what sea route did vasco da gama take to get to india

His first trip to India is widely considered a milestone in world history, as it marked the beginning of a sea-based phase of global multiculturalism.In March 2016 thousands of artifacts and nautical remains were recovered from the wreck of the ship Esmeralda, one of da Gama's armada, found off the coast of Oman.Learn about the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama, his life, and career. The Portuguese national epic poem, Os Lusíadas, was written in his honour by Camões (d.1580). Numerous homages have been made worldwide to celebrate his explorations and accomplishments. Vasco da Gama remains a leading figure in the history of exploration. For his contributions, in 1524 da Gama was appointed Governor of India, with the title of Viceroy, and was ennobled as Count of Vidigueira in 1519. The latter was the largest and departed for India four years after his return from the first one. It was not until a century later that other European powers, namely the Dutch Republic and England, followed by France and Denmark, were able to challenge Portugal's monopoly and naval supremacy in the Cape Route.ĭa Gama led two of the Portuguese India Armadas, the first and the fourth. Portugal maintained a commercial monopoly of these commodities for several decades. The main spices at first obtained from Southeast Asia were pepper and cinnamon, but soon included other products, all new to Europe. Unopposed access to the Indian spice routes boosted the economy of the Portuguese Empire, which was previously based along northern and coastal West Africa. The sum of the distances covered in the outward and return voyages made this expedition the longest ocean voyage ever made until then, far longer than a full voyage around the world by way of the Equator.After decades of sailors trying to reach the Indies, with thousands of lives and dozens of vessels lost in shipwrecks and attacks, da Gama landed in Calicut on.

Traveling the ocean route allowed the Portuguese to avoid sailing across the highly disputed Mediterranean and traversing the dangerous Arabian Peninsula. His initial voyage to India (1497–1499) was the first to link Europe and Asia by an ocean route, connecting the Atlantic and the Indian oceans and therefore, the West and the Orient.ĭa Gama's discovery of the sea route to India was significant and opened the way for an age of global imperialism and for the Portuguese to establish a long-lasting colonial empire in Asia. 1460s – 24 December 1524), was a Portuguese explorer and the first European to reach India by sea.

Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira (UK:, US:, European Portuguese: c.

What sea route did vasco da gama take to get to india