Roberto Ivens
| Roberto Ivens | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
12 June 1850 Ponta Delgada, Azores, Portugal |
| Died | 28 January 1898 (aged 47) Oeiras, Portugal |
| Nationality | Portuguese |
| Occupation | Navy officer, explorer, geographer, colonial administrator |
| Known for | First European (alongside Hermenegildo Capelo) to cross Central Africa from coast to coast between Angola and Mozambique. |
Roberto Ivens (Ponta Delgada, June 12, 1850, - January 28, 1898, Dafundo, Oeiras) was a Portuguese explorer of Africa, geographer, colonial administrator, and an officer of the Portuguese Navy.
Roberto Ivens was the son of Margarida Júlia de Medeiros Castelo Branco and Robert Breakspeare Ivens (1822-?). Margarida was of lower nobility and Roberto's Grandfather, William Ivens, was a merchant awarded the Ivens Arms by George III in 1816. Robert Breakspeare Ivens was a great-grandson of Thomas Hickling (Boston 1745-1836 Ponta Delgada) the American vice-consul in Ponta Delgada.
In 1861, Ivens attended the Navy School in Lisbon. At school Roberto was known as "Roberto of the Devil" and he became known as an intelligent young gentleman. He joined the Portuguese Navy in 1870 at the age of 20 and attended Escola Prática de Artilharia Naval in 1871. Ivens left for the Suez Canal in September of the same year, where he was the garrison of the Estefânia.
Ivens began his travels in Angola in 1872. On October 10, 1874, he completed three years of travels in the colonies. Returning to Portugal in January 1875, Ivens made examination for lieutenant. In April 1875, he sailed on the Duque de Terceira for Portuguese São Tomé and Príncipe and various ports of South America.
In 1876, Ivens set out for the United States, bringing Portuguese products to Philadelphia for the Centennial Exposition. His ancestor, Thomas Hickling, had been an ardent American revolutionary, and had in fact left Boston for the Azores following an argument with his loyalist father.
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