Portuguese Discovery and Colonization of Madeira

Timeline

1. 1418–1419Porto Santo Island · Madeira ArchipelagoZarco and Teixeira, caught in a storm during an Atlantic voyage organized by Henry, drifted to Porto Santo, which they called 'Holy Port'. They then reconnoitered and landed on the forested main island, claiming it in the name of the Portuguese crown. Medieval charts may already have marked the archipelago, but this was the organized official Portuguese discovery.
2. 1420–1425Funchal and Machico · Madeira IslandHenry sent a colonizing expedition; Zarco, Teixeira, and Bartolomeu Perestrello each landed with families, minor nobles, farmers, and fishermen. The archipelago was property of the Order of Christ; Zarco received the Funchal captaincy, Teixeira Machico, and Perestrello Porto Santo. In 1425 John I formally made Madeira a province of the kingdom and granted it to Henry.
3. 1420–1425Southern coast of Madeira · Madeira ArchipelagoSettlers burned parts of the laurel forest to open farmland—legend has it the fires burned for years—while building levada irrigation channels to distribute rainwater. Early food came from fishing, vegetables, and wheat, first for subsistence and then exported to mainland Portugal. This prototype of island colonization, monoculture, and forced labor was later amplified in the sugar era and exported to São Tomé and Brazil.