At the Cape of Good Hope, a new era began. In 1488 the Portuguese navigator Bartolomeu Diaz became the first European to reach the southern tip of Africa. He first called it Cabo das Tormentas, the Cape of Storms, because of the fierce winds and currents that nearly ended his voyage. King John II of Portugal saw not only danger but also the promise of a sea route to India and gave the place its new name. From this moment began the creation of global trade routes and the spread of Christianity al