Take a look below for 30 more fascinating and interesting facts about Vasco de Gama.ġ. His initial voyage to India was the first to link Europe and Asia by an ocean route, connecting the Atlantic and the Indian oceans and therefore, the West and the Orient. His body is eventually returned to Portugal for burial in 1539.Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira, was a Portuguese explorer and the first European to reach India by sea. Da Gama sets sail once again.ĭa Gama dies in Cochin, India after contracting malaria. King John II names da Gama the Portuguese viceroy in India and asks him to return east to deal with mounting corruption among Portuguese officials. In return for advising King Manuel on Indian matters, da Gama is named count of Vidiguiera. He settles into quiet family life with his wife and six sons.ĭa Gama serves as an adviser to the king on India. Compared to his first arrival, da Gama is received with minimal fanfare, and historians speculate that he may have felt rejected by the lack of recognition. Da Gama moves on to Cochin, where he establishes a strong alliance with the local ruler and reasserts the Portuguese presence in the region.ĭa Gama and his crew arrive back in Portugal after their conquest in India. He forces the ruler of Calicut to make peace. He sweeps up the eastern coast of Africa, attacking Arab Muslim ships along the way and wrecking the port city of Calicut in India. His goal is to avenge the deaths of members of the trading post.
On the way to India, this new expedition kills a number of Muslim sailors, and the Arabs eventually retaliate by killing all members of the trading post.ĭa Gama affirms Portugal’s foothold in Asian trading markets.ĭa Gama sets sail for India again, this time in charge of 20 ships. The Portuguese government treats da Gama as a hero and immediately sends another group of ships back to India to establish a Portuguese trading post. Da Gama is forced to reduce his fleet by burning one of his ships.ĭa Gama is hailed as a hero for his discovery.Īccompanied by only 54 of his original 170 crew members, da Gama arrives back in Portugal. Along the way they are caught in a monsoon and several crewmembers die of scurvy. The crew remains for three months, but the local Muslims traders refuse to allow them to barter freely.ĭa Gama and his crew set sail for Europe, bearing spices and the news of their discovery. The Portuguese mistakenly believe the residents are Christians, as they have never heard of Hinduism. Da Gama attempts an audience with the sultan, but he offers only limited gifts and the local population forces him to leave.Īt the port of Malindi, Da Gama takes on a Muslim pilot, who instructs him on navigating the difficult winds and currents of the Indian Ocean.ĭa Gama becomes the first European to complete a sea voyage to India.ĭa Gama lands in Calicut, India, and the local Hindu ruler welcomes da Gama and his crew. Da Gama then rounds the Cape of Good Hope and heads toward the uncharted Indian Ocean.ĭa Gama lands on the east coast of Africa.ĭa Gama and his crew land in Mozambique, an Islamic city-state on the east coast of Africa. This establishes sailing routes that are still used today. Hoping to capitalize on the prevailing winds, he sets a course south along the coast of Africa, then swings out into the Atlantic, only to return to the southeastern coast of Africa. The king hopes to find lucrative markets and to exploit existing Asian commercial networks.ĭa Gama commands four vessels as they set sail for India, including his flagship, SãoGabriel. King Manuel of Portugal commissions da Gama to lead an expedition to find a sea route to India. The king commissions da Gama to sail to India. His reputation as a fierce sailor and warrior increases. Da Gama travels first to Lisbon and then to the Algarve region of Portugal, where he seizes French ships. The French government disrupts Portuguese shipping, and King John II sends Vasco da Gama to retaliate. Vasco da Gama builds his reputation as a sailor. When da Gama joins the Order of Santiago, his family’s prospects improve, especially since the master of the Order later becomes King John II of Portugal. Vasco da Gama joins the Order of Santiago. He develops a reputation as a strong sailor. Little is known about Vasco da Gama’s early years, but he joins the navy, where he learns to navigate.
He is the third son of Estêvão da Gama, who commanded the fortress at Sines. Vasco da Gama is born to a noble family in Sines, Portugal. Vasco da Gama is born in Sines, Portugal.(c.
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