Vasco da Gama

Who is Vasco da Gama?

Vasco da Gama was a Portuguese explorer and the first European to reach India by sea, opening a maritime route that transformed global trade. Born around 1460 in Sines, Portugal, he came from a noble family with naval connections. Commissioned by King Manuel I, he set sail in 1497, rounding the Cape of Good Hope and reaching Calicut (Kozhikode) on the Malabar Coast of India in May 1498. This voyage established a direct sea link between Europe and Asia, breaking the overland monopoly on the spice trade and beginning centuries of Portuguese influence in the Indian Ocean. Da Gama made further voyages to India and was later appointed Portuguese Viceroy of India. He died in Cochin in 1524 during his third voyage. His achievements were immortalised in Camões's epic 'Os Lusíadas', and he remains a central figure of the Age of Discovery.

Sources: Sanjay Subrahmanyam, 'The Career and Legend of Vasco da Gama' (Cambridge University Press, 1997) · Luís de Camões, 'Os Lusíadas' (1572)