Prince Henry the Navigator, a Portuguese prince, established what institution that spurred Portugal's colonial empire?

Prince Henry the Navigator, a Portuguese prince, established what institution that spurred Portugal's colonial empire?

• A. A school of navigation
• B. A maritime academy
• C. A university in Coimbra
• D. A naval dockyard

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is how organized training and support for sailors helped spark Portugal’s early global reach. Prince Henry the Navigator set up a school of navigation at Sagres in the early 1400s to bring together pilots, sailors, scholars, and craftsmen. The goal was to improve every part of sea travel—maps and charts, instruments, sailing techniques, and even astronomy and ship design. By standardizing methods and funding voyages along the African coast and into the Atlantic, this center produced skilled navigators and a body of geographic knowledge that made long ocean journeys more feasible. That combination of trained people, better tools, and proven routes is what propelled Portugal toward building its colonial empire. The other options don’t fit because they describe different kinds of institutions (a training center focused specifically on exploration and navigation is what actually drove the expansion).

The idea being tested is how organized training and support for sailors helped spark Portugal’s early global reach. Prince Henry the Navigator set up a school of navigation at Sagres in the early 1400s to bring together pilots, sailors, scholars, and craftsmen. The goal was to improve every part of sea travel—maps and charts, instruments, sailing techniques, and even astronomy and ship design. By standardizing methods and funding voyages along the African coast and into the Atlantic, this center produced skilled navigators and a body of geographic knowledge that made long ocean journeys more feasible. That combination of trained people, better tools, and proven routes is what propelled Portugal toward building its colonial empire. The other options don’t fit because they describe different kinds of institutions (a training center focused specifically on exploration and navigation is what actually drove the expansion).