João Gonçalves Zarco (c. 1390–1470) was a Portuguese navigator and explorer that discovered the Madeira Islands. For other uses of the word, see Madeira (disambiguation) Madeira Islands location. ...

A nobleman of Prince Henry the Navigator's house, he led the fleet that discovered the island of Porto Santo (1419) and afterwards the island of Madeira (1420). He was granted, as hereditary fief (capitania), half the island of Madeira. Also, together with his fellow fleet commanders, Tristão Vaz Teixeira and Bartolomeu Perestrelo, he started the colonization of the islands. Infante Dom Henrique (March 4, 1394 – November 13, 1460) was a prince of Portugal, often regarded as the most important figure in the early days of European colonial expansion. ... Porto Santo Island is a Portuguese island 50 km northeast of Madeira Island in the North Atlantic Ocean. ... Tristão Vaz Teixeira (about 1395 to 1480) was a Portuguese navigator and explorer that, together with João Gonçalves Zarco and Bartolomeu Perestrelo, discovered the Madeira Islands (1419-1420). ... Bartolomeu Perestrelo (about 1395 to 1457) was a Portuguese navigator and explorer that, together with João Gonçalves Zarco and Tristão Vaz Teixeira, discovered the Madeira Islands (1419-1420). ...