Figure of Pêro da Covilhã on the Padrão dos Descobrimentos in Lisbon.

The Real Pêro da Covilhã

on which our protagonist is based

Pêro da Covilhã reached India a decade before Vasco da Gama. Uncover the true historical documents behind the fiction at perodacovilha.com (shortly).

Pêro da Covilhã is the ninth explorer from the right on this side of the Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Monument of the Discoveries) on the north bank ot the Tejo (Tegus) estuary in Santa Maria de Belém, Lisbon.

Who Was the Historical Pêro da Covilhã?

A Diplomat

Pêro da Covilhã was a diplomat. He succeed against all odds to secure a Treaty of Friendship with Abū Thābet, the Sultan of Tlemcen.

An Agent

Nominally an escudeiro da Guarda Real, a squire of the Royal Guard, Pêro da Covilhã’s real charge was to speak, spy, and kill for the Portuguese Crown.

An Explorer

In the Highlands of Ethiopia, Pêro da Covilhã actually found the fabulous Prester John, who turned out to be the negusä nägäst, the king of kings of Abyssinia.

What was the True History of Pêro da Covilhã?

While the Covilhã’s Secret Journal series explores the undocumented shadows of his mission, what we actually know about the historical Pêro da Covilhã is a thriller in its own right. To understand his legacy, however, we must accept two painful historical truths:

  • The Silence of the Archives
    Except for Father Francisco Álvares—who found Pêro at the court of Abyssinia in 1520—and perhaps Ruy de Pina, the King’s chronicler, no other contemporaries wrote about him. If they did, their accounts were lost, hidden, or destroyed.
  • State-Sponsored Secrecy
    During the era of King João II, the Portuguese Crown maintained a ruthless policy of secrecy. His successor, King Manuel I, later fanned the flames of archival destruction to ensure posterity remembered him as the sole architect of the Portuguese “Discoveries.”

Because of this, much of what is claimed as fact today is merely the guesswork of later chroniclers—or the inventions of dramatists with an axe to grind:

  • The Silence of the Archives
    Except for Father Francisco Álvares—who found Pêro at the court of Abyssinia in 1520—and perhaps Ruy de Pina, the King’s chronicler, no other contemporaries wrote about him. If they did, their accounts were lost, hidden, or destroyed.
  • Separating Fact from Fiction
    On my dedicated historical archive, I separate the historical record from the myths. Drawing on a private library of over 2,000 antiquarian books and maps, I provide the exact, verifiable sources behind the fiction.
  • Documented History
    A comprehensive historical dossier—featuring original cartography, translated manuscripts, and exclusive 16th-century illustrations—is currently being assembled at perodacovilha.com.