On 12 February 1502, da Gama led the 4th Portuguese Armada to India, a fleet of fifteen ships and eight hundred men, with the object of enforcing Portuguese interests in the east. He was given the title ‘Admiral of the Indian Seas.’ Last voyage to India

He however received a hero’s welcome and was well rewarded by the king. On Da Gama’s journey back, many of his crew members died from scurvy. Admiral of the Indian Seasĭa Gama arrived in Lisbon in September, 1499. He also took with him hostages, a few Nairs and sixteen Mukkuva fishermen. His expedition beat all expectations after he brought in cargo that was worth 60 times the cost of the expedition. This strained relations between the two.ĭa Gama left India on August 29, 1498. The king ordered him to pay a large tax in gold similar to what other merchants pay. He finally reached Calicut on May 20, 1498.Īt first, da Gama and his trading were well-received, but this only lasted a short while. First voyage to Indiaĭa Gama’a trip to India consisted of several stops along the way in Africa as well as problems faced with Muslim traders who did not want him to interfere in their profitable trade routes.

The distance that he and his crew travelled from Africa to India was greater than what it would have been around the equator. On 8 July 1497, Da Gama led a fleet of four ships with a crew of a 170 men from Lisbon. Little is known about Vasco da Gama’s early life, but it is believed that he was a student of mathematics and navigation. Vasco da Gama was born either in 1460 or 1469 in Sines, on the southwest coast of Portugal. Vasco da Gama, was a Portuguese explorer who was commander of the first ships to sail straight from Europe to India.

What ships did vasco da gama take