What is the significance of vasco da gama

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.

Following several months of sailing, he rounded the Cape of Good Hope and began making his way up the eastern coast of Africa, toward the uncharted waters of the Indian Ocean. By January, as the fleet neared what is now Mozambique, many of da Gama's crewmembers were sick with scurvy, forcing the expedition to anchor for rest and repairs for nearly one month. In early March of , da Gama and his crew dropped their anchors in the port of Mozambique, a Muslim city-state that sat on the outskirts of the east coast of Africa and was dominated by Muslim traders.

Here, da Gama was turned back by the ruling sultan, who felt offended by the explorer's modest gifts. By early April, the fleet reached what is now Kenya, before setting sail on a day run that would take them across the Indian Ocean. They reached Calicut, India, on May 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. Though he did not really Henry Hudson made his first voyage west from England in , when he was hired to find a shorter route to Asia from Europe through the Arctic Ocean.

After twice being turned back by ice, Hudson embarked on a third voyage—this time on behalf of the Dutch East India Company—in Leonardo da Vinci was a painter, architect, inventor, and student of all things scientific. Francisco Pizarro was an explorer, soldier and conquistador best known for conquering the Incas and executing their leader, Atahuapla. He was born around in Trujillo, Spain. Sir Francis Drake participated in some of the earliest English slaving voyages to Africa and earned a reputation for his privateering, or piracy, against Spanish ships and possessions.

Live TV. Vasco da Gama was a highly successful Portuguese sailor and explorer during the Age of Exploration. His discovery was monumental in the history of navigation as well as instrumental in establishing Portugal as a major colonial empire. Da Gama was born in to a family of nobles in Sines, Portugal. His father, Estevao, was also an explorer. Da Gama learned to navigate in the navy, which he joined as soon as he was old enough.

In , da Gama was appointed to command a ship with the goal of discovering a sailing route to India. Several decades earlier, Henry the Navigator had patronized several successful voyages in North and West Africa.

This interested Portuguese King Manuel. He wished to conquer Islam and establish himself as the King of Jerusalem, in addition to making money off the spice trade. De Gama captained four vessels when he set out on July 8, Da Gama himself rode in the ton St. 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. Arriving in Cochin, he fell ill and died on 24 December