Luís Vaz de Camões was a 16th century Portuguese poet born around 1524 in Lisbon. He was educated in classics like Homer and Virgil despite coming from a poor noble family. Camões served as a soldier in Africa and India, where he was imprisoned. He wrote his famous work, The Lusiads, paying homage to Portugal's seafaring history and empire. Upon returning to Portugal, Camões died in poverty in 1580, though his poems brought him worldwide fame.