Vasco da gama brief biography examples

Much of that was due to Henry the Navigator, who, at his base in the southern region of the country, had brought together a team of knowledgeable mapmakers, geographers and navigators. He dispatched ships to explore the western coast of Africa to expand Portugal's trade influence. He also believed that he could find and form an alliance with Prester John, who ruled over a Christian empire somewhere in Africa.

Henry the Navigator never did locate Prester John, but his impact on Portuguese trade along Africa's east coast during his 40 years of explorative work was undeniable. Still, for all his work, the southern portion of Africa — what lay east — remained shrouded in mystery. In , an important breakthrough was made when Bartolomeu Dias discovered the southern tip of Africa and rounded the Cape of Good Hope.

This journey was significant; it proved, for the first time, that the Atlantic and Indian oceans were connected.

Vasco da gama brief biography examples

The trip, in turn, sparked a renewed interest in seeking out a trade route to India. By the late s, however, King Manuel wasn't just thinking about commercial opportunities as he set his sights on the East. In fact, his impetus for finding a route was driven less by a desire to secure for more lucrative trading grounds for his country, and more by a quest to conquer Islam and establish himself as the king of Jerusalem.

Historians know little about why exactly da Gama, still an inexperienced explorer, was chosen to lead the expedition to India in On July 8 of that year, he captained a team of four vessels, including his flagship, the ton St. Gabriel , to find a sailing route to India and the East. To embark on the journey, da Gama pointed his ships south, taking advantage of the prevailing winds along the coast of Africa.

His choice of direction was also a bit of a rebuke to Christopher Columbus, who had believed he'd found a route to India by sailing east. Following s months of sailing, he rounded the Cape of Good Hope and began making his way up the eastern coast of Africa, toward the uncharted waters of the Indian Ocean. By January, as the fleet neared what is now Mozambique, many of da Gama's crewmembers were sick with scurvy, forcing the expedition to anchor for rest and repairs for nearly one month.

In early March of , da Gama and his crew dropped their anchors in the port of Mozambique, a Muslim city-state that sat on the outskirts of the east coast of Africa and was dominated by Muslim traders. Here, da Gama was turned back by the ruling sultan, who felt offended by the explorer's modest gifts. By early April, the fleet reached what is now Kenya, before setting sail on a day run that would take them across the Indian Ocean.

For these brutal demonstrations of power, da Gama was vilified throughout India and the region. Upon his return to Portugal, by contrast, he was richly rewarded for another successful voyage. Da Gama had married a well-born woman sometime after returning from his first voyage to India; the couple would have six sons. For the next 20 years, da Gama continued to advise the Portuguese ruler on Indian affairs, but he was not sent back to the region until , when King John III appointed him as Portuguese viceroy in India.

Da Gama arrived in Goa with the task of combating the growing corruption that had tainted the Portuguese government in India. He soon fell ill, and in December he died in Cochin. His body was later taken back to Portugal for burial there. There they established a colony named Vineland meaning fertile region […]. His contributions to exploration forever changed the scope of trade, merchant expansion, and the growth of European influence throughout the world.

The exact place and year of birth for Vasco da Gama is not exactly known. He may have been born in the seacoast region of Alentejo in Portugal, which was known for its fishing industry. More than likely, he developed a love for the sea after being exposed to the many fishing adventures he grew up around. His father was a knight who served in prestigious factions of the military.

We know very little about the upbringing and early life of da Gama because records were never kept. What is known is he was a serious student of navigation and mathematics. During the early s, there was great interest in seafaring exploration on the part of Portugal. Many of the early explorations were for gold and they focused mainly on the African coast.

Overall, these explorations were not anywhere nearly as successful as they needed to be. The price of the lost lives was the opening of the route to South Asia around Africa. By , the Portuguese had begun trading with India. Using armed force, they established their strongholds on the peninsula and, in , captured Malacca, the true land of spices.

Upon his return, King Manuel bestowed the title of "Dom" and a pension of 1, cruzados on Vasco da Gama as a representative of the nobility. However, da Gama sought to become the lord of the city of Sines. As the matter dragged on, the king appeased the ambitious explorer by increasing his pension. In , before his second voyage, the king granted him the title of "Admiral of the Indian Ocean" with all honors and privileges.

To establish fortifications and subdue the country, King Manuel I sent an expedition led by Vasco da Gama. The expedition included twenty ships, ten of which were commanded by the Admiral of the Indian Ocean. The expedition set sail on February 10, Along the way, the sailors stopped at the Canary Islands. Not far from the Cape Verde Islands, the admiral showed Indian envoys returning home a caravel loaded with gold bound for Lisbon.

The envoys were amazed at seeing so much gold for the first time. At the same time, Vasco da Gama established forts and trading posts in Sofala and Mozambique, conquered the Arab emir of Kilwa, and demanded tribute from him. Starting a fierce struggle against Arab navigation, he ordered the burning of an Arab ship with all the pilgrim passengers on the Malabar coast.

On October 3, the fleet arrived in Cannanore. The local rajah ceremoniously welcomed the Portuguese and allowed them to build a major trading post. After loading the ships with spices, the admiral sailed to Calicut. Here, he acted decisively and mercilessly. Despite the zamorin's promises to compensate for the losses and news of the arrest of those responsible for the attacks on the Portuguese, the admiral seized the ships in the port and bombarded the city, turning it into ruins.

He ordered the hanging of captured Indians on masts, and he sent the severed hands, feet, and heads of the unfortunate people back to the shore, throwing their bodies overboard to be washed ashore. Two days later, Vasco da Gama bombarded Calicut again, causing further casualties. The zamorin fled the destroyed city. Here, he loaded the ships and left a garrison in the new fortress.

The zamorin, with the help of Arab merchants, assembled a large fleet, which set out to meet the Portuguese again on February 12, However, the artillery of the Portuguese ships turned the light vessels into flight. On October 11, Vasco da Gama returned to Lisbon with success. The king, satisfied with the spoils, increased the admiral's pension.