Vasco da Gama

Vasco da Gama was a Portuguese explorer who was the first European to reach India by sea. He was born in Sines, a coastal town in Alentejo, Portugal, around 1460. He was the third son of Estêvão da Gama, a nobleman who was the commander of the fortress of Sines. He learned navigation and seamanship from his father and from his uncle, Vicente Sodré, who was a naval officer. He also studied mathematics and astronomy, which were essential for navigation. In 1495, King Manuel I of Portugal ascended to the throne and revived the project of sending a fleet to India, which had been initiated by his predecessor, King John II. The aim was to find a sea route to the East that would bypass the Muslim-controlled territories in Africa and Asia, and to establish direct trade and diplomatic relations with the Indian kingdoms. The king appointed Vasco da Gama to lead the expedition, which consisted of four ships and about 170 men. Da Gama sailed from Lisbon on July 8, 1497, and followed the route of Bartolomeu Dias, who had rounded the Cape of Good Hope in 1488. He reached the coast of Mozambique in February 1498, and then sailed northward along the eastern coast of Africa, stopping at Mombasa and Malindi. He hired a pilot from Malindi, who guided him across the Indian Ocean to the port of Calicut, in southwestern India, where he arrived on May 20, 1498. He was received by the ruler of Calicut, the Zamorin, but he faced hostility from the local Muslim merchants, who saw him as a rival. He also failed to impress the Zamorin with the goods he brought for trade, which were of low quality and value. He managed to obtain a letter of concession from the Zamorin, but he had to leave in a hurry due to the threat of an attack from the Muslims. He departed from Calicut on August 29, 1498, and returned to Portugal on September 9, 1499, after losing half of his men and two of his ships. Da Gama’s voyage was a landmark in world history, as it opened the way for the Portuguese to establish a maritime empire in Asia, and for Europe to expand its trade and influence in the East. He was rewarded by the king with a title, a pension, and a grant of land. He also became famous and admired throughout Europe. In 1502, da Gama led a second expedition to India, with a fleet of 20 ships and about 800 men. His mission was to strengthen the Portuguese presence in India, and to avenge the massacre of the Portuguese factor and his men in Calicut, which had occurred in 1500. He bombarded Calicut and captured several Muslim ships, killing or enslaving their crews. He also established friendly relations with the ruler of Cochin, a rival of Calicut, and built a trading post there. He returned to Portugal in 1503, with a rich cargo of spices and other goods. Da Gama spent the next 20 years in Portugal, living a quiet and wealthy life. He married Catarina de Ataíde, a noblewoman, and had six sons and one daughter. He was also involved in politics and court intrigues, and supported the king against the Duke of Braganza, who was accused of treason and executed in 1509. In 1524, da Gama was appointed as the viceroy of India by King John III, who was the son of King Manuel I. He sailed to India with a fleet of 14 ships and about 3000 men, and arrived in Cochin on September 5, 1524. He was the first viceroy of the Portuguese State of India, which had been established in 1505 by Francisco de Almeida, the first governor of India. Da Gama’s task was to reform the administration, to enforce the royal monopoly of trade, and to expand the Portuguese territories and influence in India. However, he fell ill soon after his arrival, and died of malaria on December 24, 1524, in Cochin. He was buried in the Church of St. Francis in Cochin, but his remains were later transferred to the Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon, Portugal, in 1539. Vasco da Gama was one of the most influential and successful explorers in history. He was the first to connect Europe and Asia by sea, and to establish a lasting link between the two continents. He also paved the way for the Portuguese to dominate the spice trade and to create a vast colonial empire in Asia, Africa, and Brazil. He is regarded as a national hero in Portugal, and as a pioneer of globalization and intercultural exchange.