Theory of Portuguese Discovery of Australia

Theory Of Portuguese Discovery Of Australia

Although most historians hold that the European discovery of Australia began in 1606 with the voyage of the Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon on board the Duyfken, a theory exists that a Portuguese expedition arrived in Australia between 1521 and 1524. The theory rests on several tenets. These are:

  • The Dieppe maps, a group of 16th-century French world maps, which depict a large landmass between Indonesia and Antarctica. Labelled as Java la Grande, this land mass carries French, Portuguese, and Gallicized Portuguese placenames, and has been interpreted by some as corresponding to Australia's northwestern and eastern coasts.
  • The presence of the Portuguese in Southeast Asia from the early 16th century, especially their exploration and later colonization of Timor – approximately 650 kilometres from the Australian coast – c. 1513–1516.
  • Various antiquities found on Australian coastlines, claimed to be relics of early Portuguese voyages to Australia.

Precedence of discovery has also been claimed for China, France, Spain, and even Phoenicia.

Read more about Theory Of Portuguese Discovery Of Australia:  Criticisms and Alternative Views of The Dieppe Maps, See Also

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