŋ/ is a city located in north central Laos, on the Fernão fled on his return trip while the Burmese besieged Sandoway to Goa
Java
Once Pinto returned to Goa, he again met Pero de Faria, now the former Captain of Malacca. Thandwe is a Town in the Rakhine State of westernmost part of Myanmar. Pero sent him on a voyage to Java to buy pepper, which could then be sold in China, and while buying goods in the Javan port of Bantam, Pinto was joined by forty Portuguese merchants who were alarmed by violence that erupted in the area after the Emperor was slain by his page boy over a point of honor. Black pepper ( Piper nigrum) is a flowering Vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its Fruit, which is usually dried Bantam ( Banten) in Banten province near the western end of Java was a strategically important site and formerly a major trading city with a secure harbor
The Japanese Wako shipwreck them in the Gulf of Siam where they end up tossed onto the coast of Java. The Gulf of Thailand (or Gulf of Siam) is a gulf that borders but is not part of the South China Sea ( Pacific Ocean) Java (Jawa is an Island of Indonesia and the site of its Capital city Jakarta. There they resorted to cannibalism in order to survive, and those that did survive (including Fernão) then sold themselves as slaves in return for passage out of the swamp. Cannibalism (from Spanish es ''caníbal'' in connection with cannibalism among the Antillean Caribs, also called anthropophagy (from Greek ἄνθρωπος
They were then sold to a Celebes merchant and resold to the King of Kalapa, (modern-day Jakarta). Sulawesi (formerly known as Celebes, ˈsɛlɛbiz is one of the four larger Sunda Islands of Indonesia and is situated between Borneo and the Kalapa, according to Buddhist legend is the capital city of the Kingdom of Shambhala, where the Kulika King is said to reign on a lion throne Jakarta (also DKI Jakarta) is the Capital and largest city of Indonesia. After hearing their stories, he generously sent them on a ship — to Sunda from which they had previously departed.
Using borrowed money Fernão buys passage to Siam, now known as Thailand. The Kingdom of Thailand (ˈtaɪlænd ราชอาณาจักรไทย, râːtɕʰa-ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k-tʰɑj The Kingdom of Thailand (ˈtaɪlænd ราชอาณาจักรไทย, râːtɕʰa-ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k-tʰɑj Pinto then describes how not long after his arrival the King of Siam requested Portuguese residents to enlist to quell a revolt in the Northern boundaries. The King was subsequently poisoned by the Queen, who also murdered the young heir to the throne, and placed her lover in the boy's place. The new King was then murdered, and unrest ensued provoking the King of Burma to lay siege to Ayuthia the capital of Siam. Ayutthaya (full name Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, พระนครศรีอยุธยา aˡjutʰajaː also spelled "Ayudhya" city is the capital of
The description of these events in Burmese history, whether or not they were actually witnessed firsthand by Pinto, represents the most detailed account of these events that can be found in all of recorded Western history.
Return voyage
Fernão returned to Portugal on 22 September 1558 on an uneventful voyage. Events 66 - Emperor Nero creates the Legion I Italica. 1236 - The Lithuanians He was already famous in Western Europe as the author of a letter that had been published by the Society of Jesus in 1555. From 1562-1566 Fernão spent four and a half years in court hoping to receive a reward or compensation for his years of service to the Crown.
The book
In 1558 he returned to Portugal where he married Maria Correia Barreto with whom he had at least two daughters; the exact number is unknown. He bought a farm in the region of Pragal (near Almada) in 1562 and in 1569 he started to write the account of his voyages in the Orient. Pragal is a Portuguese parish located in the municipality of Almada. Almada - Arabic: حصن المعدن ( pron aɫ'madɐ is a city and a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 70 The Orient is a term which simply means the " East " It originated in Western Asia to describe that part of the world
Fernão Mendes Pinto died on July 8, 1583 on his farm of Pragal. Events 939 - The Major Occultation or Ghaybat el-Kubra of Muhammad al-Mahdi 1099 - First Crusade: 15000 His book would be published in 1614, thirty-one years after his death, by a friar named Belchior Faria. The full title of the book was
"Pilgrimage of Fernam Mendez Pinto in which is told the many and very strange things he saw and heard in the kingdom of China, in the one of Tartary, in the one of Sornau, usually called Siam, in the one of Calaminhan, in the one of Pegù, in the one of Martauão, and in many other kingdoms and lordships of the Oriental parts, and that in our Occident there are few or no accounts. And also the account of many particular affairs that occurred both to him and many other people. And in the end of it briefly regards some things, & the death of the Holy Priest Francis Xavier, sole light and brightness of those parts of the Orient, & universal ruler of the Society of Jesus in those parts. "
(in Old Portuguese: "Peregrinaçam de Fernam Mendez Pinto em que da conta de muytas e muyto estranhas cousas que vio & ouvio no reyno da China, no da Tartaria, no de Sornau, que vulgarmente se chama de Sião, no de Calaminhan, no do Pegù, no de Martauão, & em outros muytos reynos & senhorios das partes Orientais, de que nestas nossas do Occidente ha muyto pouca ou nenhua noticia. E tambem da conta de muytos casos particulares que acontecerão assi a elle como a outras muytas pessoas. E no fim della trata brevemente de alguas cousas, & da morte do Santo Padre Francisco Xavier, unica luz & resplandor daquellas partes do Oriente, & reitor nellas universal da Companhia de Iesus. ")
It is thought that the printed version of the book does not correspond exactly to the author’s manuscripts — some sentences appear to have been erased and others were "corrected". The disappearance of references to the Society of Jesus, one of the most active religious orders in the Orient, is notable, as there are clear indications of Fernão Mendes Pinto's relations with the society. A religious order is a lineage of communities and organizations of people who live in some way set apart from society in accordance with their specific religious devotion usually
Notable views held in the book
Although Fernão Mendes Pinto did not have an education similar to his contemporary authors and did not reveal knowledge of either classical culture or of the aesthetics of the Renaissance, his experiential knowledge and intelligence enabled him to create a fascinating and lasting work. Classical antiquity (also the classical era or classical period) is a broad term for a long period of cultural History centered on the Mediterranean The Renaissance (from French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth" Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere
The absence of a formal education, his physical distance from the dominant culture, and his humble roots were his advantages. His work has no signs of prejudice regarding the "new" cultures discovered by the Portuguese and thus it is a living testimony of their habits, attitudes and ways of life.
Historicity
The tale of his adventures was written after the fact, according to Pinto's memories of the events, and for that reason it may be open to doubt as a completely accurate historical source. However, it documents extremely well the impact of the Asian civilizations on the Europeans and constitutes a perfectly realistic analysis of Portuguese action in the Orient, far more realistic than the one made by Luís de Camões in The Lusiads. A Civilization is a society in which large numbers of people share a variety of common elements Luís Vaz de Camões (luˈiʃ vaʃ dɨ kaˈmõĩʃ sometimes rendered in English from old Portuguese as Camoens) (c Os Lusíadas, pron. uʃ lu'ziɐdɐʃ (usually known by the title The Lusiads in English is a Portuguese epic poem
The most controversial of his claims is that of having been the first European to land in Japan and the introduction of the arquebus. Despite the impossibility of proving these specific assertions, there is little doubt that Pinto was among the first Europeans in Japan, and therefore his account may be considered more reliable than other books describing this period that were written long afterwards.
Another controversial claim, that he fought in Java against the Muslims, has been analyzed by various historians. The Dutch historian P. A. Tiele, who wrote in 1880, did not believe Pinto was present during the campaign, but rather that he wrote his information from secondhand sources. Cornelis Petrus Tiele, ( 16 December 1830 &ndash1902 was a Dutch Theologian and Scholar. Even so, Tiele admits Pinto's account cannot be disregarded because of the lack of alternative information about Javanese history during the time period; despite the doubts over Pinto's accuracy, his viewpoint may represent the only authoritative source in existence. Maurice Collis, a modern expert on Asian affairs who lived in the area for twenty years, holds the opinion that Fernão's accounts, while not entirely true, remain essentially true with respect to the basic events. Maurice Stewart Collis ( January 10, 1889 Dublin - January 12, 1973) was an administrator in Burma (Myanmar when it was Because of this Collis considers Pinto's work the most complete European account of 16th century Asian history.
Legacy and following
Among Pinto's legacies is his claim to introducing the arquebus on the island of Tanegashima that would be known throughout Japan as the "Tanega-shima". The Arquebus (sometimes spelled harquebus, harkbus or hackbut; from Dutch haakbus, meaning "hook gun" is The Arquebus (sometimes spelled harquebus, harkbus or hackbut; from Dutch haakbus, meaning "hook gun" is Tanegashima ( Japanese: 種子島 is an Island lying to the south of Kyūshū, south Japan, and is part of the Kagoshima Prefecture Based on Portuguese models, Japanese swordsmiths managed to mass-produce arquebuses. By 1553, there were more guns per capita in Japan than in any other country. [1] In 1600, the Japanese guns were the best of the world. [1] The "Tanega-shima" drastically changed Japanese warfare until the Tokugawa era when they were outlawed. was the founder and first Shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate Another legacy of his is the funding the first Christian church in Japan which would mark the beginning of Christianity in Japan. Christians in Japan are a religious minority making up about 1 million to 3 million persons His greatest legacy is not his voyages but his detailed description of Asian culture, and history of the 1500s. The culture of Asia is the artificial aggregate of the Cultural heritage of many nationalities, societies, Religions and Ethnic groups The history of Asia can be seen as the collective history of several distinct peripheral coastal regions East Asia, South Asia, and the Middle East It is more descriptive than any other European reports, and from a much earlier date.
Mendes Pinto, a crater on Mercury, was named after him in 1978. [3] An intermediate school in Almada, Portugal built in 1965 was named in his honour. Almada - Arabic: حصن المعدن ( pron aɫ'madɐ is a city and a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 70
See also
References
Books
- Breve História da Literatura Portuguesa, Texto Editora, Lisboa, 1999
- A. This article attempts to list every significant event in the history of the European exploration of Asia. J. Barreiros, História da Literatura Portuguesa, Editora Pax, 11th ed.
- A. J. Saraiva, O. Lopes, História da Literatura Portuguesa, Porto Editora, 12tg ed.
- Verbo – Enciclopédia Luso-Brasileira de Cultura, 15th ed. , Editorial Verbo, Lisboa
- Lexicoteca – Moderna Enciclopédia Universal, vol. 15, Círculo de Leitores, 1987
- The Travels of Mendes Pinto, ISBN 0226669513
- Collis, Maurice (1949). Maurice Stewart Collis ( January 10, 1889 Dublin - January 12, 1973) was an administrator in Burma (Myanmar when it was The Grand Peregrination. Faber and Faber. ISBN 0856358509.
Online
Rebecca Catz. Hispania. Fernão Mendes Pinto and His Peregrinação. Retrieved on 30 August 2005. Events 1363 - Beginning date of the Battle of Lake Poyang; the forces of two Chinese rebel leaders— Chen Youliang and Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
Inline
- ^ a b How to Get Rich: A Talk by Jared Diamond [6. TemplateInfobox writer --> Jared Mason Diamond (b 10 September, 1937) is an American Evolutionary biologist 7. 99]
External links
- from the Catholic Encyclopedia
- Hispania - American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, Inc.
- "The voyages and adventures of Ferdinand Mendez Pinto.1692." English Translation by Henry Cogan, of Nichibunken database