Vasco da Gama

Vasco da Gama was born in Sines in the Alentijo region of Portugal in 1469. He was born into a family of minor nobility as his father, Estêvão da Gama, was a count. Little is known about Vasco da Gama’s early life. What is known, though, is that he was involved in the Military Order of Santiago and that he participated in military expeditions. He also commanded a small fleet that managed to capture some French ships in and around Portuguese ports in 1492.

Five years later, King Manuel I selected Vasco da Gama to lead an expedition to India. Quite why he was chosen to lead the fleet from relative obscurity is unknown, but it can be assumed that the King judged him to be suitable for the task. His appointment resulted in him leaving Portugal on 8th July 1497 for India, a voyage that had never been completed by a European before then.

Da Gama’s fleet comprised four vessels. There was the Sao Gabriel, a 27m x 8.5m ocean-going sailing ship that had sails covering an area of 372 square metres. This vessel was under Vasco da Gama’s command. A similar vessel called the Sao Raphael was under his brother’s command. The third vessel, which was smaller, was called Berrio and the fourth was a large store ship. In total, the crew numbered 170, including highly experienced navigators. The route taken by Vasco da Gama on his first of three voyages followed those taken by earlier explorers such as Bartholomew Diaz, whose knowledge of the South Atlantic westerlies helped da Gama immensely. The four-vessel convoy made its way along the African coast via Tenerife before crossing the Equator.

In November 1497, after three months in the open ocean during which time over 6000 miles (10,000km) were covered, they made landfall. In December of the same year, Vasco da Gama reached the Eastern Cape, which was the furthest Bartholomew Diaz had gone. From then on da Gama ventured into waters never sailed by Europeans before.

He reached Mozambique in March 1498, but by that time the convoy had been reduced to three ships as the storage ship had been scuttled in Mossel Bay, South Africa. The Portuguese were not made welcome in Mozambique, and were forced to leave after being met with increasing hostility. It was a similar story, when da Gama ventured into Mombasa early April. Fortunately, the locals at his next port of call, Malindi, were more favourably disposed towards Vasco da Gama, and he was able to bring a local pilot, who had knowledge of the Monsoon winds, on board for the voyage across to India.

The three ships arrived in Kappadu, India on 20th May 1498. They were given a warm welcome, but that soon cooled when the gifts offered to the King of Calicut were considered inadequate. He received cloaks, sugar, oil and honey amongst other items, but there were no gifts of gold, which the Indian leader was evidently expecting. Relationships did not improve and Vasco da Gama left. By the time he reached Malindi in January 1499, half of the crew had perished and many others were ill with scurvy. As there were too few men to crew three ships, Vasco da Gama had the Sao Raphael scuttled. On leaving Malindi, the Sao Gabriel and Berrio sailed separately with the latter reaching Lisbon first in 10th July 1479. The former reached the Portuguese capital at the end of the following month without Vasco da Gama. He stayed with his brother, Paulo, who had become seriously ill. The two brothers boarded a Guinea caravel en route to Portugal, but during the voyage Paolo succumbed to illness.

On the one hand, the expedition was something of a failure because half of Vasco da Gama’s men perished, two ships were lost and no trade treaties were established. On the other hand, Vasco da Gama discovered a maritime route to Asia that was used by many other early pioneers. He also confirmed the great potential for future trade in India by bringing back much sought after spices and other goods. This potential was realised when Pedro Alvares Cabral took fifteen ships to India and returned with goods that brought substantial profit.

It was this profit that funded da Gama’s second voyage, which began in January 1502. At this time, he had already become an Admiral and on this voyage he would command ten ships supported by two flotillas of five ships. He avoided places that were hostile and when he reached India, he went to Cannanore (the former name of Kannur), a port north of Calicut. There, he formed an alliance with the ruler, an enemy of the Zamorin who had exhibited hostility towards Vasco da Gama on his first voyage to India. Then his fleet sailed south to Cochin. This leg of the voyage involved going close to Calicut, where they bombed the port. At Cochin, da Gama formed another alliance with the ruler, who was also at loggerheads with the Zamorin. He departed India in February 1503.

Vasco da Gama’s final voyage began in April 1524 with fourteen ships. His flagship was the Santa Caterina de Monte Sinai, a large carrack. The voyage took its toll on the fleet, about a third of which was lost. He arrived in India in September. It was to be his last stop as he contracted malaria from which he never recovered. He left behind him a legacy in Portugal, where he is regarded as one of the greatest maritime explorers during the Age of Discovery. It is a sentiment shared in many other countries where his name has graced history books.

Sources: www.en.wikipedia.org, www.history.com, www.britannica.com, www.worldhistory.com