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Fernão Mendes Pinto | |
|---|---|
.png) Possible likeness of Fernão Mendes Pinto in theVisitation altarpiece (Giraldo Fernandes de Prado, 1589–1591) of the Church of Misericórdia of Almada, Portugal | |
| Born | 1509 |
| Died | (1583-07-08)8 July 1583 |
| Occupation(s) | Explorer and writer |
| Known for | Pilgrimage |
Fernão Mendes Pinto (Portuguese pronunciation:[fɨɾˈnɐ̃wˈmẽdɨʃˈpĩtu];c. 1509 – 8 July 1583) was aPortuguese explorer and writer. His voyages are recorded inPilgrimage (Portuguese:Peregrinação), his autobiographical memoir, which was published posthumously in 1614. The historical accuracy of the work is debatable due to the many events that seem far-fetched or at least exaggerated, earning him the nicknameFernão Mentes Minto (wordplay with the Portuguese verbmentir, 'to lie', meaning "Fernão, are you lying? I am lying."). Still, many aspects of the work can be verified, particularly through records of Pinto's service to the Portuguese crown and by his association with Jesuit missionaries.
Pinto was born in about 1509, inMontemor-o-Velho,Portugal, to a poor rural family or perhaps to a family of minor nobility who had fallen on hard times. Pinto had two brothers and two sisters (and possibly other siblings). In 1551, a brother, Álvaro, was recorded inPortuguese Malacca. Letters also record that a brother died a martyr in Malacca. In 1557,Francisco Garcia de Vargas, Pinto's wealthy cousin, is recorded atCochin.
He was related to the wealthy Mendes family, who were descendants ofJewishMarranos who lived in Portugal (which makes him a relative of the Jewish philanthropistGracia Mendes Nasi).[1] They had a monopoly onblack pepper commerce in Portugal and some of them later moved toAntwerp inBelgium.
Pinto described his childhood as spartan. In 1521, hoping to improve the boy's prospects, an uncle took him toLisbon. There, Pinto was employed in the household service of a noblewoman. After eighteen months or so, Pinto fled. At the docks, he was hired as aship's boy on a cargo vessel bound forSetúbal. On the way, French pirates captured the ship and the passengers were set upon the shore atAlentejo.
Pinto eventually made his way to Setúbal, where he entered the service ofFrancisco de Faria, a knight of Santiago. He remained there for four years and then joined the service ofJorge de Lencastre, a master of theOrder of Santiago and an illegitimate son ofKingJohn II of Portugal. Pinto held that position for a number of years. Although comfortable, it held no promise of advancement. Therefore, at twenty-eight, Pinto left to join thePortuguese India Armadas.
Pinto's travels can be divided into three phases: firstly, from Portugal to India; secondly, through the region of theRed Sea, from the coast of Africa to thePersian Gulf; and thirdly, from east India toSumatra,Siam, China, and Japan. Finally, Pinto returned to Europe.
On 11 March 1537, Pinto left Lisbon for India viaPortuguese Mozambique. On 5 September that year, he arrived inDiu, a fortified island and town northwest ofBombay (Portuguese since 1535 but under siege bySuleiman the Magnificent).
Pinto then joined a Portuguese reconnaissance mission to the Red Sea via Ethiopia. The mission was to deliver a message to Portuguese soldiers guarding the mother of "Prester John" (EmperorDawit II of Ethiopia) in a mountain fortress. After leavingMassawa, the mission engaged threeTurkishgalleys in battle. The Portuguese ships were defeated and their crews taken toMocha to be sold as slaves.
Pinto was sold to aGreek Muslim who was a cruel master. Pinto threatened suicide and was sold to aJewish merchant for about thirtyducats' worth ofdates. With the Jewish merchant, Pinto travelled thecaravan route toHormuz, a leading market town in thePersian Gulf. There, Pinto was freed by way of payment of three hundred ducats from the Portuguese crown. He was made captain of theFortress of Hormuz and the Portuguese king's special magistrate for Indian affairs.
Soon after being freed, Pinto sailed on a Portuguese cargo ship toGoa. Against his will, Pinto was transferred en route to a naval fleet bound for theMughal port city ofDebal (modernKarachi) nearThatta. After enduring battles withOttoman ships, Pinto reached Goa.
From 1539, Pinto remained inMalacca underPedro de Faria, the newly appointed captain of Malacca. Pinto was sent to establish diplomatic contacts, particularly with small kingdoms allied with the Portuguese against the Muslims of northern Sumatra. In 1569, he discovered an Ottoman fleet led byKurtoğlu Hızır Reis inAceh.
Following Pinto's mission to Sumatra, he was sent toPatani, on the eastern shore of theMalay Peninsula. From there, Pinto made an unsuccessful delivery of merchandise toSiam. The goods were stolen by pirates who were then chased by Pinto andAntónio de Faria. Pinto continued trading operations in theSouth China Sea, especially in theGulf of Tonkin.
Pinto entered China from theYellow Sea and raided a tomb of theEmperor of China. Pinto was shipwrecked, apprehended by the Chinese and sentenced to one year hard labour on theGreat Wall of China. Before completing his sentence, Pinto was taken prisoner by invadingTatars. He became an agent of the Tartars and travelled with them toCochinchina, the southernmost part of modern-dayCambodia andVietnam. Pinto describes his encounter with a "pope-like" man, possibly theDalai Lama, who had never heard of Europe. Pinto and two companions jumped ship to a Chinese piratejunk and were shipwrecked onto the Japanese island ofTanegashima, south ofKyūshū.
Pinto claimed that his 1543 landing made him the first European to set foot in Japan. He also claimed to have introduced thearquebus to Japan. It is widely accepted now, however, that several Portuguese traders, includingAntónio Mota andFrancisco Zeimoto, visited Japan a year earlier.[2] The firearm was reproduced and used in theJapanese civil wars. It was known as thetanegashima.
Pinto facilitated trade between the Portuguese and Japan. At one point, he was shipwrecked on theRyukyu Islands. In 1549, Pinto leftKagoshima accompanied by a Japanese fugitive,Anjirō. He returned to Japan with SaintFrancis Xavier, a Catholic missionary. In 1554, Pinto joined theSociety of Jesus and donated a large sum of his trading wealth to the mission. In a letter,Ōtomo Yoshishige,daimyō of Bungo, offered his conversion and requested Pinto return to Japan. The letter arrived at the same time that Xavier's body was being displayed in Goa. Ōtomo did not convert at that time due to internal difficulties but did so later at the time Pinto was completing his autobiography. Between 1554 and 1556, Pinto returned to Japan with Xavier's successor. He became the Viceroy of Portuguese India's ambassador to the daimyo ofBungo on the island of Kyūshū. Despite Pinto's support of the Church in Japan, he left the Jesuits in 1557.
Pinto returned to Malacca and was sent toMottama inToungoo Burma. He arrived during a siege and took refuge in a Portuguese camp of mercenaries who had betrayed the Viceroy. Pinto was betrayed by a mercenary, captured by Burmese forces, and placed under the charge of the king's treasurer, who took him to the kingdom ofCalaminham. Pinto fled toGoa.
On Pinto's return to Goa, Faria sent him toBantam, Java, to buypepper for sale to China. Once again, Pinto was shipwrecked. He may have resorted tocannibalism before submitting to slavery in order to secure passage out of the swampy Java shore. Pinto was bought by aCelebes merchant and resold to the King ofKalapa who returned him toSunda.
Using borrowed money, Pinto bought passage toSiam where he encountered theKing of Siam atwar. Pinto's writings contribute to the historical record of the war.
On 22 September 1558, Pinto returned to Portugal. Fame preceded him in Western Europe due to one of his letters being published by theSociety of Jesus in 1555. Pinto spent the years 1562–1566 in court looking for reward or compensation for his years of service to the Crown. He married Maria Correia Barreto with whom he had at least two daughters. In 1562, he purchased a farm inPragal. Pinto died on 8 July 1583 at his farm.
Pinto began his memoirs in 1569. The book was published posthumously by friarBelchior Faria in 1614. Although Pinto did not have the education of contemporary authors and did not reveal a knowledge of eitherclassical culture nor aesthetics of theRenaissance, his experiential knowledge and intelligence enabled him to create a meaningful work. Pinto was critical of Portuguesecolonialism in the Far East.[3]
The vivid tales of his wanderings were so incredible and far-fetched as to not be believed.[4] They gave rise to the saying "Fernão, Mentes? Minto!", a Portuguesepun on his name meaning "Fernão, do you lie? I do!"[5]
The publication may vary from Pinto's manuscript (some sentences are erased and others are edited). The disappearance of references to the Society of Jesus, one of the most activereligious orders in the Orient, is notable, as there are clear indications of Pinto's relationship with the society. Pinto's memoirs are just that, his memories of events, giving rise to doubts regarding historical accuracy. However, it documents the impact of the Asiancivilizations on the Europeans and is a reasonable analysis of Portuguese action in the Orient (in comparison toLuís de Camões'Os Lusíadas).
The most controversial of Pinto's claims is his being the first European to visit Japan and his introduction of the arquebus to Japan. Another controversial claim, that he fought in Java against the Muslims, has been analyzed by historians. The Dutch historian,P. A. Tiele, who wrote in 1880, did not believe Pinto was present during the campaign, but rather that he wrote his information from secondhand sources. Even so, Tiele admits Pinto's account cannot be disregarded because of the lack of alternative information about Javanese history during the time.Maurice Collis holds the opinion that Pinto's accounts, while not entirely true, remain compatible with historical events. Collis considers Pinto's work the most complete European account of 16th century Asian history.
In 1978, a crater onMercury was namedMendes Pinto after Pinto.[6]
A high school inAlmada, Portugal, built in 1965, was named in his honour and in 2011, a2 euro coin was issued to mark the 500th anniversary of Pinto's birthday.
Rebecca Catz. "Hispania".Fernão Mendes Pinto and His Peregrinação.{{cite web}}:Missing or empty|url= (help)
