Vasco da Gama is a famous navigator from Portugal. He became famous for his discoveries and organized expedition to India, to which he managed to pave the first ever sea route from Europe. This is an ambiguous personality, for whom both geographical achievements and cruel acts are listed.
Vasco da Gama (it will be more correct Vasco da Gama, because the name came from the Portuguese language) - a person whom everyone knows from the lessons of geography. He traveled in the era of great geographical discoveries, when our world was just mastered by people.
He lived an amazing, fascinating life. In this article, we will cover 10 interesting facts about Vasco da Gama.
10. Father is a knight
Vasco da Gama was born in 1460. His family is considered noble. Father's name was Estevan da Gama. This man was a knight; for some time he served at the court. As a young boy he became part of the Order of Santiago.
On behalf of the Order, he settles in the city of Sines. There he occupies the position of Alkaida (corresponds to the position of “commandant of the fortress”), and later marries Isabel Sodra. This family had five sons and one daughter. The third child was Vasco da Gama.
9. In his youth, participated in naval battles
At the age of 20, Vasco da Gama decides to join the Order of Santiago. From an early age he was a participant in naval battles. But they started talking about him only after one incident in 1491.
Then the Portuguese caravel was captured by the French corsairs. It would not be so scary if she had not come from Guinea, loaded with gold. Vasco da Gama received an order from the king to go along the entire French coast and capture all the oncoming ships of the French.
The future navigator quickly and accurately fulfilled the assignment. The French were forced to give up the caravel.
8. The first to sail by sea to India
Portugal was very important to find the path leading to India. Very valuable and necessary goods were produced in the East, but the country had to buy them through someone else. And such resales only increased prices.
Many travelers tried to pave the way to a country famous for spices and wealth, but their attempts were unsuccessful. Therefore, Vasco da Gama took the organization of his expedition seriously.
4 ships were equipped, the crew size varies from 100 to 170 people, which included not only sailors, but also a priest, translator, writer and others.
Such fees were not in vain, for his first voyage he managed to go around Africa and reach such a cherished country.
7. Swimming lasted about 11 months
The expedition began on July 8, 1497. Ships left Lisbon, circled the Canary Islands, replenished supplies on the islands owned by Portugal. After several more stops, they entered the Atlantic Ocean and only three months later again approached the earth.
They moored in the bay of St. Helena, could not immediately go around the Cape of Good Hope due to storms, after which they were forced to stop for repairs. Next were Mozambique, Mombasa and Malindi.
In the last place, Vasco da Gama managed to establish relations with the local sheikh and find an experienced local pilot. With its help, they managed to overcome the Indian Ocean, and on May 20, 1498, the ships moored at Calicut.
Despite the enormous investments in this voyage, the large losses of both ships and people, the profit gained was 60 times higher than the costs.
6. Was wounded by an arrow of a native during the first landing
The first landing is considered to be a stop in the bay of St. Helena. Vasco da Gama decided to land there for ship repairs. But, alas, after some time a conflict arose between local residents and sailors. He grew into a full-fledged armed battle.
The sailors were well prepared. There were no casualties or serious injuries. But it turned out that arrow of a local resident touched the commander of the expedition, Vasco da Gama was wounded in the leg. This incident is colorfully described in the epic of the Portuguese poet Luis de Camoes “Lusiada”.
5. Acted like a pirate, robbing small vessels
After the Cape of Good Hope began the territory through which trade routes had long passed. Mostly there were Arab merchants who were present all over the southeast coast of Africa.
As soon as Vasco da Gama with his ships entered these waters, their voyage began to resemble a pirate raid.
It’s well known that after a quarrel with the Sultan of Mozambique, Vasco da Gama attacked the Arab Dow, robbed a ship, and made the crew survivors his slaves.
4. Title “Admiral of the Indian Ocean”
Returning from their first voyage, Vasco da Gama waited for honors and rewards. The king gave him the title, now he had a prefix to the name "don". So, he was now listed in a noble class.
He was also given a pension of 1000 gold coins. However, the navigator did not want this. His desire was to take patronage over the city of Sines. The King and the Order of Santiago, who ruled the city at that time, were against it. To appease a fiery traveler, the king bestows upon him the title of Admiral of the Indian Ocean.
3. Known for its cruelty
In 1500, a Portuguese trading post was established on the shores of India. But this caused a conflict with the locals. Thus began the war with Calicut.
The king ordered Vasco da Gama to go there with twenty ships and pacify all those who disagree. Then the character of the admiral was fully manifested. He burned Arab ships and boats with all the people on board.
He turned Calicut into ruins. And this cannot be justified by brutal times, since even against the backdrop of the Inquisition, these acts have become an out of the ordinary phenomenon.
It is also not justified by religious zeal, because Vasco da Gama was not a fanatic who hates all Muslims and Islam. His hatred was selective. He punished only those who did not obey the first time.
2. Was Viceroy of India
Returning from that campaign Vasco da Gama convinced the king of the need to establish the position of vice-king.
The first vice-kings, with blood and cruelty, strengthened Portuguese power on Indian soil. All this time, the admiral strove for title and land ownership.
He calmed down only in 1519, when he was awarded the title of count and land. But then the monarch Juan III didn’t let him live quietly, since profit from India became ever less.
In 1524, the king sent Vasco da Gama, already elderly, to the post of vice-king, ordering the Portuguese administration to deal with corruption. But he only managed to begin his punitive actions, when he fell sharply ill.
1. Died of malaria
Vasco da Gama died on December 24 in 1524 in India due to malaria. At first he felt unwell, then abscesses appeared on the neck and back of the head, and then incredible torment began, after which the traveler did not open his eyes.
Two of his sons set sail with him. They took care of transporting the body of their father back to Portugal. The great navigator, Viceroy of India, Count Admiral of Portugal Vasco da Gama was buried with all due honors in the Jeronimos Monastery.
However, a few years later the crypt was looted. During the reburial in Lisbon, it turned out that the bones were not the same. Others were found and buried again, but there is no certainty of authenticity to this day.