Explorers - 3 - Vasco De Gama (1460-1542)

Vasco De Gama the great Portuguese navigator who contributed immensely to establish a Portuguese Empire in the East, was born in 1460 in the village of Saines, Portugal. His father Emmanuel and mother Batista, had a noble ancestry. As Vasco grew up in the coastal village, he loved the sea and seafaring from his childhood. Though he had no formal education he heard a lot about the expeditions of Marco Polo, Christopher Columbus, Amerigo Vespucchi and Bertholomew Dias, from the “sea dogs” or old sailors who frequented the seaside taverns.

By this time Henry the Navigator (1364-1460) a prince of Portugal had been helping explorers providing them with money and ships they needed for their voyages.

Vasco De Gama who succeeded in persuading the king of Portugal to assist him for a long voyage, left Lisbon in 1497 with a fleet of four ships.

He crossed the Atlantic Ocean and reached The Cape of Good Hope, the southernmost point in Africa. Sailing around the cape he landed on two ports along the Eastern coast of Africa, where he was attacked by the natives and forced to leave immediately.

Vasco De Gama sailed northwards along the eastern coast of Africa and passed the countries now known as Mozambique and Tanzania. At a point, now called Mugikonda, (Kenya) he entered the Indian Ocean. From there onwards he met with a lot of difficulties and opposition raised by the natives instigated by the Muslim traders. It is reported that only the Bantus of present Pretoria and the ruler of Malindi extended friendship and assistance to Gama. The ruler of Mozambique showed him a false friendship and tried to kill him in an ambush.

Vasco De Gama who crossed the Indian Ocean in three weeks landed in Calicut on the Western Coast of India on the 22nd May 1498. Zamorin the Muslim ruler there, welcomed him at first, but took few Portuguese sailors as prisoners. Gama boldly rescued his men and immediately set sail for Europe from a port close to Calicut. He arrived at Lisbon in July 1497 safely. In 1502-03 De Gama led a heavily armed expedition of 20 ships to Calicut and brutally avenged the killing of Portuguese settlers left there by Alvarez Cabraal another Portuguese navigator.

He passed away in 1542 in Lisbon, a famous and wealthy man.

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