He traveled to Anjidibe Island (near Goa) before sailing for Malindi, which he arrived on January 8, 1499, after sailing for about three months. Ignorance and indifference to local knowledge led Da Gama to choose the worst time of the year for his departure and he had to ride against the rain. The Portuguese mistakenly believed that the Hindus were Christians.Īs the tensions escalated, Da Gama took five or six Hindus with him in late August so that King Manuel could learn about their customs. The Hindu ruler Zamorin, welcomed by Calicut (the most important trading center of the then South), was driven by Da Gama’s trivial gifts and rude behavior.ĭa Gama failed to execute a deal – partly because it was hostility to Muslim merchants and partly because the things he brought about by the trumpery gift and cheap trade, favorable to West African trade, were hardly in demand in India. The expedition arrived in Mombasa (now in Kenya) in April and anchored in Malindi (now in Kenya) on April 7, where a Gujarati pilot who was on his way to Calicut, southwestern India, was boarded.Īfter crossing the Indian Ocean for 25 days, the Ghats of India were observed, and on May 20 when Calicut arrived, there was also a clergyman to prove that Da Gama had arrived in India. The Sultan of Mozambique provided two pilots to Da Gama, one of them deserted to learn that the Portuguese were Christians. He was also told that Prestor John, a long-time Christian ruler, lived in the interior but there were many coastal cities. Da Gama learned that they were traded to Arab merchants and that the four Arab vessels, meant with gold, jewelry, silver, and spices, were in port. On March 2, the voyage reached Mozambique Island, where residents believed the Portuguese were Muslims. During this time most of the crew were sick with scurvy The expedition took a month to rest while the vessels were repaired. On January 26, Mozambique, now Mozambique, reached the Klemen River, which they called the Rio dos Bonas Sinis (Good Woman’s River), and established another pastor. On January 7, it anchored five days near the mouth of a small river between Natal and Mozambique, which they call the Rio du Cobar (copper river). On December 7, the voyage reached the coast of Natal on Christmas day. Ordered to dismantle the island and the storeship. Three days later Angord da Gama installed a clergyman in Mossel Bay. Adverse winds and hostile flow delayed the Cape of Good Hope until November 22. The fleet arrived in Santa Helena Bay (modern South Africa) on November 1st. The South Atlantic before trying to score a Good Hope Cape goal. Then, to avoid the flow of the Gulf of Guinea, Da Gama went a long way. Passing through the Canary Islands on July 7, the fleet arrived in Sao Tiago (Santiago) in the Cape Verde Islands on the 26th, where it will remain until August 1st. Get exclusive access to content from our 1768 first edition, including your subscription. The fleet carries padres (stone pillars) to be placed as a sign of discovery. There are three interpreters – two Arabic speakers and one who spoke a number of Bantu dialects – with the gamma fleet. The Gamma sailed from Lisbon on July 8, 1497, with a fleet of four ships – two medium-sized three masted vessels, each of about 120 tonnes named “Sao Gabriel” and “Sao Raphael” A 50-ton caravel, called “Berriero”.Īnd a 200-ton storeship. For unknown reasons, Da Gama, who had little relevant experience, was appointed to lead the expedition. At the same time, a neglected project was restored: to open the seaside in Asia and send it to the Portuguese fleet, and to send Muslims who had suffered exclusive trade with India and other states in the East. The balance of power between the parties in the Portuguese court moved for the friends and patrons of the Da Gama family. In 1492, the King of Portugal II sent him to Sebtel, south of Lisbon, and to Algarve, the southernmost province of Portugal, to intercept French ships in retaliation for the peaceful decline of Portugal – a task which Da Gama quickly and effectively carried out. Lifeĭa Gama was the third son of the minor provincial fiancée Estevo da Gama, commander of the fort of Sinos, off the coast of Alentejo province in southwestern Portugal. Vasco da Gama, a Portuguese conqueror who voyaged to India (1497–99, 1502–03, 1524) via the Cape of Good Hope, opened the sea route from western Europe to the east.