Vasco da Gama
Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama commanded the first
fleet that sailed to India from Europe. His voyage opened the first sea route
between Europe and Asia.
Vasco da Gama is best remembered as
the first European to sail from Europe to India. The sea route he found helped
Portugal build a rich empire overseas.
EARLY LIFE
Vasco da Gama was born in Sines,
Portugal, around 1469. As a young man, da Gama studied navigation and astronomy.
He went on to serve as an officer in the Portuguese navy.
In 1497, the king of Portugal asked
da Gama to find a sea route to India by sailing around Africa. This would allow
Portugal to control the rich Indian spice trade.
Could da Gama do it? Earlier
Portuguese expeditions had rounded the southern tip of Africa. But these trips
were long, difficult, and dangerous. Was it possible to travel from Europe to
India in a single voyage?
VOYAGE TO INDIA
In July 1497, da Gama set sail
from Lisbon, Portugal, with four ships. By January 1498, the expedition reached
Mozambique on Africa’s southeastern coast. But Arab traders in Mozambique
disliked the Portuguese. They drove da Gama away.
Farther north, on the coast of
Kenya, da Gama recruited an Arab sailor to guide his ships across the Indian
Ocean. In May 1498, they reached Calicut on India’s coast.
In Calicut, da Gama found pearls,
jewels, and wonderful spices for sale. But the king and local merchants refused
to trade with the Portuguese. Furious, da Gama sailed away. He arrived in
Portugal in 1499 and was honored as a hero.
DA GAMA RETURNS TO INDIA
In 1502, da Gama made a second
voyage to India. He returned to Calicut with warships and soldiers. Da Gama sank
merchant vessels and killed many civilians. The king of Calicut
surrendered.
Da Gama sailed home to Portugal
carrying a rich cargo of spice. Portugal soon built a valuable trading empire in
India.
In 1524, da Gama made his last
voyage to India. The Portuguese king had named da Gama the governor of
Portugal’s possessions there. Da Gama died three months after reaching
India.
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