Vasco da Gama created a turning point in the history of exploring when he put to test the bravery of man by sailing into the uncharted waters of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans in hopes of finding a route to India. His discovery opened a door for exploration and trade while establishing a foundation for others to live up to and strive for. Before his life as an explorer was initiated, Vasco da Gama’s early years greatly helped to contribute to his later adventurous life at sea. Born in 1460, da Gama
Vasco Da Gama and Ferdinand Magellan are two very important European explorers who are recognized for their huge discoveries. This paper answers questions about the lives and voyages of these famous explorers. My sources for this paper are two books on Da Gama and two books on Magellan from Schaumburg Library. These four sources are listed on the Works Cited page. Photocopies of the title pages of these books are included as attachments to this paper. Vasco Da Gama was born in Sines, Portugal
around 1460, Vasco da Gama was born into a noble family of leaders. As soon as he was of age, da Gama joined the navy, which is where he learned the skills needed to navigate by sea. He got to demonstrate those skills in 1492, when he was sent on a successful trip as revenge against the French to seize their ships (biography.com). Even with his experience, it is unclear why Vasco was chosen to lead the first ever voyage from Portugal to India by sea. Eventually, Vasco da Gama was sent on multiple
Background Vasco Da Gama was a highly respected and successful Portuguese sailor. His name is synonymous with the European Age of Exploration. Vasco Da Gama is perhaps well-known for his efforts in establishing Portugal as a major colonial empire. He is most famous for being the first person to sail directly from Europe to India (Biography.com, 2015; BBC, 2014; Szalay, 2013). His philosophy is perhaps embodied in the statement “I am not afraid of the darkness”, which signifies the courage with which
Vasco Da Gama was a Portuguese explorer and was the first European to reach India. Since he was very little, Da Gama knew about ships and navigation. At a very young age, he was already the captain of a ship. All his useful skills would make him very successful with his trip to India. Many voyagers attempted the challenging task of opening a trading route from Portugal to India, many were very close, but none of them could accomplish the task. Until the king of Portugal Manuel chose Vasco da Gama
It was a New Christian degredado by the name of João Nunes sent to shore who uttered the famous phrase “We came to seek Christians and spices,” when the Portuguese sailor Vasco de Gama and his small expeditionary fleet anchored offshore near Calicut on May 21, 1498. Where spices are concerned, there is little confusion as to its meaning. Both Spain and Portugal were interested in finding new maritime routes to the Orient in response to dealing with hefty taxes implemented by the middle men, the Ottomans
nobleman, explorer, and navigator who was the first European to see Brazil (on April 22, 1500). His patron was King Manuel I of Portugal, who sent him on an expedition to India. Cabral's 13 ships left on March 9, 1500, following the route of Vasco da Gama. On April 22,1500, he sighted land (Brazil), claiming it for Portugal and naming it the "Island of the True Cross." King Manuel renamed this land Holy Cross; it was later renamed once again, to Brazil, after a kind of dyewood found there, called pau-brasil
a page to Queen Leanor at the royal court. Such a position commonly served as a means of education for sons of the Portuguese nobility. At the court, Magellan learned about the voyages of such explorers as Christopher Columbus of Italy and Vasco da Gama of Portugal. He also learned the fundamentalsof navigation. In 1496, Magellan was promoted to rank of squire and became a clerk in the marine department. There, he helped outfit ships for trade along the west coast of Arfica. Magellan first went
Under King Emanuel, Portuguese power reached its height. From 1497 to 1499 Vasco da Gama made the first voyage to India following the route discovered by Dias, and inaugurated a lucrative trade in spices and other luxuries between Europe and South Asia. Led by Afonso de Albuquerque, the Portuguese occupied Goa, India, in 1510, Malacca (now Melaka, Malaysia) in 1511, the Moluccas (in present-day Indonesia) in 1512-14, and Hormuz Island in the Persian Gulf in 1515. During the same period they opened
wealth and profit (Andrews 9). Da Gama’s discovery of a sea route to India helped other European countries to take the challenge and sail to Asia to look for exotic treasures. The sudden growth of wealth in Portugal attracted other European countries to compete in exploration and desire for wealth that Portugal obtained. These diverse competitions helped Europe to dominate other parts of the world with more advanced equipment during the Renaissance period. Second, Da Gama’s founding involved some
Advent of the Europeans Vasco da Gama landed at Calicut, sailing via the Cape of Good Hope in 1498. This marked the beginning of the European era in Indian history. The lucrative trade in spices of Malabar - in modern Kerala - had tempted the Portuguese and inspired the search for a sea route to the Indies. The Portuguese had already established their colony in Goa by the first decade of the 16th Century but their territorial and commercial hold in India remained rather limited. In the
Vasco da Gama was born into a family with a very high social status around 1469 in Sines, Portugal; however, very little is known about his early life and family. All that is known about Vasco’s family is the fact that he had four brothers, one sister, and that their father Estevao da Gama was the commander of a major fort in Sines. When Vasco da Gama came of age he joined the navy, where he would be taught how to navigate the navy’s ships. In 1492, King John II of Portugal sent Vasco da Gama at
century, many European explorers, such as Vasco da Gama, Ferdinand Magellan, and Christopher Columbus, were all searching for a sea route to Asia. Only one of these explorers found what they were searching for, Vasco da Gama, but Christopher Columbus discovered more incredible land and Ferdinand Magellan became the first person to circumnavigate the Earth. All of these explorers did remarkable things that will forever be remembered in history. Vasco da Gama, also know as the “Captain Major,” was the
Vasco da Gama's Exploration of India and Portuguese Voyages of Discovery When asked which nation contributed the most to sea exploration in the fifteenth century, the obvious answer is Spain. What if there were another nation, a nation whose contributions were far more than landing one continent? What if there was a nation that in only 100 years managed to sail in every ocean, every major sea, touched every continent except Antarctica and possibly Australia, and were the first Europeans to land
Columbus and Ferdinand Magellan, Vasco da Gama is widely seen as one of the most successful explorers of this time period. He not only found the first all ocean route from Europe to India but he also solidified Portugal as a powerhouse in the Eastern spice trade with India. Through my discussion of Vasco da Gama’s early life and the exploration voyages he commanded, this will further support his significant role in Maritime history. While little is known about Vasco da Gama’s early life before he became
places were throughout Europe (Spain, Portugal, etc.), America (The colonies), and through Asia. These explorers were sailing through the Indian, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. These explorations started from Portugal with Bartolomeu Dias and Vasco da Gama and this time of exploration spread to different countries and other explorers such as Christopher Columbus, Hernando Cortez and more. All this exploration was all done with new sailing innovations and navigation schools (which was created by Prince
The Europeans did rationalize their attempts to dominate people they encountered in the Indian Ocean region through a number of methods. These include economic, nationalistic/political, exploration and religious justifications. All however, were simply means of covering up the exploitation of the “inferior beings” that were not based in Europe. A primary justification for the European presence in the Indian Ocean was due to economic motivations. Highly sophisticated markets allowed for the discovery
Throughout the world’s history exploration has been a major factor is the developments of the world, but who is the greatest explorer? One explorer that has caught my attention is explorer and navigator, Pedro Alvares Cabral. Pedro Cabral was a Portuguese man born between 1467 and 1468 in Belmonte, Portugal. He was born into “Noble Portuguese Family” (Elizabethan-era.org.uk, n.d.) and from that was able to receive proper and advanced education. Looking deeper into Pedro Alvares Cabral’s life I determine
and other Europeans in the region of the Indian Ocean. The late fifteenth century to the early sixteenth century was labeled as the “Age of Discovery” where the Portuguese started off the exploration of the world outside of Europe, through Vasco da Gama. The incidents that occurred over the next few hundred years reflected European dominance throughout the region that complete the questionable means of Imperialism or Colonialism. Imperialism may be defined as “a policy of extending a country’s power
The Portuguese Jesuit João da Rocha (1565-1623) was born in Lamego and ordained at the age of 18 years in Coimbra Novitiate on 22 February 1583. While he was still a novice, Rocha requested several times to join the missions in the East. His request was finally granted and he initiated his missionary journey in 1586. After arriving at Goa, he studied philosophy and later, in Macao, proceeded his studies in theology. Around 1598, Rocha finally departed to join the China mission, where he spent the