Biography of Vasco da Gama, Portuguese explorer and the first European to reach India by sea

So today we are going to talk about Vasco da Gama There is another new series in the biography These are great explorers who discovered the world Although the world has been there for a long time It has been there for millions of years since the Big Bang But we will see the biographies of those who marked the map These are very interesting biographies So Vasco da Gama is the first one Many people say that he discovered India India has been there for thousands of years India has been there since the Indus Valley Civilization So he did not discover India But he found a way to reach India Vasco da Gama was the first one Who connected Europe and Asia The sea route He found a way India's importance has always been very high I will explain many things to you in this lecture Which will help you a lot in the exam First of all, I will explain why all the companies came to India If Vasco da Gama did not come to India It is possible that the East India Company would not have been formed And India would not have come Although these were all trading companies The countries used to trade with other countries Especially all the countries in Europe used to trade with other countries So we see that there was a need for a private company So the business that was conducted The business that was spread all over the world These were the trading companies And they used to get a lot of money But what these trading companies used to do They used to slowly make that country their colony And used to keep everyone in their pockets So I am going to tell you a lot of things in this lecture So it will be very important for the exam Let's move forward Sidhansco Reconnect is my Facebook page My Facebook profile is Siddhant Agnihotri You can check my PDF at both places You can also ask questions Study IQ Tablet and Pen Drive courses are available for every exam Call on your numbers and visit the website First of all, the Portuguese came to India Okay See if we talk Which companies came to India Basically five companies came That is, five countries came to India Portugal First of all, the Portuguese came Then came the British East India Company The Portuguese came in 1498 East India Company came two years later In 1600 After that The Dutch came Dutch is called Dutch by Dutch people So the Dutch came in 1605 Then came Danish in 1616 Denmark And then the French came in 1664 Okay, now why did they come to India India was very important because Spices were available in India India's cloth was famous all over the world India's jewellery The jewellery was famous all over the world Okay So we had to find a way With which We can take India under our control Control was not the first thing Means we can do business with India Okay, now friends what happened See What was there in the first time There were no airplanes, there were no trains So there were only two ways If you had to go anywhere Either you walk Okay You take the road Which is on foot Which is on land Or you go by sea So what happened In 1632 When Islam spread Means when the establishment of Islam happened And when it started spreading After that four caliphates came So the road which was on land Arabs took over it Okay So the Arabs Muslim merchants took over it Earlier the business Was done on land Turkey was connected to Europe Turkey was there, Iran was there Iraq was there, Afghanistan was there Pakistan was there, India was there But slowly what happened Arab merchant traders As Islam spread, as caliphates spread Means as caliphates Four caliphates came Okay, so as caliphs came They took the road In their control So Arab merchants, Muslim merchants took over In fact, in India These merchants were suppressed In India also we see that Surat Surat was the most important, remember Now I am explaining you the whole background After that I will come to Vasco Da Gama But you will not be able to understand Why Vasco Da Gama came to India So we are seeing that in Gujarat Especially in Surat, there was a great trade There were many business communities Like Nayarth, Chettiarth All people used to do business And Arabs were also very active And Arabs were also very active in the south The whole region of Kochi and Calicut There were many Arab merchants So Vasco Da Gama and Europe Now when land was taken over Now if you come to India from here If you come to India from Europe Then you will have to pay tax to Arab and Muslim merchants You will have to pay money And they will not even let you come Because no one wants competition in business No one wants competition There should be monopoly What does competition do? Competition is very good for us But the big companies If they start competing They will profit each other Do you understand? So now if Europeans used to come here They used to get money They used to not let them come There used to be clashes There used to be fights So they did not even let Indians come So that is why there used to be many explorations Now this exploration You cannot go from land So where will it be from? It will be from the sea The whole exploration used to be from the sea Christopher Columbus discovered America Discovered means discovered Marked in the map Christopher Columbus All the explorers of Europe All got the same task Go and discover India Discover India We want to trade with India We want the spices from India So all of them used to go on the ship And when they used to go on the ship Some were reaching Africa Some were reaching Australia Some were reaching America When Christopher Columbus went to America He thought that is India That is why the tribes of Americans Britishers used to call them Red Indians So India is very important We will find India in the center So Vasco da Gama was also given the same task Go and discover India You cannot go from land So go from the sea This was the whole background Now we come to Vasco da Gama These explorers used to be very cruel Vasco da Gama used to destroy people which date it came, so the same diary, which used to be recovered later, that was documented and that is our source, okay? So, we don't know much about the initial life of Vasco da Gama, we only know that his mother and father are very dangerous names, Estevo da Gama, okay? And Isabel Sodre was his mother, in fact she is dead, D is silent, so his father, who was the king of the dukes at that time, he was a knight there, okay? He was a warrior. So, Vasco da Gama was born in a wealthy family, he was not poor, this is for sure. Now, we don't know much about the early life, in 1480, Vasco da Gama followed his father's footprints, and the Order of Santiago, which is basically the cavalry, the ships, the Navy's work, was given to Vasco da Gama in 1480. In 1492, something very good happened, Manuel John II came here, okay? John II was the king of Portugal, okay? Now, he wanted the Portuguese to go all over the world, because he wanted to fill the government treasury, he wanted to fill the government treasury, and he wanted employment, and he wanted his economy to be prosperous, so India is very important for that. So, India cannot go by land, now you can see the background, it is useful, right? So, you can't go by land, you can go by sea, okay? So, this exploration started long before that, okay? Now, friends, in 1480, John II started sending ships to go and find India. So, in 1487, we see, friends, a very big thing happened. In 1488, Bartholomew Ellis, the Cape of Good Hope, in Africa, he found such a cape, he found such a coast, from where a path can be made for India. So, Portugal won the lottery, he said, what is this, very good, now we will start our journey from here, the planning started, Vasco da Gama, because he was watching the Order of Santiago, the Navy, he called him, and Vasco da Gama, the king gave him this task, to go to India, and see, in 1487, John II sent two ships, and this was the result, that Bartholomew Ellis, found the Cape of Good Hope in 1488, I will also review his biography, okay? So, now we see, the story of Vasco da Gama. So, Vasco da Gama left in 1497, this whole 9 years of planning, how to go, what to do, and after that, with 4 ships, with 170 men, Portugal's capital, Lisbon, left from there, on 8th July 1497, to find India, understood? Now, to find India, where is Europe, where is India, they are also going from the sea, crossing the Atlantic Ocean, one more thing, the Indian Ocean, you know, oceans were also named later, so why was the Indian Ocean named? Because, all the explorers, used to go to find India, so when the explorers, Vasco da Gama, came to know, that India is here, and this is a sea route, so it was named Indian Ocean, that's why it is called Indian Ocean, it has a long and wide story, okay? So, we see here, that Vasco da Gama left in 1497, but this journey was going to be very dangerous, why? Because, there will be a storm in the sea, if there is a storm in the sea, then they will be in a bad condition, at that time, there was not much preparation, if the ship goes, then it goes, it was very dangerous, what happens today, there is radar, satellite phones, if there is any problem, immediately call the command office, there was nothing like that at that time, now go at your own risk, if the ship sinks, then sinks, then no one comes to search, so Vasco da Gama left, on July 8, 1497, with 170 people, with 4 ships, now after that, first they reached Africa, on November 4, they reached the African coast, on July 8, 1497, and reached Africa by November, so they traveled a good distance, okay? They traveled up to 10,000 km, they traveled a lot, this is their journey, this is Portugal, they left from here, they could not go by land, they could not come to India, so they left by sea, so you can see this, the route that you can see, first they reached this cape, then reached this cape, can you see it or not? after that, this was the Cape of Good Hope, this is what Barthold Middles was looking for, after that, they went further and reached Mozambique, they reached Mozambique, then reached Malindi, you can see these dots, they stopped here, so they reached all these places, I mean they did not stop, sorry I said stop, this is an important city, where this line is touching, they stopped there, the purple line, so they reached Mozambique first, they reached Mozambique in November, the king of Mozambique did not welcome them, see, even in Africa, it was the rule of Arabs, as I told you, this is Saudi Arabia, so Mecca and Madinah will be here, the two holiest cities of Islam, Mecca and Madinah, now we see, when Islam spread, I told you, it spread everywhere, from top to bottom, Arabs took over Africa, Arabs started slavery, later on, Europe joined them, so we see here, this whole Africa, wherever centers were made, it was under the control of Arab merchants, or Muslim merchants, even in Mozambique, mostly Muslims were there, now there was Vasco Da Gama, now Christianity, Christianity is limited to Europe only, there was no such propagation of Christianity, that reached Africa, reached India, I want to tell you an important thing, when the Portuguese came to India, in 1510, when the Portuguese made Goa their capital, and won Goa, in Gujarat, then in South, then in Goa, their biggest aim was to spread Christianity, as much as possible, that's why you see in Goa, the culture is similar to Portuguese, so spread Christianity, as much as possible, even the Viceroy of Goa, used to give orders, that we will bring Portuguese men, to India, and will get Indian women married, Sati Pratha, was first banned by the Portuguese, do you understand, Sati Pratha was banned by Francis Almeida, Albuquerque, before Raja Ram Mohan Roy, and their motive was, that the Portuguese will marry, the widows of Sati Pratha, so there will be propagation of Christianity, ok, now why is it like this, everything is related to religion, the Arab or Muslim traders, here it was all Muslim religion, most of the Muslims were Muslims, ok, and these Arab traders, made a very strong pact, the kings of India, the king of Zamorin, showed a lot of trust, so there were religious conflicts, when the Portuguese came, so the Portuguese knew, that if we want to remove the Arabs, then first of all remove their religion, and bring Christianity, so when more and more people will join us, then it will be very good, that's why when they came to Goa, they did a very good job, the Portuguese made very good hospitals, schools, banned all the bad traditions, gave a lot of benefit to the people, especially to those, who were from the oppressed class, so most of them became Christians, so this was a very good thing, for the Portuguese, understood, so Vasco da Gama, this was the whole scenario, so they were not welcomed very well in Mozambique, Vasco da Gama used to take gifts, he used to take very good gifts, to make people happy, so when he reached Mozambique, he took a lot of gifts, but very soon, the Sultan of Mozambique, and the people of Mozambique, thought that he has come to do something wrong, and he will make us prisoners, so Vasco da Gama ran away from Mozambique, but while running away, he did a lot of damage to Mozambique, there were a lot of deaths in Mozambique, I told you Vasco da Gama was cruel, you can't call him liberal, you can't call him soft hearted, there were a lot of incidents, where we can see the cruelty of Vasco da Gama, so all this happened, now you have seen this very well, see the return route also, Vasco da Gama came to India 3 times, and when he came for the 3rd time, he was killed here, he died in 1524, after that we see, that he came here in November, then in March, he reached Cape of Goods in November, and in March he reached Mozambique, and as I told you, Vasco da Gama was very hostile, he didn't get a good crowd there, initially he liked it, but later he didn't, now friends, during this time, there were a lot of clashes with Arab merchants, the ships of Arab merchants, where Anand was seen, Vasco da Gama used to attack and loot, and Arab merchants were also very angry, you have come to interfere in their business, who will tolerate, their Arab had made a proper market here, now you have come to loot their market, they will kill you, obviously, so this is the thing, after that he reached Mombasa in April, in Mombasa also the same problem as in Mozambique, but when he reached Malindi, so Malindi was very friendly towards Vasco da Gama, that was because he was already having enmity with Mozambique, so Malindi was friendly, and welcomed Vasco da Gama, and there he came to know, there people told him, that you want to go to India, no problem, go straight, take left, you will get a tempo there, give 10 rupees and then go to India, he was joking, the traders there told him, they told him the way to India basically, so he got the first evidence that India can go from here, now he left from Malindi, and after that he will directly stay in India, so on 24th April, he stayed in Malindi for 12 days, and on 24th April, 1498, he left for India, and then on 22nd May, a month later, he comes to Calicut, ultimately he reaches Kapadu, which is a town near Kozhikode, earlier it was called Calicut, there he reaches Malabar Coast, which is called Malabar Coast in Kerala, Konkan Coast, Malabar Coast, you know everything, so on 20th May, 1498, Vasco da Gama comes to Calicut, when Zamorin got to know there, the king of the sea, that my friend has come from Bombay, greet my friend, he went barefoot, as if Sudama had come, like Lord Krishna, he went to meet Sudama, now Zamorin was also greedy in this, Zamorin thought that guests are coming, guests are coming from 7 seas, we should welcome them very well, but the guests must have brought something for us, they must not have come empty handed, so Zamorin came, Zamorin met Vasco da Gama very well, now Vasco da Gama said that I have brought gifts for you, now see the gifts, what did he bring, four cloaks, six hats, four branches of corals, two barrels of oil, now see the gifts, if you are going to meet the Prime Minister, will you bring caps, will you bring food, will you bring rice, he is the king, you are going to meet the king, what is this nonsense, so here Vasco da Gama opened the gift, he unwrapped it very happily, I will get a very good thing, but see, nothing was there, wheat is coming out of it, sugar is coming out of it, what should I do with sugar, we already have sugar, so here Vasco da Gama said come here, don't come here again, so he made Vasco da Gama run away, and on top of that, Arab traders also attacked Vasco da Gama's fleet, so there was also a lot of problem, I am really sorry, this is 1499, it is written 1499, so Vasco da Gama also left from there, because here Zamorin's mood got bad, he was very impressed, Vasco da Gama brought this proposal that you do business with us, we want to buy your spices, and you do business with us, it will be good, we will also get money, but Zamorin said get out of here, don't come here again, so Arab traders were also in a bad mood, so Zamorin made Vasco da Gama run away, he went back to Portugal, and when he went back to Portugal, we see that he left with 170 people, only 54 reached back, his brother also died in this, why? I told you a long journey, got sick, you can't do anything, there were no medicines, a lot of people got scurvy, a lot of people couldn't tolerate the weather here, so he took 54 people and reached back to Portugal, when he reached Portugal, his welcome was very good, in 1499, while coming in July, when he reached Portugal, the king welcomed him very well, wow, he came back, he must have brought something good, and when he opened his ship, there was nothing, he didn't even sign the treaty, the king must have got very angry, but still he brought some spices, some expedition, he brought something from India, so the same king took it with him, but one thing Vasco da Gama did very well, he found a way, so the king was very happy, and after that, he sent another expedition for India, at this time, Pedro Averell came, now see, I have covered everything, from 1500 to 1510, watch my battle series, you will get to know everything, in that I have covered Battle of Cochin, and Siege of Goa, so I won't go into that much, so here Pedro Averell came, then he meets with Zemorin, then there is a war, that is a different story, I have covered that, so finally by 1510, the Portuguese had taken over, but what about Vasco da Gama, Vasco da Gama came again, Vasco da Gama had to take revenge, because Vasco da Gama's 50 men were killed by the Arabs, by the Arab traders, like carrots and radish, so in 1502, when he came back to India, the king sent Vasco da Gama back to India, so he took revenge on the Arab traders, and there was a battle, and Vasco da Gama and his entire fleet won, so everything happened, after that Calicut was taken over by the Portuguese, then Surat, here the factories, so for 80 years, till 1480, when Portugal was not under the control of Spain, till then India was under their control, they had built a lot of factories, and they had built forts, but the thing is, when Spain took them under their control, then their downfall started, so Vasco da Gama comes in 1502, he takes revenge, and goes back to Portugal, and when he goes back to Portugal, he stays silent for about 20 years, he doesn't get much recognition, the king doesn't pay much attention to him, because he had done his work, the rest of the work, will be done by Francisco Almeida and Albuquerque, Francisco Almeida who was the first viceroy, Albuquerque also came to India, now he will do all this, so Vasco da Gama was very angry, Vasco da Gama used to feel that he lost the way, but ultimately the king understood this, and in 1519, the king honored Vasco da Gama, and in 1524, Vasco da Gama was made the viceroy, so Vasco da Gama went back to India, Vasco da Gama came to India for the third time, but this time when he came to India, Vasco da Gama died, so Vasco da Gama couldn't survive this time, so during this time, Vasco da Gama got married, he got married and had 6 children, and when he came to India in 1524, he died, and he was buried here in the church, and in 1539, his remains were taken back to Portugal, so this was the end of Vasco da Gama, so did you see how Vasco da Gama explored the story, and then he found India, he came to India many times, and if Vasco da Gama wouldn't have come, then no one would have come, and then maybe the companies wouldn't have been made, because the Portuguese tried to take over India, and made many centers here, and then the Europeans felt that there is a big prospect for them too, not just India, there was also a reason that the south east nations, like Indonesia, Malaysia, Laos, Myanmar, we can take over all these too, so all these countries were colonies too, in fact I want to tell you, that in Indonesia, they used to get better spices than India, so the Dutch ran straight to Indonesia, they didn't come directly to India, that's a different story, watch the battle series, I have explained everything in that, so this was the lecture, I hope you liked it, be happy, Jai Siddhantak Nihotri, Signing off.