Článek přibližuje svět prvních portugalských cestovatelů a mořeplavců a jejich setkání s exotickou faunou Afriky (případně i Asie) v rozmezí od 15. do 17. století a usiluje o zachycení jejich pohledu na dosud nespatřená zvířata a jeho následné zasazení do myšlenkového světa těchto lidí. Pokouší se popsat obraz africké fauny, jak si ho vytvořili první portugalští, a tudíž evropští pozorovatelé. and The article presents the world of the first Portuguese explorers and navigators and their meetings with the exotic fauna of Africa and Asia. It displays the African fauna as seen at that time by the first Portuguese and therefore European observers.
Tento článek přibližuje čtenáři svět prvních portugalských mořeplavců a jejich setkání s exotickou faunou Asie v 16. století. Důraz klade především na nosorožce a slona, ale neopomíjí ani další živočichy a věnuje se i původu některých drahocenných orientálních látek živočišného původu, pro Evropany dlouho neznámému. Text bohatě využívá citací z pramenů., This article presents the world of the first Portuguese navigators and their encounters with exotic Asian fauna in the 16th century. It primarily highlights the rhinoceros and elephants, but does not omit other animals. It also focuses on the sources of some valuable oriental substances of animal origin, which was unknown to Europeans for a long time., and Karel Staněk.
The creation of the Portuguese overseas empire began after 1415 in the Atlantic area and gradually transformed itself into a multi-continental phenomenon. Around 1500, there was a period of particular expansion into Asia and Morocco, with a further consolidation of their position in Africa and Brazi. Although the king had tried to isolate the state from contemporary European events and had been engaged exclusively in activities on the world stage, the rather small and sparsely populated country began to run out of steam. The result was the enforced renunciation of her interests in North Africa (1542-1550), which had previously attracted more of the Crown's interest that the Orient. However, thereafter, the privileged position of the East in the Portuguese empire was never questioned, at least not at the ideological level., Karel Staněk., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Portuguese effort to overrun the coast of Morocco is closely connected with the necessity to control sea navigation in the Strait of Gibraltar. Ideological shield to expansion was provided by pope, who declared the Portuguese expeditions as crusades. Their beginning goes back to 1415, when Ceuta was conquered and became the first Portuguese oversea possession. The Portuguese possessed their strongholds in Morocco until 1769. The necessary conditions to these possessions were laid down under the rule of the king Alfonse V. During three war campaign he overrun the cities of Alcácer Ceguer, Arzila and Tangier and then he adopted the title „King of Portugal and of the Algarves on this side of the sea and beyond in Africa“, which symbolized the success reached there. Moorish king of Fez accepted these conquests of Portugal as the first Muslim ruler in 1471 and at the same time he gave up part of interior domains up to Larache-Tétouan line. Thanks to this dominion, called Algarve across the sea, Portuguese had the sufficient security for expected struggle with Castile, which ended in 1509 when Castile abandoned the Atlantic shore of Morocco.