Pêro da Covilhã

Timeline

1. c. 1450–1487Covilhã · PortugalCovilhã came from the central Portuguese mountain town of Covilhã, served Alfonso V as a page and diplomat in Castile and the Maghreb, and knew Arabic. In May 1487 John II sent him and Afonso de Paiva with letters of credit from Lisbon, via Barcelona and Naples to Rhodes, disguised as merchants bound for the Near East.
2. 1487–1491Calicut · Malabar CoastAfter reaching Aden via Cairo, Tor, and Zeila the two parted: Paiva for Ethiopia, Covilhã by monsoon ship to Cannanore and Calicut, observing the cinnamon and pepper trade, then via Goa to Hormuz and south down the East African coast to Sofala. Around 1491 he returned to Cairo, learned Paiva had died, and wrote a report sent to Lisbon by messengers including José of Lamego, noting a Guinea sea route to Sofala and on to Calicut.
3. c. 1492–1526Ethiopian highland court · Ethiopian HighlandsAfter reporting, Covilhã continued the search for Prester John, entering Ethiopia, received by rulers such as Eskender and granted land but forbidden to leave. When Rodrigo de Lima's embassy arrived in 1520 he had lived there for decades, dictating his travels in detail to the chaplain Francisco Álvares, becoming Europe's main source on this overland reconnaissance.