When was vasco da gama died

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 This voyage launched the all-water route from Europe to Asia. Da Gama returned to Portugal. The king immediately dispatched another expedition to secure a trading post at Calicut. After hearing of the massacre of all those at the trading post, da Gama sailed for India again in attacking Arab Muslim ships he met on the way.

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. Back in Portugal, da Gama was granted further privileges and revenues and continued to advise the king on Indian matters. After 20 years at home, in , he was nominated as Portuguese viceroy in India and sent to deal with the mounting corruption among Portuguese authorities there.

Upon his return to Portugal, by contrast, he was richly rewarded for another successful voyage. Da Gama had married a well-born woman sometime after returning from his first voyage to India; the couple would have six sons. For the next 20 years, da Gama continued to advise the Portuguese ruler on Indian affairs, but he was not sent back to the region until , when King John III appointed him as Portuguese viceroy in India. Da Gama arrived in Goa with the task of combating the growing corruption that had tainted the Portuguese government in India.

He soon fell ill, and in December he died in Cochin. His body was later taken back to Portugal for burial there. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Subscribe for fascinating stories connecting the past to the present. In , Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias c.

The story of North American exploration spans an entire millennium and involves a wide array of European powers and uniquely American characters. In search of fame and fortune, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan c. En route he discovered what is now known as the Strait of Magellan and became the Amerigo Vespucci was an Italian-born merchant and explorer who took part in early voyages to the New World on behalf of Spain around the late 15th century.

By that time, the Vikings had established settlements in present-day North America as early as 1, A. The explorer Christopher Columbus made four trips across the Atlantic Ocean from Spain: in , , and He was determined to find a direct water route west from Europe to Asia, but he never did. Instead, he stumbled upon the Americas. In , explorer Vasco da Gama was commissioned by the Portuguese king to find a maritime route to the East.

His success in doing so proved to be one of the more instrumental moments in the history of navigation. He subsequently made two other voyages to India and was appointed as Portuguese viceroy in India in Da Gama was born into a noble family around in Sines, Portugal. When he was old enough, young da Gama joined the navy, where was taught how to navigate. Known as a tough and fearless navigator, da Gama solidified his reputation as a reputable sailor when, in , King John II of Portugal dispatched him to the south of Lisbon and then to the Algarve region of the country, to seize French ships as an act of vengeance against the French government for disrupting Portuguese shipping.

Following da Gama's completion of King John II's orders, in , King Manuel took the throne, and the country revived its earlier mission to find a direct trade route to India.

By this time, Portugal had established itself as one of the most powerful maritime countries in Europe. Much of that was due to Henry the Navigator, who, at his base in the southern region of the country, had brought together a team of knowledgeable mapmakers, geographers and navigators. He dispatched ships to explore the western coast of Africa to expand Portugal's trade influence.

He also believed that he could find and form an alliance with Prester John, who ruled over a Christian empire somewhere in Africa. Henry the Navigator never did locate Prester John, but his impact on Portuguese trade along Africa's east coast during his 40 years of explorative work was undeniable.

Still, for all his work, the southern portion of Africa — what lay east — remained shrouded in mystery. In , an important breakthrough was made when Bartolomeu Dias discovered the southern tip of Africa and rounded the Cape of Good Hope.

This journey was significant; it proved, for the first time, that the Atlantic and Indian oceans were connected. The trip, in turn, sparked a renewed interest in seeking out a trade route to India. By the late s, however, King Manuel wasn't just thinking about commercial opportunities as he set his sights on the East. In fact, his impetus for finding a route was driven less by a desire to secure for more lucrative trading grounds for his country, and more by a quest to conquer Islam and establish himself as the king of Jerusalem.

Historians know little about why exactly da Gama, still an inexperienced explorer, was chosen to lead the expedition to India in On July 8 of that year, he captained a team of four vessels, including his flagship, the ton St. Gabriel , to find a sailing route to India and the East. To embark on the journey, da Gama pointed his ships south, taking advantage of the prevailing winds along the coast of Africa.

His choice of direction was also a bit of a rebuke to Christopher Columbus, who had believed he'd found a route to India by sailing east.