The Portuguese navigator and explorer Vasco da Gama (circa 1469-1524) led an expedition at the end of the 15th century that opened the sea route to India by way of the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa.
Da Gama was from a distinguished family and was educated accordingly, learning physics, geometry, mathematics, astronomy and several languages. He served in the court of João II. There was considerable interest in the court in finding a sea route to India, spurred on by the need to expand trade and perhaps by Christopher Columbus’ discovery of the New World.
Vasco da Gama began his historic voyage from Lisbon on 8 July 1497 with 170 men and four ships. The flotilla rounded the Cape of Good Hope in November and landed at several African locations where they were generally not well received, as they did not have appropriate gifts to give the Muslim rulers they met. By January they had reached the coast of Mozambique where da Gama hired a pilot to guide them to Calicut (now Kozhikode), India. Finally, on 20 May 1498, da Gama’s fleet reached Kappad, near Calicut.
The king of Calicut greeted da Gama with traditional hospitality, which turned to wary suspicion when da Gamma failed to present suitable gifts—he had no gold or silver—and was accused by Muslim merchants, who saw him as a rival, of being a pirate. The king demanded customs duty be paid. Da Gamma, insulted, carried off a few of the king’s subjects by force and left.
Despite not having impressed his hosts, da Gama managed to trade his goods and return to Portugal with cargo worth many times the cost of the expedition. He struck out for home on 29 August 1498, sailing against the wind, and his ships took a year to get home, having lost half their crew to scurvy. He was richly rewarded for his achievement. He subsequently made two more trips to India.
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