Vasco da Gama
Very little is known about the early life of Vasco da Gama. He was born in 1469 in Sines, Portugal. He grew up as the son of Estevao da Gama who was the governor of the small town he grew up in. It was his father who was originally appointed by King Joao II to complete the journey to India. His father however, died before the voyage commenced. Soon after, da Gama's brother was asked to complete the mission but he turned it down. As a last resort, King Emmanuel requested Vasco to lead the expedition. Vasco da Gama was a well educated man and was therefore fit for the job. He had proven his leadership skills when serving as a naval officer for his country. Da Gama's mission was to find a route from Portugal to India by sea. The exploration of these new places had been encouraged in Portugal for centuries. They realized the economic benefit that could result from this trade route. This was critical to the Portuguese b
He even overtook a ship returning from Mecca, seizing all of their goods. He killed many citizens in a demonstration of this. Their goods were of no value in India as they were in Africa. ecause it would put them at a higher economical world power. A man named Ahmad Ibn Majid joined da Gama in his journey to India and helped him along his route. This display had opened the window for future Portuguese conquests in the Indies. Throughout the rest of his life, Vasco da Gama made one final journey to India before dying on December 24, 1524. The prosperity of this city at first intrigued da Gama. Along the coast of Africa, Muslims had already set up their own trading posts. He seemed to be welcomed by the leader and was graciously taken to one of their Hindu temples. However some of the inhabitants welcomed the Portuguese right away. They did not arrive back in Portugal until September of 1499. On their way, da Gama encountered many unexpected conflicts. This caused da Gama to return home to Portugal.
Common topics in this essay:
Indians Muslims,
Calicut India,
Portugal India,
Portugal Hindu,
King Manoel,
King Emmanuel,
Mozambique Mombasa,
da gama,
Ibn Majid,
Joao II,
Indies Throughout,
vasco da,
vasco da gama,
journey india,
da gama welcomed,
da gama's,
finally arrived,
life vasco da,
gama welcomed,
life vasco,
|