Tristao da Cunha was born in 1460 in Portugal and he died in 1540 (aged 80 years) in Portugal. A naval commander and explorer, Tristao was the ambassador to the Pope Leo X. He led a fleet of 15 ships as commander to Africa and off India to take over the trade through the Red Sea and to take over Socotra Island and build a fortress there. During this voyage he discovered a group of remote Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean and named them after himself. After returning to Europe, Tristao was sent as an ambassador from King Manuel I to Pope Leo X in 1514 to present the new conquests of the Portuguese Empire.
Do you know: Tristao da Cunha was appointed the First Viceroy of Portuguese India but could not take up the post due to temporary blindness that afflicted him.
