Gama, Vasco Da
(c. 1460–1524), Portuguese explorer. Vasco da Gama discovered the sea route to India from Europe and established a Portuguese presence in India, which lasted until 1961. He was born in Simes, Portugal, around 1460. In 1497 King João II of Portugal sent him on a mission to India; da Gama was to find a route that would circumvent the Middle East, where travel and commerce were difficult for European traders. Da Gama sailed from Lisbon with four ships on 8 July and rounded the Cape of Good Hope in November, arriving in Calicut, in southwest India, on 20 May 1498.
The Zamorin of Calicut welcomed him, but because of Muslim opposition da Gama was unable to conclude a treaty. He returned to Lisbon in 1499 and was granted a triumphal homecoming; King Manuel I granted him the title of Dom (Sir) and named him Admiral of the Indian Ocean. He also received a large pension from the king.
In 1502, he was sent back to India to avenge the destruction of a factory the Portuguese had built in Calicut. He sank a ship sent against him, killing all on board; then bombarded the city. After concluding a treaty with the ruler of Cannanore, he returned to Portugal and retired to Évora. He was made Conde de Vidigueira in 1519. In 1524, he was appointed viceroy of India and arrived there in September 1524, only to die in December in Cochin. His discovery of the route around South Africa was commemorated by the poet Camões.
Further Reading
Stanley, Henry E. J., ed. (1869) The Three Voyages of Vasco da Gama by Gaspar Correa. London: Hakluyt Society.
Subrahmanya, Sanjay. (1997) The Career and Legend of Vasco da Gama. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press.
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