While the Spanish focused their attention on discovering the New World, the Portuguese looked eastward. Southern and Eastern Asia were the centers of their attention, as it was the source of many trade goods such as gold, valuable spices, silk, and other riches. But from Portugal on the very edge of Western Europe all the way to the Orient, the trade route ran over land, and for those who traveled it, it was a slow and dangerous enterprise fraught with perils. So the Portuguese sought a solution. A new trade route would have to be established via the ocean, and the man to find it would be the navigator, Vasco da Gama. This is the story of his exploits.Vasco da Gama’s Early Life
Portrait of Vasco da Gama, via history.com
Vasco da Gama was born into minor nobility in 1460. His father was a household knight who rose through the ranks of civil service, and his mother was part of a well-connected and wealthy family.
When da Gama came of age, he followed in his father’s footsteps and joined the chivalric Order of Santiago. The king invested heavily in the order, and Vasco da Gama’s prospects looked good. In 1482, da Gama was given his first mission as a commander. He was sent to seize French ships that had attacked Portuguese shipping. His success was rapid and effective, and da Gama gained a reputation as being extremely competent.The First Voyage
Vasco da Gama’s carrack, the São Gabriel, via adyta.ru
On July 8, 1497, Vasco da Gama, with a fleet of four ships and 170 men, departed from Lisbon on a journey to round the Cape of Good Hope on the southern tip of Africa, and travel into the Indian Ocean towards the Indian subcontinent. Accompanying da Gama was his brother Paulo and the famed navigator Bartolomeu Dias, who was the first explorer to round the southern tip of the African continent and provided invaluable advice as they sailed down the western coast of Africa. Also joining the expedition were three interpreters. Two of them spoke Arabic, and the third spoke a number of Bantu dialects.
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