2135) João de Barros (1496 - 20.10.1570) (Sea-faring Explorer and Historian), Portugal: "The Age of Discovery" Escudo Banknote Series which was replaced by the Euro on 28.02.2002: A 500 Escudo Banknote issued by the Banka de Portugal featuring Barros: Date of Banknote issue: 17.04.1997:
The Portuguese Escudo was the currency of Portugal prior to the introduction of the Euro on 1 January 1999 and the removal of the Escudo from circulation on 28 February 2002. The Escudo was subdivided into 100 Centavos. The word escudo derives from the scutum shield.
Between 1917 and 1925, the Casa da Moeda (meaning "House of Money" in Portuguese) issued notes for 5, 10 and 20 Centavos.
Between 1913 and 1922, the Banco de Portugal introduced notes for 50 Centavos, 1$, 2$50, 5$, 10$, 20$, 50$, 100$, 500$ and 1,000$.
In 1920, Fifty-centavo and 1$ notes ceased production followed by 2$50, 5$ and 10$ in 1925 and 1926.
In 1942, 5,000$ Banknotes were introduced.
The last 20$ and 50$ notes were printed dated 1978 and 1980, respectively, with 100$ notes being replaced by coins in 1989, the same year that the 10,000$ note was introduced.
The last Escudo Series of Banknotes:
The Banco de Portugal issued Portuguese Escudo banknotes in 6 different denominations, including this 500 Portuguese Escudos Banknote (Joao de Barros). They were part of the Portuguese Escudo banknotes series. (1995-2000) and featured Portuguese Seafarers and Explorers".
This Series of Banknotes was called the "Age of Discovery", with historical figures highlighted on each note for their great accomplishments.
The final banknote series featured João de Barros (500 Escudo), Pedro Álvares Cabral (1000 Escudo), Bartolomeu Dias (2000 Escudo), Vasco da Gama (5000 Escudo), and Henry the Navigator (10000 Escudo).
These Escudos are truly beautiful, and provide an insight into the history of Portugal with a sense of Portuguese pride and patriotism as they celebrated these great explorers who brought back prosperity, education, and goods to the citizens of Portugal.
Banknotes in circulation at the time of the changeover to the Euro were: 500$ (€2.49), 1,000$ (€4.99), 2,000$ (€9.98), 5,000$ (€24.94) and 10,000$ (€49.88)
Exchange of the last series of Escudo Banknotes with Euros by the Central Bank - Banco de Portugal - has continued ever since, with the last date for such exchange being 28.02.2022)
About the Age of Discovery:
The "Age of Discovery (or the "Age of Exploration") is an informal and loosely defined term for the early modern period, largely overlapping with the "Age of Sail", approximately from the 15th century to the 18th century in European history, in which seafaring Europeans explored regions across the globe, most of which were already inhabited. More recently some scholars call it the "Contact Period" (or "Age of European expansion)".
The extensive overseas exploration, led by the Portuguese, emerged as a powerful factor in European culture, most notably the European encounter and colonization of the Americas. It also marks an increased adoption of colonialism as a government policy in several European states, as such it is sometimes synonymous with the First wave of European colonization.
European exploration outside the Mediterranean started with the maritime expeditions of Portugal to the Canary Islands in 1336.
The Portuguese invention of the caravel, which was maneuverable and able to undertake ocean voyages, was essential to European maritime exploration.
Shortly after, the Portuguese discoveries of the Atlantic archipelagos of Madeira and Azores, claimed for the Portuguese crown in 1419 and 1427 respectively, then the coast of West Africa after 1434 until the establishment of the sea route to India in 1498 by Vasco da Gama.
The Crown of Castile (Spain) sponsored the transatlantic voyages of Christopher Columbus to the Americas between 1492 and 1504, and the first circumnavigation of the globe between 1519 and 1522 by the expedition of Ferdinand Magellan (completed by Juan Sebastián Elcano).
These discoveries led to numerous naval expeditions across the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans, and land expeditions in the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Australia that continued into the late 19th century, followed by the exploration of the polar regions in the 20th century.
The 500 Escudo Banknote:
The Banco de Portugal started issuing these 500 Portuguese Escudo banknotes on 19.09.1997 and they were withdrawn from circulation in 2002.
The 500 Escudos Banknote depicts João de Barros, one of the first great Portuguese historians. Barros is most famous for his work “Decadas da Asia”, a history of the Portuguese in India, Asia, and southeast Africa.
About Joao de Barros: (1496 - 20.10.1570):
João de Barros, called the "Portuguese Livy", is one of the first great Portuguese historians, most famous for his Décadas da Ásia ("Decades of Asia"), a history of the Portuguese in India, Asia, and southeast Africa.
Educated in the palace of Manuel I of Portugal, he composed, at 20 years of age, a romance of chivalry, the Chronicle of the Emperor Clarimundo, in which he is said to have had the assistance of Prince John (later King John III).
Upon ascending the throne, King John III awarded Barros the captaincy of the fortress of St George of Elmina (in present day Ghana, Africa. We have visited El Mina fortress during our visit to Ghana in 2013), to which he proceeded in 1524.
In 1525, he obtained the post of Treasurer of the India House, which he held until 1528.
To escape from an outbreak of bubonic plague in 1530 Barros moved from Lisbon to his country house near Pombal, where he finished a moral dialogue, "Rho pica Pneuma", which was well liked by Juan Luís Vives.
On his return to Lisbon in 1532 the king appointed Barros factor of the "Casa da Índia e da Mina" ("House of India and Mina") - a position of great responsibility and importance at a time when Lisbon was the European center for the trade of the East.
At this time, John III, wishing to attract settlers to Brazil, divided it into captaincies and assigned Barros to Maranhão. Barros, along with two partners, prepared an armada of ten vessels, carrying nine hundred men each, which set sail in 1539.
Owing to the ignorance of the pilots, the whole fleet was shipwrecked, which entailed serious financial loss to Barros. As a gesture of goodwill, Barros subsequently paid the debts of those who had perished in the expedition.
During these years he had continued his studies in his leisure hours, and shortly after the Brazilian disaster he offered to write a history of the Portuguese in India, the Décadas da Ásia, which the king accepted.
He began work forthwith, but, before printing the first part, he published a Portuguese grammar (1539) and some further moral Dialogues.
In January 1568 Barros retired from his remunerative appointment at the India House, receiving the rank of fidalgo together with a pension and other pecuniary emoluments from King Sebastian, and died on 20 October 1570.
Decades of Asia:
In 1552, the first of the Décadas da Ásia ("Decades of Asia") appeared, and its reception was such that the king straightway charged Barros to write a chronicle of King Manuel.
In January 1568 Barros retired from his remunerative appointment at the India House, receiving the rank of fidalgo together with a pension and other pecuniary emoluments from King Sebastian, and died on 20 October 1570.
The second Decade came out in 1553 and the third in 1563, but he died before publishing the fourth Decade.
The latter was published posthumously in 1615 at Madrid by the Cosmographer and Chronicler-Royal Joao Baptista Lavanha, who edited and compiled Barros' scattered manuscript.
His Decades contain the early history of the Portuguese in India and Asia and reveal careful study of Eastern historians and geographers, as well as of the records of his own country.
Diogo de Couto continued the Décadas, adding nine more, and a modern edition of the whole appeared in Lisbon in 14 vols. in 1778—1788 as "Da Asia de João de Barros, dos feitos que os Portuguezes fizeram no descubrimento e conquista dos mares e terras do Oriente".
On the Front of the 500 Escudo Banknote was depicted an image of Joao de Barros.
On the Back of the 500 Escudo Banknote is an Allegory of the Age of Discovery.
The colour of this Banknote was predominantly Violet and Brown. The Banknote had a watermark featuring Joao de Barros
(The above Banknote is from the collection of my friend Jayant Biswas. Banknote scanned and post written by Rajeev Prasad)
Interesting links to posts on Portugal and Spanish Coins and postage stamps on this blog:
9) "Nacional Museo del Prado", Spain: Celebrating the Bicentenary milestone (1819-2019): Commemorative Silver Coins of 30 Euros issued by Fabrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre - Casa Real de la Moneda on 20.11.2019: Coins minted by the Madrid Mint
12) The New Silk Road: A Joint issue of a two stamp set of 1.50 Euros each by Spain (Correos Post) and China: Stamps issue date: 01.07.2019
13) Charming Towns, Spain : For the past five years, Correos (Spanish Post) has issued Stamps and Postcards on four beautiful Spanish villages as old-fashioned accordion-style postcards: Date of PostCards/Stamp set issue: 30.03.2020
14) "International LGBTQ Pride Day", Spain: The LGBTQ Pride Day Flag (Rainbow Flag) depicted on the first ever stamp issued: Date of Stamp issued: 15.06.2020
15) "Card Games", Spain: Correos Espana (Spanish Post) has issued a Stamp Sheet of 3.80 Euros representing the four suits (Swords, Pentacles, Cups & Wands) in a Tarot Deck, as the Origins of Card Games: Date of Stamp Sheet issue: 02.07.2020
6) "The Joker", Portugal: Portugal Post has issued a set of four stamps featuring "The Joker"character of DC Comics, who is an archenemy of the "Batman": Date of Stamp issue: 31.03.2020
7) Portuguese Numismatics (1st Group): A set of four Stamps in the values of N20g, A20g, E20g and 120g issued by CTT Correios (Portuguese Post) in partnership with INCM ("Imprensa Nacional-Casa da Moeda (the "Portuguese Mint & Official Printing Office") depicting coins from various periods of history: Date od Stamp set issue: 22.04.2020
12) "Linha Do Douro" ("The Douro Line (Train)", Portugal:12th Coin in the Ibero-American Coin Series titled "Historic Trains" brought out by the "Imprensa Nacional-Casa da Moeda" (INCM): Date of issue: 06/2020
6) Leonardo da Vinci, France: The latest issue from the Monnaie de Paris, France highlights him on the latest Europa Silver Star Coin Programme issued by the Paris Mint: Coin issue date: 03/2019
7) i) "Europa Coin Programme" or the "European Star Programme" or the "Eurostar Programme" ii) Central Bank of Malta issues 50 Euro (Gold) and 10 Euro (Silver) Proof Coins featuring "Architecture and artwork of the Gothic Era" in 05/2020 (which is a part of the wider programme focussing on the Ages of Europe: Date of Coins issue: 08.05.2020
Santosh Khanna has commented:
ReplyDelete"Nice informative post. Thanks for sharing."
Thank you, Khanna sahab.
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