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India in 1521 preparatory to a voyage to China. Fernão Lopes de Castanheda notes that he was from Santarém and João de Barros notes that he was the son of Jorge de Melo Lageo dalcunha. Now in various nobiliários Martim Afonso de Melo is said to be the son of Jorge de Melo O Lageo and of D. Branca Coutinho and that he returned very rich from China. In 1522 he sailed to China." According to João de Barros, Da Asia (Decade III Livro VIII Capitulo V, 1563 ed.) he returned safely to Portugal in 1525. In April 1526 he is already dead (cf. Chancelaria of D. João III, Doaões, Livro 11, folio 84v).
A humble Portuguese Jorge Alvares was the first Portuguese to sail to China in 1513-1514 as is well known. His voyage was succeeded by the more principal voyages of Fernão Peres de Andrade in 1517-1518, Simão de Andrade in 1519-1520 and Martim Afonso de Melo in 1522, in which each of these captains sailed as captain-major of a Portuguese fleet, after which official contacts of Portugal with China ceased for many years. The voyage of Martim Afonso de Melo brought to a conclusion the epochal period of first Western contacts with China during the era of trans-oceanic navigation, of which he was one of the principal figures.
I take the present opportunity to republish the inscription of Martim Afonso de Melo which appears on his sepulchral urn according to the version of Ignacio da Piedade e Vasconcelos in his Historia de Santarem Edificada, Parte II, Lisbon, 1740, p. 202 and add to it my version so much as the damaged state of the urn allows.' It does not appear to have been dated.
INSCRIPTION NUMBER 1
THE INSCRIPTION OF MARTIM AFONSO DE MELO ON HIS
SEPULCHRAL URN ACCORDING TO PIEDADE
E VASCONCELOS
Aqui jaz Martim Affonso de Mello filho de George de Mello, e de Dona Branca Coutinho, e sua nora Dona Maria Henriques
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India in 1521 preparatory to a voyage to China. Fernão Lopes de Castanheda notes that he was from Santarém and João de Barros notes that he was the son of Jorge de Melo Lageo dalcunha. Now in various nobiliários Martim Afonso de Melo is said to be the son of Jorge de Melo O Lageo and of D. Branca Coutinho and that he returned very rich from China. In 1522 he sailed to China." According to João de Barros, Da Asia (Decade III Livro VIII Capitulo V, 1563 ed.) he returned safely to Portugal in 1525. In April 1526 he is already dead (cf. Chancelaria of D. João III, Doaões, Livro 11, folio 84v).
A humble Portuguese Jorge Alvares was the first Portuguese to sail to China in 1513-1514 as is well known. His voyage was succeeded by the more principal voyages of Fernão Peres de Andrade in 1517-1518, Simão de Andrade in 1519-1520 and Martim Afonso de Melo in 1522, in which each of these captains sailed as captain-major of a Portuguese fleet, after which official contacts of Portugal with China ceased for many years. The voyage of Martim Afonso de Melo brought to a conclusion the epochal period of first Western contacts with China during the era of trans-oceanic navigation, of which he was one of the principal figures.
I take the present opportunity to republish the inscription of Martim Afonso de Melo which appears on his sepulchral urn according to the version of Ignacio da Piedadee Vasconcelos in his Historia de Santarem Edificada, Parte II, Lisbon, 1740, p 202 and add to it my version so much as the damaged state of the urn allows.' It does not appear to have been dated.
INSCRIPTION NUMBER 1
THE INSCRIPTION OF MARTIM AFONSO DE MELO ON HIS
SEPULCHRAL URN ACCORDING TO PIEDADE
E VASCONCELOS
Aqui jaz Martim Affonso de Mello filho de George de Mello, e de Dona Branca Coutinho, e sue nora Dona Maria Henriques
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