The incredible voyage of Vasco da Gama to India

Vasco da Gama was born at the town of Sines in Portugal at some time before 1470. 

Both of his parents were from the Portuguese nobility, and his father was involved in the royal court.

da Gama went to school in Evora village, where he developed a love of navigation and sailing.

By the time he had turned 20 years old, he had become a sea captain.

As da Gama was growing up, Portugal was in the middle of an exploration boom. European nations were looking for a sea route to the east.

Traditionally, any trade between Europe and Asia had to travel over land and through the Muslim nations in the Middle East.

These nations would charge high taxes for anyone travelling through their lands.

Therefore, the kings and queens of the various European kingdoms thought that a sea route to the east, travelling around the south of Africa, would be quicker and cheaper.

To that end, Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal, paid for a number of explorers to sail down the west coast of Africa in search of a safe route.

Then, from 1481, King John II of Portugal did the same. One of these explorers, called Bartolomeu Dias, finally made it to the Indian Ocean in 1488, but did not reach India.

In 1495, a new king ruled in Portugal. He was called Manuel and he decided to send another fleet to try and reach India.

He chose Vasco da Gama for the task.

da Gama sailed from Lisbon on the 8th of July 1497. By November 22, da Gama reached Mossel Bay in South Africa. 

In March he reached Mozambique on the east coast of Africa: the furthest any Portuguese sailor had yet reached.

While there, da Gama spoke to local Muslim merchants to gain information about crossing the Indian Ocean. 

After paying for the services of an experienced navigator to join his crew, da Gama set sail for India.

After a journey on the open ocean for 23 days, he finally reached India on the 20th of May 1498.

At the Indian city of Calicut, da Gama had a meeting with the king, but was treated with suspicion.

da Gama spent a few months in India, trading goods and studying India culture. In August 1498, da Gama set off home again, and arrived back in Portugal in September 1499.

King Manuel I was thrilled that da Gama had achieved a round-trip from India, and promoted him to the position of admiral.

Vasco da Gama sailed back to India in February 1502 with a much larger fleet. On the way, he stopped at Tanzania in Africa, where tensions with the locals led to da Gama threatening them to become servants of the Portuguese king.

This event was the first sign of da Gama's willingness to use force to achieve his aims.

When da Gama arrived back at Calicut in India, he fired his ships cannons at the city's port, killing a number of Muslim traders.

Sailing on to Cochin, they successfully fought a naval engagement against Arab ships.

By this stage, da Gama had gained a reputation as a competent, yet ruthless, captain.

After conducting a trade mission, da Gama sailed back to Portugal in February 1503, arriving back in October.

da Gama did not sail to India again until King Manuel I died in 1521. The new king, John III, promoted da Gama to be the Portuguese viceroy of India to deal with mass corruption among officials that had developed since Portuguese traders had flooded into the country.

da Gama arrived in India, at Goa, in September 1524 and immediately enforced laws to control corrupt Portuguese merchants.

However, he soon fell ill and died on December 24, 1524 in Cochin.