

When he was old enough, young Vasco da Gama joined the navy, where was taught how to navigate.

Little is known about his upbringing except that he was the third son of Estêvão da Gama, who was commander of the fortress in Sines in the southwestern pocket of Portugal. Vasco da Gama was born into a noble family around 1460 in Sines, Portugal. He subsequently made two other voyages to India, and was appointed as Portuguese viceroy in India in 1524. His success in doing so proved to be one of the more instrumental moments in the history of navigation. In 1497, he was commissioned by the Portuguese king to find a maritime route to the East. In 1539, his body was taken back to Portugal for burial.Explorer Vasco da Gama was born in Sines, Portugal, around 1460. Arriving in Cochin, he fell ill and died on 24 December 1524. After 20 years at home, in 1524, he was nominated as Portuguese viceroy in India and sent to deal with the mounting corruption among Portuguese authorities there. He forced the ruler of Calicut to make peace and, on his return voyage along the east African coast established Portuguese trading posts in what is now Mozambique.īack in Portugal, da Gama was granted further privileges and revenues and continued to advise the king on Indian matters. After hearing of the massacre of all those at the trading post, da Gama sailed for India again in 1502 attacking Arab Muslim ships he met on the way. The king immediately dispatched another expedition to secure a trading post at Calicut. This voyage launched the all-water route from Europe to Asia.ĭa Gama returned to Portugal. The expedition then rounded the Cape of Good and, after sailing up the coast of east Africa, took on an Arab navigator who helped them reach the Indian coast, at Calicut (now Kozhikode) in May 1498. This established a route still followed by sailing vessels. Setting off in July 1497, da Gama's expedition took advantage of the prevailing winds by sailing south down the coast of Africa, then veering far out into the Atlantic and swinging back in an arc to arrive off the southern African coast. In 1497, he was appointed to command an expedition equipped by the Portuguese government, whose intention was to find a maritime route to the East. Vasco da Gama was born in about 1460 into a noble family.

© Da Gama was a Portuguese explorer and navigator, and the first person to sail directly from Europe to India.
