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The condition of John's health and concerns of state, however, prevented the fitting out of the intended expedition and it was not till nine years later, when Emanuel I. That there was in truth an ocean highway to the East was proved by Diaz, who returned in December 1488 with the report that when sailing southward he was carried far to the east by a succession of fierce storms, past - as he discovered only on his return voyage - what he ascertained to be the southern extremity of the African continent. For this purpose Pedro de Covilham and Affonso de Payva were despatched eastward by land while Bartholomeu Diaz, in command of two vessels, was sent westward by sea (see Abyssinia, 14). of Portugal steadfastly resolved that both by sea and by land the attempt should be made to reach the.country of this potentate. Explorers sent out at his instigation discovered the Azores and unknown regions on the African coast, whence continually came reports of a great monarch, "who lived east of Benin, 350 leagues in the interior, and who held both temporal and spiritual dominion over all the neighbouring kings," a story which tallied so remarkably with the accounts of "Prester John" which had been brought to the Peninsula by Abyssinian priests, that John II. In that year died Prince Henry the Navigator, to whose intelligence and foresight must be traced back all the fame that Portugal gained on the seas in the 15th and 16th centuries. His descent, according to the Nobiliario of Antonio de Lima, was derived from a noble family which is mentioned in the year 1166 but the line cannot be traced without interruption farther back than the year 1280, to one Alvaro da Gama, from whom was descended Estevao da Gama, civil governor of Sines, whose third son Vasco was born probably about the year 1460. Of da Gama's early history little is known. 1460-1524), Portuguese navigator and discoverer of the sea-route to India, was born at Sines, a small seaport in the province of Alemtejo. Vasco da Gama died of an illness in India on Decemhis remains were returned to Portugal for burial.GAMA,' 'VASCO DA ( c. On this voyage, da Gama killed hundreds of Muslims, often brutally, in order to demonstrate his power.Īfter King Manuel’s death, King John III sent da Gama to India as a Portuguese viceroy (the King’s representative in India). On this second trip, da Gama took 20 armed ships (anticipating problems from Muslim traders). King Manuel I of Portugal then sent da Gama, now an Admiral, on another expedition to India (1502-1503). Upon his return, da Gama was treated as a hero and was rewarded by the king. Along the way many crew members died from scurvy (a disease caused by a lack of Vitamin C). When he left, da Gama took his goods with him, together with some Indian hostages.ĭa Gama returned to Lisbon, Portugal, in September, 1499. Da Gama left India on August 29, 1498, after he was told to pay a large tax and leave all of his trading goods. After many stops in Africa, and problems with Muslim traders who did not want interference in their profitable trade routes, da Gama reached Calicut, India on May 20, 1498.Īt first, da Gama and his trading were well-received, but this did not last for long. Da Gama’s patron was King Manuel I of Portugal.ĭa Gama rounded Africa’s Cape of Good Hope on November 22, and continued on to India. At the time, many people thought that da Gama’s trip would be impossible because it was assumed that the Indian Ocean was not connected to any other seas. Vasco da Gama sailed from Lisbon, Portugal, on July 8, 1497, heading to the East. He was to have made the sea voyage from Portugal to India that eventually made his son famous, but the elder da Gama died before completing the journey. Da Gama’s father Estavao was also an explorer.
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Vasco da Gama (1460-1524) was a Portuguese explorer who discovered an ocean route from Portugal to the East.ĭa Gama was born to a noble family in Sines, Portugal.