Nicolau Coelho Information & Nicolau Coelho Links at HealthHaven.com

Nicolau Coelho (c.1460-1504) was born in the Felgueiras region of Fafe in the district of Braga in northern Portugal. He was a Portuguese explorer who was one of the companions of Vasco da Gama in the discovery of the sea route to India in 1498 being the captain of the Berrio. He was the first of da Gama's captains to reach Mozambique and establish contact with the sultan of Quiloa. He was the first of Gama's armada to arrive in Lisbon, on July 10, 1499^[1] where King Manuel I of Portugal bestowed to him a pension of 50,000 reis per year, 30,000 in interest for his lands and his descendants and a new Coat of Arms. He also accompanied Pedro Álvares Cabral in the discovery of Brazil in April 1500, being one of the captains of the fleet of 13 ships.^[2] After landing in Brazil, the fleet resumed their voyage east on May 3, 1500 where they were struck by a great storm near the Cape of Good Hope losing 4 vessels in the process and they continued with stops in modern-day Mozambique, Kenya, and Tanzania before finally reaching Calicut in India on September 13, 1500. The fleet returned back to Lisbon on June 23, 1501. Cabral arrived back home with only 4 of the original 13 ships. Coelho left Portugal for a third time in 1503 as captain of the "Faial" with the armada of Afonso de Albuquerque, but died while returning home to Portugal in January 1504 along with Francisco de Aalbuquerque, Afonso's cousin, near the shallows of Sao Lazaro, modern day Quirimbas Islands, Mozambique.[1]