Diaz, Bartholomew

Diaz, Bartholomew (about 1450-1500), Portuguese explorer.

Bartholomew Diaz set out from Lisbon in 1487 with two small ships to try to find a route to the East past Africa.

He landed near the mouth of the Orange River and then sailed directly south into the Atlantic Ocean. A great storm drove him eastwards and he sailed past the tip of South Africa without, at the time, knowing it. He followed the east coast of South Africa as far as the Great Fish River but his crews were restless and he had to turn back.

On the voyage home, he sighted the tip of South Africa and named it 'Cabo Tormentoso' (Cape of Storms). Back in Portugal, in December 1488, King John II changed the name to Cape of Good Hope so as not to discourage future explorers.

Diaz died at sea. He was sailing to India when his ship was lost in a storm somewhere near the Cape of Good Hope.