João Gonçalves Zarco

João Gonçalves Zarco (* 1380, † 1467 to Madeira ) is a Portuguese navigator and regarded as the re-discoverer of Madeira.

As birth year is also found in 1392, as a death years, the years are given in 1465 and 1469.

1430 married João Gonçalves Zarco Constança Rodrigues. Some of their eight children married into families of the Portuguese nobility. Later the family led the conferred by Henry the Navigator name " Câmara de Lobos " or just " Câmara ".

João Gonçalves Zarco came from the lesser nobility and lived as a confidant of Henry the Navigator at whose court. He was one of the first sailors who carried out the orders of Prince Henry explore. He had acquired among others as commander of the coastal defense of Algarve His seamanship.

In 1418 he landed together with Tristão Vaz Teixeira on the Madeira archipelago belonging island of Porto Santo, the existence of which had fallen into oblivion in Europe, although the archipelago was drawn in some charts from the 14th century. On her second trip, the two sailors discovered the main island of Madeira. On this trip also Perestrelo participated, whose daughter Dona Felipa Moniz Perestrello s later the wife of Christopher Columbus was.

Already in 1419 ordered Henry the Navigator, the use and occupation of the archipelago. Madeira is therefore the first island outside Europe that is permanently settled by Europeans. The simple settlers came mainly from the Portuguese regions of Algarve and Minho, but also nobles and specialists from France, Italy, Spain, England and Flanders settled in the islands. The archipelago was divided into three captaincies (a kind of hereditary fief ). João Gonçalves Zarco received as capitão donatário the southern part of Madeira with the seat Funchal, the capital later. The northern part with the seat Machico was Tristão Vaz Teixeira passed. The island of Porto Santo fell to Perestrelo. In a few decades, it was possible to colonize the archipelago successful. Building on existing timber resources and Fish Products Cereals and wine were quickly introduced and operated livestock. By the mid- 15th century, Madeira was the center of the Portuguese sugar cane cultivation, which satisfy a large part of the (still small ) European sugar consumption. Already in 1456 the exports went to the British Bristol.

1437 João Gonçalves Zarco has been involved as a loyal comrade Henry on its failed attempt to conquer Tangier. He then retired to his capitania, fitted out ships that explored the West African coast to Cape Bojador. One of his captains, his nephew Álvaro Fernandes, explored in 1445 by order of Henry today to Mauritania belonging, south of Cape Branco lying island Arguim and the coast down to the mouth of the Senegal River.

Furthermore, João Gonçalves Zarco is known as one of the first sailors who experimented with different ways of preparation of artillery on ships.