- In the 15th th century, the competition to find the route to India and its legendary riches by bypassing the Arab and Ottoman presence intensified. However, in 1493, the triumphant return of Christopher Columbus did not bode well for Portugal, which had invested heavily in the search for a passage through southern Africa.
- In 1497, Vasco da Gama was commissioned by the King of Portugal, Manuel I st le Grand, to finally discover the route to India and respond to the Spanish discoveries.
1497 - 1503
Characters
Vasco da Gama
Manual I st the Great
Procedure
1497-1499
Vasco da Gama left Portugal on July 8, 1497 with four ships and 200 men.
After a long detour and the loss of part of the crew, the expedition rounds the Cape of Good Hope in November.
He stops in several parts of East Africa, trading a little and taking hostages who know the winds of the region:the Arabs are already trading in these regions.
He reached Calicut (India) in May 1498. Arabs and Venetians were already trading there. After political intrigues and despite the fact that his goods did not arouse any interest among the Indians, he obtained the right to trade with Calicut and left again in August.
He joined Portugal in 1499, with only fifty crewmen. The expedition is a commercial success; Vasco da Gama was named "Admiral of the Indies" and invented legends about the Indies, in particular that there are many Christians there. He will also claim to be the first to discover the Indies.
1502-1503
Having convinced Manuel I st that India is full of wealth, he leaves with about twenty ships, this time for a colonizing mission. He founded the first Portuguese colonies in Mozambique.
During this new journey, Vasco da Gama shows great violence and uses terror against his Arab and Egyptian merchant enemies.
Back in Calicut, he tries to subjugate the city by bombarding it for three days, without success.
Consequences
- Vasco da Gama's violence and greed outrage Manuel I er who disavows it.
- But Vasco da Gama opened a new spice route, little used but which allowed the colonization of the Pacific:Portugal founded its first colonial empire in Africa and brought back wealth and slaves.