Background
Diogo Cam or Cão was born in Vila Real in the middle of the 15th century, the illegitimate son of Álvaro Fernandes or Gonçalves Cão, fidalgo of the Royal Household, himself the illegitimate son of Gonçalo Cão.
Diogo Cam or Cão was born in Vila Real in the middle of the 15th century, the illegitimate son of Álvaro Fernandes or Gonçalves Cão, fidalgo of the Royal Household, himself the illegitimate son of Gonçalo Cão.
He sailed from Lisbon early in 1482, taking with him several padroes, or granite pillars surmounted with crosses and having the royal arms carved on them.
Cam was ordered to add duplicate inscriptions in Portuguese and Latin, with his name and the date, when he placed these pillars in territories he discovered, signifying that the territories belonged to Christendom and Portugal.
He placed one at the mouth of the Congo River in 1482.
Cam continued south as far as Cape St. Mary, 13°13d 28' south latitude, where he erected another padrao.
In 1485 he returned to the Congo.
He sent delegates to ask the natives to become Catholics, and they were subsequently converted.
Cam continued south to Cape Cross, 21°21d 50' south latitude, where he erected another padrao.
His fleet returned to Portugal before August 1487.
He married and had four children: Pedro Cão, Manuel Cão, André Afonso Cão, and Isabel Cão.
