VASCO DA GAMA

Remember when European explorers tried their very best to find a route to India? Well, we present you, the famous Vasco da Gama. A Portuguese sailor and the very first European to find a sea route to India. He made Portugal a great power in the 1500’s, his discoveries rally round open trade between western Europe and Asia. 

By the times of 1460, Portuguese sailors had already begun to explore the west coast of Africa and by which time Da Gama was born in Sines, Portugal. Bartholomeu Dias aspired the route to India when he sailed around the Cape of Good Hope, at the southern tip of Africa in 1487. Eventually, King Manuel I of Portugal asked Da Gama to continue Dias’ explorations in 1497. 

With the order from his king, Da Gama sailed from Lisbon on July 8, 1497 with four ships and about 170 men. Instead of following the African coast, as previous explorers had done, he sailed bravely into the South Atlantic. After three months out of eyesight of land, Da Gama reached the Cape of Good Hope. Finally, the struggled their way around the Cape to the point Dias had touched. Da Gama sailed up the east coast of Africa, stopping at Mozambique and the ports of Mombasa and Kenya former Malindi where Da Gama obtained the services of an Arab seaman to guide him across the India Ocean.

After ten years of voyage, Da Gama landed in Calicut on the southwest coast of India. There Da Gama was able to secure samples of valuable spices and precious stones before sailing back to Portugal. All in all his trip had sailed over 24,000 miles.

As reward, King Manuel I made Da Gama an Admiral of India and sent him on a second voyage to India in 1502. Moreover, other Portuguese sailors and adventurers established colonies in southwest India. Catarina de Ataíde was the wife of Vasco da Gama, they had six sons and one daughter. In 1524, Da Gama was sent there as viceroy and died on December 24, 1524.

Published: December 29, 2018