Personality - Vasco da Gama

An explorer, born in Sines, Portugal, Vasco da Gama, led an expedition, which discovered the route to India (1497-99). They landed at Calicut (Kozikode) on the southern coast of India.

His voyages to India opened up the sea route from Western Europe to the East by the way of Cape of Good Hope and thus ushered in a new era in world history.

In 1524, he was sent as Viceroy to India. Later on he became an Admiral. But he soon fell ill and died at Cochin on December 24, 1524.

The Portuguese navigator’s body was then taken home to Portugal and buried in a chapel.

Vasco da Gama was the son of Estevao da Gama and Isabel Sodré. His father was a member of the household of Prince Dom Fernando - master of the Order of St James, and later on, to that of the prince's son - Dom Diogo, Duke of Viseu. His father's family, originating from the southern province of Alentejo, had close links with the military Order of Avis and later on with the Order of St James. His mother's family, of English ascendancy, also had links with the household of Dom Diogo, Duke of Viseu and governor of the military Order of Christ.

Very little is known of the early childhood or adolescence of Vasco da Gama, except that he grew up in a maritime environment learning very early in life to fish, swim and sail. At the age of 15, he became a sailor, studied astronomy and navigation at Evora, and became a naval officer at the age of 23. Vasco da Gama played a role in the defense of the Portuguese-held territories on the West African coast as well as in the Algarve and Setubal coastal area against the French incursions.

Bartholomew Diaz was first chosen to chart the sea-route to India. But with the rigors of the journey and scurvy, a fatal and mysterious illness at that time, Bartholomew faced a mutiny from his sailors. His fleet had already rounded the Cape and had a short distance ahead, but the mutiny forced him to return.

After this aborted attempt by Bartholomew Diaz, the mantle to lead the expedition to India fell on Estevao da Gama. But as fate would have it, Estevao died before the project details were finalized. The King then sought a replacement - a leader more capable in controlling any future mutinies on the high seas. The grim and cynical bachelor Vasco da Gama was the forceful individual the King was looking for. Vasco da Gama had the reputation of being firm with little tolerance of revolt. He was known to be inflexible in his decision to punish the delinquent. He was also a minor 'nobleman' in the Royal Court and hence known to the King.

After an interview, King Manuel of Portugal commissioned Vasco da Gama to reach India by sea. Vasco was the person in whom the King had confidence to serve the fleet in matters of the sea.


The King also commissioned the experienced Bartholomew Diaz to oversee the planning of the trip. Two new ships were built and two previously used ones refitted for the journey. All four ships were fitted with the best cannons available at the time in Europe. The ships were loaded with rations of food and wine to last for three years. Also stocked were items thought to be useful for purposes of trading like olive oil, cotton cloth, bacalhao, tin bells and the sort. No gold, silver or luxury goods, ideal for trading in India were carried on board.


Vasco da Gama personally recruited the crew to accompany him on this maiden voyage. It was not very easy to find recruits for this journey. Many promised to join the mission but few actually dared to show up. The voyage to India was seen as being fraught with immense dangers. Many were keen but few were willing. Eventually an assortment of individuals was put together for this voyage. Among the crew were 10 convicted killers whose sentences had been specially commuted. They were to be used for the suicidal and dangerous missions anticipated en route.

His dress and those of his crew were post Anglo-Saxon because during the 14th and 15th century, countries in that region were living in an modernity.



Being a nobleman, he wore Euro-Turkish shoes and Spanish clothes. During his time for conveying educated messages, among other things, quills and scrolls were used. Wireless had not yet been discovered.

The electric bulb or electricity had not been invented, so on the voyages, at night, primitive forms of light such as ‘mishal’ (torch) or wax candles were used.

Food habits were non-vegetarian and consisted mainly of seafood and meat. Drinks (alcoholic) and wine were taken in measured quantity, unlike the earlier Viking

voyagers – who didn’t even shave hair, trim beards and moustaches.

Bathing soap did not exist then, so simple baths were taken by Vasco and his crew, probably by using bathing salts.

Photography, as known later did not exist, so portraits or sketches were drawn after Vasco ’s conquests and treaties.


Four ships were readied for this voyage. The Sao Gabriel under the command of Vasco da Gama, Sao Rafael with Paulo da Gama (Vasco's brother) in command, Berrio under Nicolao Coelho and a supply ship under Goncalo Nunes. In all there were 160 soldiers and sailors.

His ships were made of crude heavy iron and wooden floors. They had sails and masts, with hoisted flags. Navigation equipment consisted mainly of sextant, compass, geographical maps and telescope with time being measured with sand gadgets. For night navigation they had to rely mainly on moon and stars configuration, and among others, the sun during the day.


Vasco da Gama's fleet set sail from Lisbon on July 8, 1497. Voyages along the West African coast were both treacherous and long. The ships had to often sail against the winds and faced the almost inevitable danger of being shipwrecked. Vasco da Gama calculated that it would be a safer and quicker route to the South African tip if he stayed off the West African Coast.

There was no paper currency or coins; so gold, silver, diamonds, pearls, and precious gems were the forms of payment and adornment too. Barter system prevailed as a means of trade.
The women lived in luxury with children and did not accompany Vasco on his voyages. Any other type of sex was taboo during missions from homeland. Probably on reaching Cochin he was in contact with the King’s women.

Entertainment such as found in songs and dance were old fashioned and were limited to old-fashioned instruments such as string, wind, percussion and so on, which was limited to old families.


The armament on ships consisted mainly of solid iron canons and canon balls using gunpowder and fuse for firing. Maybe swords and spears were also used during his voyages during face-to-face fights.


Vasco da Gama with his three ships arrived at Calicut, India on May 20, 1498. At first they were well received by the Hindu ruler Zamorin. Vasco gave gifts to the ruler and was taken to a Hindu temple. The local merchants felt offended and he was not able to establish a trading station or negotiate an agreement.

They reached Lisbon on September 1499, where he was looked upon as a hero and King Emmanuel awarded him with titles and a large income.

On his second expedition on February 12, 1502, he was prepared for an encounter with the Muslim traders, with 20 well-armed ships.
Revenge was taken on them for the opposition in 1498, killing many innocent Indians.

On October 30, 1502 Zamorin was willing to sign a treaty and with a lot of fighting and killing, the Portuguese made conquests in East Indies. During his final voyage to India Vasco got sick and died at Cochin on December 24, 1524 and his remains were taken home to Portugal.

Vasco da Gama sailed from Lisbon on July 8, 1497 with a fleet of four vessels, namely
Sao Gabriel, Sao Rafael, Berrio and a large storeship. Another ship, commanded by Bartholomew Diaz accompanied them to the Cape Verde Islands. Since Diaz had discovered the Cape of Good Hope a few years earlier, he was helpful. With Vasco ’s fleet were two Arabic interpreters and one who spoke several Bantu dialects. The fleet also carried stone pillars to be set up as markers, en route.

Passing the Canary Islands on July 15, they reached the Cape Verde Islands on July 26 and stayed there until August 3. Then to avoid the currents in the sea, he took a circular course through the South Atlantic and reached Santa Helena Bay (Cape of Good Hope) on November 7. They departed from there on November 16, but could not round the Cape until November 22. Three days later the storeship was broken up and burnt down. Sailing again, the fleet reached the coast of Natal on Christmas Day.

The east African coast was governed by various Sultanates and there were inter-Sultanate rivalries. This turned out to be fortuitous for Vasco da Gama's fleet. On January 25, the fleet reached a place in Mozambique. By then,the crew had been afflicted with scurvy. They rested there for a month. The ships also needed repairs. On March 2, they reached Mozambique, but were forced out of Mozambique too. They were welcomed in rival Malindi. The Sultan of Malindi saw the advantage of aligning himself with the Portuguese.


On April 7, they dropped anchor at Malindi, Mombasa (now Kenya). At Malindi, Vasco da Gama was able to observe the intricacies of the ongoing trade which had made the East African Sultans wealthy. A flourishing trade existed in gold, ivory and slaves which were being exported from East Africa to the Red Sea towns, cities around the Arabian Gulf and to the various kingdoms on the Indian subcontinent. Vasco da Gama was no businessman and for him this was an excellent opportunity to learn the ropes of trade and commerce.

Malindi and Portugal signed the first ever treaty of peace and friendship between an East African territory and a European nation. The Sultan of Malindi assisted Vasco da Gama by providing him with an Arab pilot for the onward journey to India. The Arabs were well versed with the route from Africa to India as well as the monsoons.

The locals believed the Portuguese to be Muslims like themselves. Earlier Arabs had traded gold, jewels, silver and spices. Then Vasco learnt that they traded with the Arab merchants and that four Arab vessels laden with gold, silver, jewels and spices were then in the port. He was also told that a long-sought Christian ruler lived in the interior but held many coastal cities.

On May 18, 1498, after a month at sea, Vasco da Gama and his fleet, now under the guidance of the Arab pilot from Malindi, sighted the Malabar coast. There were
quite a few Arab trading vessels in the coastal area, some more hostile than others. The owners of these boats were quite disturbed by the new presence in their midst. But even so, the better armed Vasco da Gama fleet was able to drop anchor at Calicut on May 20, 1498.
The Portuguese were interested in setting up a trading post in Calicut. Their primary intent was to buy spices which they could ship back to Portugal and resell to Europe. Also in Calicut at that time were Chinese and the Arabs traders who appeared to have a comfortable relationship. The Hindu ruler of Calicut was Zamorin. He had two major problems to contend with. The first problem was that he was the puppet of the rich and powerful Arab Muslim traders. The Arab administrators were the effective bosses of the port of Calicut. The second was that he faced strong opposition from his mortal enemy, the Raja of Cochin.

In 1500, King Emmanuel sent Pedro Alvares Cabral to complete the job in India that Vasco da Gama had set out to do - to set up a trading post at Calicut. King Emmanuel was by now aware of the difficulties Vasco da Gama had experienced in his mission in Calicut. Cabral set out with a fleet of 13 armed ships. However, while in mid-Atlantic, he strayed a few hundred miles west of the Vasco da Gama course and landed in Brazil. Several ships were sent back to Lisbon with a message to the King of this new landing in Brazil. And Cabral proceeded to India with only six ships. Upon arrival in Calicut, Cabral learnt that Aires Correia and the other Portuguese merchants left behind by Vasco da Gama were massacred by agents of the Arab traders.

Cabral proceeded to friendly Cochin where he was welcomed by the Raja and set up a trading post there. He also set up a depot at Cannanore. The cordial relationship with the Portuguese was eventually beneficial to the Raja of Cochin. The Portuguese helped Cochin repel many an attack from Calicut. Cabral returned to Portugal with the grim news of the Calicut massacre. The news disturbed the Royal Court and was most upsetting to Vasco da Gama.In 1502, Vasco da Gama, now an Admiral, returned to Calicut with the intention of avenging the cold blooded murders of Aires Correia and his men.Coasting Southern Arabia, he laid

anchor at Goa – which became a Portuguese power in India later on. Then he proceeded to Cannanore (north of Calicut) where he lay in wait for Arab ships. After seven days, an Arab trade ship, with 200-400 passengers including women and children arrived. Vasco then committed the vilest deed – he shut the passengers after capturing the ships and set it afire killing all on board.

He then formed an alliance with the ruler of Cannanore (an enemy of Zamorin) and sailed to Calicut.

Vasco da Gama ordered his heavily armed flotilla of 16 ships to unleash a massive and fierce bombing raid on Calicut. The damage inflicted by this bombardment was significant. Zamorin realized very quickly that neither he nor the Arabs had the firepower to match that of Vasco's armada. The 2000-yard range guns of the Portuguese easily outclassed the Zamorin guns which had a range of only 500 yards. Beaten into submission and with his Arab masters overawed by the Portuguese strength, Zamorin quickly signed a trade agreement with Vasco da Gama.

This was the beginning of the end of the Arab trade monopoly on the west coast of India. Soon thereafter, the Hindu Raja of Vijaynagar, himself under threat from the Muslim Sultan of Bijapur, sought an alliance with the Portuguese. Meanwhile Vasco da Gama began his return journey to Lisbon having accomplished his primary objective - to set up a trading post in Calicut. He had also avenged the cold-blooded massacre of Aires Correia and the Portuguese merchants. On February 20, 1503, Vasco’s fleet left Cannanore for Mozambique on the first stage of their return voyage reaching the Tagus on October 11. Vasco da Gama returned to Lisbon with a shipload of spices - this time to even greater riches, honors and accolades.

On his return to Portugal, Vasco felt that he was inadequately recompensed. There was a controversy between the Admiral and the Order (religious association) of Sao Tiago, regarding the ownership of town Sines, Vasco ’s birthplace. Earlier Vasco had married a lady of a noble family – Cateriana de Ataide, perhaps in 1500 after returning from his first voyage, when he had retired to the town of Evora. During that time (between Voyage I and Voyage II) his wife bore him six sons.

When King Emmanuel died, Vasco was again sent overseas on his third Voyage. This time it was to bring some semblance of order among the Portuguese administrators in India. News had traveled back to Lisbon that there was rampant corruption among the Portuguese officials in India. The Governor Eduardo de Menezes had lost all control of the administration. Vasco da Gama was appointed the second Portuguese Viceroy of India.


On April 9, 1524, Vasco da Gama sailed from Lisbon with a flotilla of 14 ships and 3000 men. His cousin Estevao da Gama followed a few days later with 15 ships. Estevao da Gama was particularly ruthless in his dealings with Arab ships and their crew which he encountered. He also exhibited an inordinate display of firepower at Calicut. Vasco da Gama meanwhile had anchored in Chaul having lost a couple of ships en route to his headquarters – Goa. It is in Goa that he took over charge of the Portuguese administration from Governor Menezes. At the end of September 1524, Vasco da Gama made a triumphant entry into Cochin, a kingdom friendly to the Portuguese. However, Vasco da Gama was unable to truly complete the task at hand – bringing the delinquent Portuguese officials into line. With the

cumulative effects of the arduous journeys and what is perhaps consistent with anthrax bacillary infection, Vasco da Gama died in Cochin on December 25, 1524.

Vasco da Gama served as Viceroy of India for only three months before his untimely death. He was 55 years old. His body lay buried in Cochin until 1539 when his remains were moved to be reburied in Vidigueira, Portugal. In 1880, the remains of Vasco da Gama were transferred once again, this time to the Monastery of Jeronimus.

He did not write any autobiography but later on several writers wrote about him and his voyages, appellations, works, etc.