In 1636, Nicholas Kopke became the first Consul General of the Hanseatic League in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, and soon after he established a branch of his business in Porto.
Back in Portugal, he commanded several batteries during the Siege of Porto (1832-1833) and distinguished himself at the Battle of Asseiceira, being promoted to become Captain of the IV Artillery.
He made a catalogue of unpublished documents in the Porto Municipal Library and then, together with António da Costa Paiva, published the most notable.
These included a text by João de Castro the fourth Viceroy of Portuguese India and one by the mathematician José Anastácio da Cunha.
Added to the UNESCO Memory of the World register in 2013, this is the only surviving text about the journey, purported to have been written by two sailors who accompanied Da Gama, Álvaro Velho and João de Sá.