Vasco da Gama
First person to sail directly from Europe to India
Who he sailed for?
He was appointed to command an expedition equipped by the Portuguese government, whose intention was to find a maritime route to the East.
Years of explorations
He start it his first exploration on July 1497 returned to Portuguese on May 1498 then the king sent him on second expedition to secure a trading post at Calicut
Places discovered
He visited Mombasa,Malindi and then Calicut and His discovery was significant and opened the way for an age of global imperialism and for the Portuguese to establish a long-lasting colonial Empire in Asia. The route meant that the Portuguese would not need to cross the highly disputed Mediterranean nor the dangerous Arabian Peninsula, and that the whole voyage would be made by sea. The sum of the distances covered in the outward and return voyages made this expedition the longest ocean voyage ever made until then, far longer than a full voyage around the world by way of the Equator.
Amazing feats
He sailed to Africa and open a sea route from Europe to Africa by the east.His voyages to Africa opened trade while his trip to India did not result in trade he returned with profitable cargo.
Accomplishments
In addition to to finding routes to Africa and India and making a big impact on the economy through trade, his fleets also brought back products,like spices,which were new to Europe and to Portugal dominating the European markets for decades.
He was given the town of since as an hereditary fief,made a noble,awarded the title of Admiral of the seas of Arabia,Persia,India,and all the Orient,and guaranteed a royal pension of 300 reis.
During the war between Portugal and and Calicut over lack and diplomacy.local merchants destroyed the trading post, Gama volunteered to make a second voyage,setting out with a fleet of ships to end the war and resume trade.Once there he was offered another treaty.
His characteristics
He was kind to Christians but wasn't kind to Muslims.When he was in Muslim territories,he disguised himself as a Muslim to trade,pirated supply ships,and bombarded cities when he thought they are had been shortchanged.
Purpose of his voyages
Prince Henry 'the Navigator' and his dream of getting around the Venetian monopoly on trade to Asia.Any one wanting merchandise from Asia had to go through them,which meant they could charge outrageous prices.Henry hoped to best the Venetians by finding another way to Asia and establishing trade.
Outcome of his voyages
Da Gama's first voyages deserves to be compared with Columbus's more celebrated "discovery" of the new world.Neither man actually "discovered" unoccupied territories,rather,both linked anciently settled and developed parts of the world with Europe.
The Portuguese founded a seaborne commercial empire from which they tried to drain middlemen's profits from a trade still on the whole unfavorably balanced against Europe.
Significant events that occurred during his voyages
On Vasco voyage to India they were rumors of plots against his life but with his ships stocked with samples of precious jewels and spices,da Gama sailed from Calicut at the end of August 1498.The trip back to Portugal proved far more difficult than the voyages out,and many men died of scurvy during the 3-month journey across the Arabian sea.
Vasco Da Gama - Portuguese Explorer | Mocomi Kids