Vasco da Gama

After a five-year break from exploring the routes of Marco Polo, Blackbeard, and Nellie Bly, I am continuing the Routes series with one of the most influential navigators in history: Vasco da Gama. His expeditions linked Europe and Asia by sea and opened a new era of global exploration. This post follows the journey of this Portuguese explorer.

Who was the famous Vasco da Gama and how was his route?

Vasco da Gama (c. 1469-1524) was a renowned Portuguese explorer and navigator who made history by leading the first successful sea voyage from Europe to India. This journey, during the Age of Discovery, was the longest oceanic expedition undertaken until then, a distance comparable to a complete circumnavigation of the globe along the Equator. Toward the end of his life, Vasco da Gama briefly held the position of Viceroy of India.

Born in Sines, Portugal, around 1469 (though some historians suggest an earlier date), Vasco da Gama was the son of Estêvão da Gama, a knight and mayor of Sines, and Isabel Sodré, of English descent. His early life remains largely unknown, but it is speculated that he may have studied mathematics and navigation in Évora. King Manuel I of Portugal chose him as captain-major of the fleet sent to establish a direct maritime route to India.

Vasco da Gama’s voyages laid the foundation for Portugal’s leading role in the spice trade.

The Quest for the Maritime Spice Route

In the early 15th century, under the guidance of Prince Henry the Navigator, Portugal began exploring the African coastline, aiming to eventually reach India. By the 1460s, the goal was clear: to find a sea route around the southern tip of Africa to access the valuable spice trade, bypassing the Venetian-controlled routes. The fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans in 1453 had further complicated European-Asian trade, making this route even more important.

In 1488, Bartolomeu Dias successfully rounded the Cape of Good Hope, proving that access to the Indian Ocean by sea was possible. During the reign of King John II, additional land expeditions by explorers like Pero da Covilhã supported this theory.

The task of uniting these findings and creating a reliable sea trade route to India was initially given to Estêvão da Gama, but after his death, the responsibility passed to his son, Vasco da Gama. In 1497, King Manuel I appointed Vasco da Gama to lead the expedition.

Vasco da Gama’s Journey to India

On July 8, 1497, King Manuel I of Portugal entrusted Vasco da Gama with the command of a fleet that set sail from Belém in search of India. This expedition was primarily exploratory, equipped with letters from the king, flags to plant, and goods for trade with local merchants, chosen with the experience of earlier explorers like Bartolomeu Dias in mind. The only firsthand account of the journey comes from an anonymous logbook, attributed to either Álvaro Velho or João de Sá.

The fleet carried between about 150 and 180 men (accounts differ), including sailors, soldiers, and clergy, and was composed of four ships: the São Gabriel, the São Rafael, the Bérrio, and a supply ship, which was lost on the way. Accompanied for the first stretch by Bartolomeu Dias, the fleet followed a previously established route along the African coast. After reaching Sierra Leone, Vasco da Gama veered southward, crossing the Equator and navigating more than 6,000 kilometers of open ocean, the longest voyage made at sea until then.

On December 16, 1497, the fleet passed the Great Fish River and sailed into uncharted waters. By Christmas, they named the coast they were sailing along “Natal” (now KwaZulu-Natal). After rounding the African coast, they reached Mozambique on March 2, 1498, where they met merchants who traded with India, but they faced hostility and misunderstandings that forced them to leave.

The expedition then moved on to Mombasa, where they faced resistance before being warmly received in Melinde (Malindi). Here, Gama obtained a local pilot, which allowed them to navigate to Calicut in southwestern India.

On May 20, 1498, they arrived at Kappakadavu, near Calicut, establishing a new maritime route to India. Initially, Gama’s attempts to negotiate favorable trade terms with the local governor, Samutiri Manavikraman Rajá, were challenged due to cultural differences and the low value of their goods. Despite these difficulties, he managed to secure ambiguous trading rights before departing.

Vasco da Gama began his return journey on August 29, 1498, facing treacherous conditions that prolonged the voyage. While the outbound trip across the Indian Ocean took just 23 days, the return journey lasted about 130 days, and many crew members were lost to scurvy. Only about 55 of the men who left Lisbon returned to Portugal, and only two ships made it back.

Gama returned in September 1499, some weeks after his companions, because his brother, Paulo da Gama, died in the Azores. He was celebrated for fulfilling a search for the sea route that had lasted about 80 years, and he received a generous annual pension. He was also granted the perpetual title of Dom and the towns of Sines and Vila Nova de Milfontes, and in 1502 he was named Admiral of the Indian Seas.

Vasco da Gama’s Route:

1. 1
   Lisbon (Belém), Portugal
2. 2
   Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
3. 3
   Cape Verde Islands
4. 4
   Great Fish River, South Africa
5. 5
   Natal (Durban), South Africa
6. 6
   Mozambique Island, Mozambique
7. 7
   Mombasa, Kenya
8. 8
   Malindi, Kenya
9. 9
   Kappakadavu (Calicut), India
10. 10
    Angediva Island, India
11. 11
    Malindi, Kenya
12. 12
    Terceira, Azores Islands, Portugal
13. 13
    Lisbon, Portugal

Second Voyage: A Mission of Retribution

On February 12, 1502, Vasco da Gama set sail on his second voyage to India, commanding a fleet of twenty warships to assert Portuguese interests in the East. This expedition followed Pedro Álvares Cabral’s armada of 1500, which had discovered Brazil on its way to India.

As Gama sailed up the African coast, he imposed a tribute on the island of Kilwa, a wealthy Swahili port that had resisted Portuguese control. The local ruler was forced to pay a gold tribute, which, according to tradition, helped pay for the Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon. During the same voyage, Gama became the first European to record the sighting of the Seychelles, which he named the Amirante Islands in his honor.

Upon reaching India, Gama learned that the Portuguese left behind in Calicut had been killed. Seeking revenge, he captured the Mîrî, a large ship returning from Mecca, seized its valuable cargo and burned the vessel with everyone on board. It was a brutal act meant to intimidate local Muslim merchants and rulers.

He then turned his attention to Calicut itself, bombarding the city and, according to some accounts, destroying Arab trading posts. From there, he sailed south to Cochin, where he was warmly received by the local Rajah, who saw the Portuguese as allies against the powerful samorim (ruler) of Calicut.

By late 1502, Gama returned to Calicut and forced the samorim into negotiations, using his naval superiority to secure more favorable trade terms. Hostilities, however, soon reignited. In early 1503, Gama’s fleet defeated 29 ships from Calicut, further strengthening Portugal’s influence on the Malabar Coast. On March 1, 1503, after Gama’s ships had left, the samorim of Calicut marched against the Rajah of Cochin.

Before returning to Portugal in September 1503, Gama left a small Portuguese colony in Cochin, one of the first European footholds in India. He later retired to Évora in 1513, living in relative peace and keeping his prestige at court despite withdrawing from public life.

Second Voyage’s Route:

1. 1
   Lisbon (Belém), Portugal
2. 2
   Cape Verde Islands
3. 3
   Mozambique Island, Mozambique
4. 4
   Kilwa Kisiwani, Tanzania
5. 5
   Mombasa, Kenya
6. 6
   Malindi, Kenya
7. 7
   Seychelles (Ilhas Amirante)
8. 8
   Angediva Island, India
9. 9
   Cochin (Kochi), India
10. 10
    Calicut (Kozhikode), India
11. 11
    Kannur (Cannanore), India
12. 12
    Malindi, Kenya
13. 13
    Mozambique Island, Mozambique
14. 14
    Cape Verde Islands
15. 15
    Lisbon, Portugal
16. 16
    Évora, Portugal

The Last Journey of Vasco da Gama

In 1524, Vasco da Gama was sent back to the subcontinent as Viceroy to replace the governor Duarte de Meneses. Shortly after arriving in India, Gama contracted malaria. Despite this, he imposed order with a firm hand and died in Cochin on December 24, 1524.

Initially buried in Cochin, his remains were moved to Portugal in 1539, resting near Vidigueira, where he held the title of Count of Vidigueira. In 1880, his remains were transferred to the Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon, though some believe they still remain in Vidigueira.

Vasco da Gama became a pivotal figure in the Age of Discovery, opening up vital trade routes between Europe and Asia. His voyages helped establish a strong Portuguese presence in the Indian Ocean and paved the way for the spice trade that would shape the Portuguese economy for years to come. Despite numerous challenges, including hostile encounters and the loss of many crew members, his voyages led in the following years to Portuguese control of key ports along the East African coast. The Portuguese reached Sri Lanka in 1505, and you can still see what they left behind. I wrote about it in the Portuguese colonial heritage of Sri Lanka.

That is the route of Vasco da Gama, a pioneer of maritime exploration.

Would you have had the courage to make such a voyage? What modern routes do you think reflect Gama’s spirit of exploration and resilience? I’d love to hear your thoughts!