Prince Henry "The Navigator" A Life P.E. Russell

This enthralling life of the legendary fifteenth-century Portuguese prince, Henry the Navigator, is the first comprehensive biography in more than a century. Examining the full range of the prince's activities as an imperialist and as a maritime, cartographical and navigational pioneer, Peter Russell shows that while Henry was firmly rooted in medieval times, his innovations set in motion changes that altered the history of Europe and regions far beyond.

Sir Peter Russell was until his retirement King Alfonso XIII Professor of Spanish Studies and for many years also director of Portuguese Studies at the University of Oxford.

"To register the immense difference separating Henry's mind and world from what followed is the central achievement of this accomplished and delightfully written book. It rests not only on Professor Russell's mastery of the most recent scholarship, but on the closeness and acuteness of his own reading of often fragmentary and incomplete sources... The outcome may well be the finest work of history to be published this year." J. M. Roberts, Times Literary Supplement "An outstanding volume that will take decades to supersede." Frank McLynn, New Statesman "Russell presents a... fascinating man in a superbly written and thought-provoking book." Economist "An illuminating and well-written life of the founding figure of the Age of Exploration... A complete, scholarly, and thoroughly readable look at one of the key shapers of the modern world - lavishly illustrated with period maps and paintings." Kirkus Reviews