Fernão Gomes da Mina - Lisboa, Portugal
Posted by: 
manchanegra
N 38° 41.766 W 009° 12.360
29S E 482086 N 4283073
Fernão Gomes da Mina (15th century) was a Portuguese merchant and explorer from Lisbon.
Waymark Code: WMDXTD
Location: Lisboa, Portugal
Date Posted: 03/08/2012
Views: 9
The coat of arms of Fernão Gomes da Mina are composed by a silver shield with three heads of Negros (Africans) with golden necklaces and earrings on the ears and on the noses.
The coat of arms is placed in a magestic fountain in Belem (Fonte Luminosa)in front of Jerónimos Monastery together with 49 other coat of arms of important personalities from the time of Portuguese Discoveries. The fountain was designed by Cottinelli Telmo and built in 1940 for the Portuguese World Exhibition. There´s very little information about the fountain and the Coat of Arms and most available information refers to a total of 32 Coat of arms of Portuguese inland and Overseas provinces wich is wrong. These coat of arms can be seen in the gardens around the fountain designed with flowers and bushes.
Fernão Gomes da Mina (15th century) was a Portuguese merchant and explorer from Lisbon.
In 1469, King Afonso V of Portugal granted him the monopoly on trade in the Gulf of Guinea. Besides the payment of an annual rent of 200,000 reais, Gomes was to explore 100 leagues of the coast of Africa per year, for five years (later the agreement would be extended for another year). He got also the trading exclusive for a popular substitute of black pepper then called "malagueta", the guinea pepper (Aframomum melegueta) against another yearly payment of 100,000 reais.
Thus, Gomes promoted the exploration in the Atlantic African coast. Employing explorers such as João de Santarém, Pedro Escobar, Lopo Gonçalves, Fernão do Pó and Pedro de Sintra, he did it even beyond hired: with his sponsorship the Portuguese reached the Cape of Santa Catarina, already in the Southern Hemisphere, and also the islands of the Gulf of Guinea.
In 1471 they reached Elmina (meaning "the Mine"), where they found a thriving alluvial gold trade. With the substantial revenues he got, especially the trade of his warehouse in Mina, he become known as "Fernão Gomes da Mina" and got his own Coat of arms in 1474. With his profits from African trade, Fernão Gomes assisted the Portuguese king in the conquests of Asilah, Alcacer Ceguer and Tangier in Morocco, were he was knighted. Later, in 1478, gathering honors and with an enormous influence on the economy of the kingdom, he was appointed to the royal council.
Bearer of Coat of Arms: Noble (aristocratic) family
Full name of the bearer: Fernão Gomes da MIna
Where is Coat of Arms installed (short description) ?:
Fonte Luminosa @ Praça do Império (Fountain)
Material / Design: Stone
Blazon (heraldic description):
See above
Address:
Praça do Império
Web page about the structure where is Coat of Arms installed (if exists): [Web Link]
Web page about the bearer of Coat of Arms (if exists): [Web Link]
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Visit Instructions:
Logging requirements: Please upload your own personal photo of the coat of arms. You or your GPS can be in the picture, but it’s not a requirement.