Short time after Gama’s journey to India several other explorers embarked on their famous journeys – Christopher Columbus to the West Indies, Pedro Álvares Cabral discovery of Brazil and Ferdinand Magellan’s journey around the world. With his voyage, the Portuguese overseas empire was born. He was greeted as a hero and richly rewarded by the king. Still, da Gama was able to leave India with some spices.Īfter a long and harrowing return trip - which included the death of his brother - da Gama reached Portugal in September of 1499, more than two years after having set out. The goods Manuel had sent as gifts were of poor value, infuriating Calicut’s ruler. Once he reached Calicut, da Gama’s reception was not very warm. Nevertheless, he was named to head the historic voyage. Why he was chosen by Portugal’s King Manuel to lead the expedition to India is unknown his only achievement to date had been carrying out a mission for Manuel’s predecessor a few years earlier. Ahmad ibn Majid was born in Oman, probably in 1432, the year Zheng He’s junks docked at Jiddah. He became famous in the West as thenavigator who has been associated with helpingVasco da Gama find his way from Africa to India using an Arab map then unknown to European sailors. In his late thirties at the time of his voyage, da Gama was the son of a minor Portuguese nobleman. The exact date is not known, but bin Majid probably died in 1500. The long voyage also took a serious toll of the crew around two-thirds died during the voyage, most of disease.įinally on May 20, 1498, Vasco da Gama reached Calicut, India. The trip across the southern Atlantic left the ships a worrying three months without sight of land, and the expedition met hostile natives in southern Africa - who gave da Gama an arrow wound - and Muslims in eastern Africa. He carried with him priests to see to the crews’ souls, interpreters to help communicate with Bantu and Arabic speakers, and a store of gifts the king intended for him to use to attract Indian rulers to trade. During his travel, he visited the eastern shores of Africa and tried unsuccessfully to establish a trade deal with the Sultan of Mozambique.Īt the head of four ships (one a floating warehouse) and 170 men, da Gama began his journey on July 8, 1497. On 8 July 1497, Vasco da Gama started his journey to India traveling in a fleet of four ships led by his own flagship São Gabriel. New ships were constructed and additional maps were procured from the expeditions that visited India via the land trade route witch was held (and heavily taxed) then by the Republic of Venice. In the following years, Portugal explorers prepared themselves for the journey to India. Both Prince John and Prince Manuel continued the efforts of Prince Henry to find a sea route to India, and in 1497 Manuel placed Vasco da Gama, who already had some reputation as a warrior and navigator, in charge of four vessels built especially for the expedition. In 1488, Bartolomeu Dias managed to reach the southern tip of Africa, opening the way for the new expeditions to the east. Vasco da Gama was born about 1460 in Sines, Portugal.
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After the 1490’s King John II of Portugal formed the exploratory fleet with a task to find the sea route to the distant India. He was born around 1460s in Sines, Portugal as a son of Knight Estêvão da Gama.
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Do you believe he was a kind and generous person?.He became known for being cruel and vicious and the native people of India and Africa did not like him because of his unkind ways. This was important as it allowed for ships to be repaired, restocked or to shelter from inclement weather while on route to India.ĭealing with Natives Vasco da Gama was not nice to the native people of some of the places he visited. He also established Portuguese trading ports along the east coast of Africa. Making Portugal Rich Vasco da Gama made Portugal rich because the spices he brought from India were rare. He brought spices and silks from India and he established Portuguese trading centres along the East coast of Africa. He traded with India and countries in Africa. Why is he famous? Vasco da Gama is famous because he helped to make his country wealthy by trading with the East. At school, it is believed that he studied astronomy and navigation. Vasco learned to swim, fish and sail when he was young.