Home > Pedro Fernández de Quirós

Quirós was born in Évora, Portugal. His original name was Pedro Fernandes de Quieros. As a young man he entered Spanish service and became an experienced seaman and navigator. In 1595 he served as pilot with Álvaro de Mendaña de Nehra on his explorations in the south-west Pacific.

A devout Catholic, Quirós visited Rome in 1600, where he obtained the support of the Pope, Clement VIII, for further explorations. He went to Peru in 1603 with the intention of finding Terra Australis, the mythical "great south land," and claiming it for Spain and the Church. Quiros's party of three ships, San Pedro y Paulo, San Pedro and Los Tres Reyes left Callao on 21 December 1605, with 300 crew and soldiers.

In May 1606 the expedition reached the islands later called the New Hebrides and now the independent nation of Vanuatu. Quirós landed on a large island which he took to be part of the southern continent, and named it La Austrialia del Espiritu Santo (the Southern Land of the Holy Spirit). The island is still called Espiritu Santo. Here he founded a colony which he called Nova Jerusalem.

Quirós's religious fervour found expression with the founding of a new Order of Chivalry, the Knights of the Holy Ghost. But the colony was soon abandoned due to the understandable hostility of the Ni-Vanuatu and to disagreements among the crew.

After some weeks Quirós put to sea again. He became separated from the other ships in bad weather and was unable (or so he later said) to return to shore. He then sailed to Acapulco in Mexico, where he arrived in November 1606. His second-in-command, Luis Váez de Torres, after searching in vain for Quirós, left Espiritu Santo and successfully reached Manila.

Quirós returned to Madrid in 1607. Regarded as a crank, he spent the next seven years in poverty, wrote numerous accounts of his voyage and begged King Philip III for money for a new voyage. He was despatched to Peru with letters of support, but the King had no real intention of funding another expedition. Quirós died in Panama in 1615.

The name of Pedro Fernández de Quirós is today chiefly remembered in AustraliaAustralia is the sixth-largest country in the world (geographically), the only one to occupy an entire continent, and the largest in the region of Australasia. Australia includes the island of Tasmania, which is an Australian State. Its neighbouring count. Many writers credit Quirós with coining the word "Australia" in the belief that he named his islands "Australia del Espiritu Santo", whereas he actually called them Austrialia del Espiritu Santo. (The name "Australia" was actually coined by Matthew FlindersMatthew Flinders ( 16 March 1774 19 July 1814) was one of the most accomplished navigators and chartmakers of his age. In a career that spanned just over twenty years, he sailed with Captain William Bligh, circumnavigated and named Australia, survived shi.)

In the 19th century some Australian Catholics, living under a Protestant ascendancy, claimed that Quirós had in fact discovered Australia, in advance of the Protestants Abel TasmanAbel Janszoon Tasman ( 1603 1659) was a Dutch seafarer and explorer, born in Lutjegast, a village in the province of Groningen, best known for his voyages of 1642 and 1644, in the service of the VOC ( Dutch East India Company). His was the first European and James CookJames Cook ( October 27, 1728 February 14, 1779) was a British explorer and navigator. He made three voyages to the Pacific Ocean, in which its main shorelines were discovered. Cook was also a map maker. Introduction Cook was born in Marton in Cleveland,. The Archbishop of SydneyThis is about the city of Sydney in Australia. For other meanings, see Sydney (disambiguation), or Sidney. Sydney Opera House Sydney is the capital city of the Australian state of New South Wales and Australia's largest and oldest city, founded in 1788. from 1884 to 1911, Francis Cardinal Moran , asserted this to be a fact, and it was taught in Catholic schools for many years. He claimed that the real site of Quirós's New Jerusalem was near GladstoneGladstone is an industrial city in the coast of central Queensland, Australia. It has around 40 000 inhabitants, mostly of European descent. Being a port city, its local commerce is primarily industrial-based and include large-scale industrial plants incl in QueenslandQueensland State flag ( In detail) Coat of Arms ( In detail) Capital Brisbane Governor HE Ms Quentin Bryce Premier Peter Beattie Area — Land — Marine — Total 1 730 648 km² 121 994 km² 1 852 642 km² Population (2002) Density 3 729 000 2. 15/km² Time zone U.

Building on this myth, the Australian Catholic poet James McAuley (1917-76) wrote an epic called Captain Quiros (1964), in which he depicted Quirós as a martyr for the cause of Catholic Christian civilisation (although he did not repeat the claim that Quirós had discovered Australia). The heavily political overtones of the poem caused it to be coldly received. The Australian writer John Toohey published a novel, Quiros, in 2002.

"Bitter indeed the chalice that he drank
For no man's pride accepts to cheap a rate
As not to call on Heaven to vindicate
His worth together with the cause he served."

(James McAuley, Captain Quiros)

This article is partly based on material from the Discoverers Web website.