Dias, Bartholomeu

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Dias, Bartholomeu (c.1450–1500) ( Bartholomew Diaz) Portuguese navigator, the first European to round the Cape of Good Hope. In 1487, under the commission of King John II of Portugal, Diaz sailed three ships around the Cape, opening the long-sought route to India. He took part in the expedition of Cabral that discovered Brazil, but was drowned when his ship foundered.