The final journey of Vasco da Gama. Vasco da Gama: a journey of a lifetime

What contribution did Vasco da Gama make to geography, you will learn from this article.

He is a famous Portuguese navigator of the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries. He combined the office of governor with the viceroy of Portuguese India. Vasco da Gama discovered the sea route to India with an expedition of 1497-1499 around Africa.

Significance of the discovery of Vasco da Gama

He prepared his voyage very carefully. The country that equipped Vasco da Gama is Portugal, and the Portuguese king himself appointed him the commander of the expedition, preferring him instead of the experienced and famous Dias. And the life of Vasco da Gama revolved around this event. The expedition will send three warships and one transport.

The navigator solemnly sailed from Lisbon on July 8, 1497. The first months were quite calm. In November 1497 he reached the Cape of Good Hope. Strong storms began, and his team demanded to take the way back, but Vasco da Gama threw all navigation instruments and quadrants overboard, showing that there was no way back. And he was right, because he managed to find a direct sea route to India. Vasco da Gama's contribution to geography lies in the fact that he mapped a route to the country of spices, safer and shorter than it had previously been by land.

The results of the Vasco da Gama expedition: the opening of a new route to India significantly expanded trade opportunities with Asia, which had previously been carried out exclusively along the Great Silk Road. Although this discovery it was quite expensive - 2 out of 4 ships returned from the trip.

It so happened that most of the grandiose geographical discoveries fall on the Renaissance. Christopher Columbus, Amerigo Vespucci, Ferdinand Magellan, Hernando Cortes - this is an incomplete list of the discoverers of new lands of that time. The Portuguese conqueror of India, Vasco da Gama, also joins the cohort of glorious travelers.

The young years of the future navigator

Vasco da Gama is one of the six children of the Alcaida of the Portuguese town of Sines Estevan da Gama. Vasco's ancestor Alvaro Annish da Gama served faithfully during the Reconquista to King Afonso III. For outstanding services shown in the fight against the Moors, Alvar was awarded and knighted. The acquired title was subsequently inherited by the descendants of the brave warrior.

The duties of Estevan da Gama included, on behalf of the king, overseeing the implementation of laws in the town entrusted to him. Together with the hereditary Englishwoman Isabelle Soudre, he created a strong family, in which in 1460 the third son, Vasco, was born.

From childhood, the boy raved about the sea and travel. Already, as a schoolboy, he enjoyed learning the basics of navigation. This hobby later came in handy for him on long journeys.

Around 1480, the young da Gama enters the Order of Santiago. From a young age, the young man actively participated in battles at sea. He succeeded so much that in 1492 he captured the French ships, which took possession of the Portuguese caravel, carrying significant gold reserves from Guinea. It was this operation that was the first success of Vasco da Gama, as a navigator and military man.

Vasco da Gama's predecessors

The economic development of Renaissance Portugal was directly dependent on international trade routes, from which the country was very far away at that time. Oriental values ​​​​- spices, jewelry and other goods, had to be purchased at a very high cost. Exhausted by the Reconquista and the war with Castile, the Portuguese economy could not afford such costs.

However geographical location countries contributed to the opening of new trade routes on the shores of the Black Continent. It was through Africa that the Portuguese prince Enrique hoped to find a way to India in order to receive goods from the East without hindrance in the future. Under the leadership of Enrique (in history - Henry the Navigator), the entire eastern coast of Africa was explored. From there they brought gold, slaves, strongholds were created there. However, despite all efforts, the ships of Enrique's subjects did not reach the equator.

After the death of the Infante in 1460, attention to expeditions to the southern coasts faded somewhat. But after 1470 interest in the African side increased again. It was during that period that the islands of Sao Tome and Principe were discovered. And 1486 was marked by the discovery of a large part of the southern coast of Africa along the equator.

During the reign of João II, it was repeatedly proved that, having rounded Africa, one can easily reach the shores of the coveted India - a storehouse of oriental wonders. In 1487, Bartolomeo Dias discovered the Cape of Good Hope, proving that Africa does not extend all the way to the Pole.

But the very achievement of the Indian shores occurred much later, after the death of Juan II and during the reign of Manuel I.

Expedition preparation

The journey of Bartolomeo Dias made it possible to build four ships that would meet the requirements of a long journey. One of them, the flagship sailing ship San Gabriel, was commanded by Vasco da Gama himself. The other three - "San Rafael", "Berriu" and a transport ship were under the leadership of Vasco's brother Paulo, Nicolau Coelho and Gansalo Nunes. The guide of the travelers was the legendary Peru Aleker, who traveled with Dias himself. In addition to sailors, the expedition included a priest, a clerk, an astronomer, and several interpreters who knew the native dialects.

In addition to various provisions and drinking water, the ships were equipped with numerous weapons. Halberds, crossbows, pikes, cold blades, cannons were designed to protect the crew in case of danger.

In 1497, after a long and thorough preparation, the expedition led by Vasco da Gama left their native shores and moved towards the longed-for India.

Maiden voyage

On July 8, 1497, Vasco da Nama's armada departed from the coast of Lisbon. The expedition headed for the Cape of Good Hope. Having rounded it, ships easily reached the shores of India.

The route of the armada stretched along the Canary Islands, which already belonged to Spain at that time. Further, the flotilla replenished supplies on the Cape Verde Islands, and, deepening into the Atlantic Ocean, having reached the equator, the ships turned to the southeast. For a long three months, sailors were forced to sail through endless water before the land appeared on the horizon. It was a cozy bay, later called the island of St. Helena. The planned repair of the ships was interrupted by a sudden attack on the sailors of local residents.

Severe weather conditions put real tests before the sailors. The allies of the storms were scurvy, broken ships and inhospitable natives.

On the way to India, travelers stopped on the shores of Mozambique, in the port of Mombasa, in the territory of Malindi. The reception of the Portuguese ships varied. The Sultan of Mozambique suspected Vasco da Gama of dishonesty, and the sailors had to leave the shores of the country in a hurry. Sheikh Malindi was in awe of the exploits of da Gama, who, on the way to Kenya, managed to smash an Arab dhow and capture 30 Arabs. The ruler made an alliance with Vasco against a common enemy and gave an experienced pilot to cross the Indian Ocean.

despite some disappointment from trade with the Indians, large human losses and the fact that two out of four ships returned to their native bay, the first experience of traveling to India was very positive. Income from the sale of Indian goods exceeded the cost of the Portuguese expedition by 60 times.

Second trip to the East

In the interval between the first and second trips to the Indian shores, Vasco da Gama managed to marry Catarina di Adaidi, the daughter of the alcaid Alvor. However, exorbitant ambitions and a thirst for travel forced Vasco to take part in the second arcade of Portugal. It was organized with the aim of pacifying the Indians, who burned the Portuguese trading post and expelled European merchants from the country.

The second expedition to the Indian shores consisted of 20 ships, 10 of which went to India, five interfered with Arab trade and five guarded trading posts. The expedition put to sea on February 10, 1502. As a result of a series of operations, Portuguese trading posts were opened in Sofala and Mozambique, the emir of Kilwa was defeated and tributed, and an Arab ship was burned along with pilgrim passengers.

In the fight against the recalcitrant zamorin of Calicut, Vasco da Gama was merciless. The shelled city, the Indians hung on the masts, the severed limbs and heads of the unfortunate sent to the zamorin - all these atrocities were a response to the infringement of the interests of the Portuguese. As a result of such actions, in October 1503, the Portuguese flotilla returned to the port of Lisbon without much loss and with huge booty. Vasco da Gama was awarded the title of count, an increase in pensions and land holdings.

The third voyage of Vasco da Gama and his death

In 1521, Manuel I's son João III began to rule Portugal. Soon, the king's profit from trade with India began to decrease significantly. The way out of the unpleasant situation, according to João III, was the appointment of Vasco da Gama as the fifth Viceroy of India. In order to clarify the circumstances in April 1524, the expedition headed by Vasco sailed to India for the third time. This time he was accompanied by two sons, experienced sailors Paulo and Eshtevan.

Having reached Goa, the Viceroy punished all those who abused the colonial administration. Having exposed and punished all the guilty, yes Gama departed for Cochin. However, already on the way he began to feel the first signs of malaria. Soon, a simple malaise gave way to serious boils on the neck and back of the head. Experiencing incredible torment, Vasco became irritable and quarrelsome. He never saw the dawn of December 24, 1524. Death caught him on the road. The body of the great traveler, Viceroy of India, Count, Admiral Vasco da Gama was transported to Portugal in 1539 and buried in the Jeronimos Monastery on the Lisbon outskirts of Santa Maria de Belen.

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Who and why in Spain and Portugal was interested in discovering new lands in the 15th century.

Portugal and Spain are the first among European countries undertook the search for sea routes to Africa and India. The nobles, merchants, clergy and royalty of these countries were interested in this. Let's try to figure out what goals each of the groups pursued.

Nobles. With the end of the reconquista, and in Portugal it ended in middle of XIII century, in Spain - at the end of the 15th century, the mass of small estate nobles - hidalgos, for whom the war with the Moors was the only occupation, remained idle.These nobles despised all activities except war, and when their need for money increased, as a result of the development of commodity-money relations, many of them very soon found themselves in
debt from usurers. Therefore, the idea of ​​getting rich in Africa or in the eastern countries seemed fascinating to these knights of the reconquista. The ability to fight, acquired by them in the wars with the Moors, the love of adventure, the thirst for military booty and glory were quite suitable for a new difficult and dangerous business - the discovery and conquest of unknown trade routes, countries and lands.It was from the environment of poor Portuguese and Spanish nobles that they emerged in the 15th-16th centuries. brave sailors, cruel conquerors-conquistadors who destroyed the states of the Aztecs and Incas, greedy colonial officials. “They walked with a cross in their hands and with an insatiable thirst for gold in their hearts,” writes one contemporary about the Spanish conquistadors.

Wealthy citizens and merchants Portugal and Spain willingly gave money for sea expeditions, which promised them the possession of the most important trade routes, rapid enrichment and a dominant position in trade.

Catholic clergy consecrated the bloody deeds of the conquistadors with a religious banner, because thanks to the latter, it acquired a new flock at the expense of peoples newly converted to Catholicism and, as a result, increased its land holdings and income.

Finally, royalty was very interested in discovering new countries and trade routes. The impoverished peasantry and underdeveloped cities, which were under heavy feudal oppression, could not give the kings enough money to cover the expenses demanded by their regime. In addition, numerous militant nobles, left idle after the reconquista, were a danger to the king and cities, since they could easily be used by large feudal lords in the fight against royal power. The kings of Portugal and Spain called on the nobles to discover and conquer new countries and trade routes.

Why did the Portuguese choose to expand to the east?

The sea route connecting the Italian trading cities with the countries of the North Western Europe, passed through the Strait of Gibraltar and skirted the Iberian Peninsula. With the development of maritime trade in the XIV-XV centuries. the importance of coastal Portuguese and Spanish cities increased. But this was not enough for them - Portugal and Spain themselves wanted to develop the fleet and trade.

However, the expansion of Portugal and Spain was possible only in the direction of the unknown. Atlantic Ocean, because trade in the Mediterranean had previously been captured by the powerful maritime city-republics of Italy, such as Genoa and Venice, and trade in the North and Baltic Seas by the union German cities Hansa. The geographical position of the Iberian Peninsula, pushed far to the west into the Atlantic Ocean, favored this direction of expansion.When in the fifteenth century in Europe, the need to look for new sea routes to the East increased, the Hansa, which monopolized all trade between the countries of North-Western Europe, was least of all interested in these searches, as well as Venice, which had enough Mediterranean trade. Besides, athe slave states in Northwest Africa were strong and prevented the Portuguese from expanding eastward along the Mediterranean coast of Africa. In addition, in this part mediterranean sea Arab pirates were outraged.The Portuguese and Spaniards had no choice but to become pioneers in the search for new sea routes across the Atlantic Ocean.

Henry the Navigator and the successes of the first half of the 15th century

After the conquest by the Portuguese troops in 1415 of the Moroccan port of Ceuta - the fortress of the Moorish pirates, located on the southern coast of the Strait of Gibraltar, the Portuguese began to move south along the western coast of Africa to Western Sudan. From here, gold dust, slaves and Ivory. The Portuguese sought to penetrate further south from Ceuta into the "sea of ​​​​gloom", as they then called the unknown to Europeans southern part Atlantic Ocean.

The first who organized the expedition of the Portuguese in the first half of the XV century. along the West African coast was the Portuguese Prince Enrico (Henry the Navigator). On the southwestern coast of Portugal, on a rocky promontory in Sagris, protruding far into the ocean, an observatory and shipyards were built for the construction of ships, and a nautical school was founded. Sagrish became for Portugal maritime academy. In it, Portuguese fishermen and sailors, under the guidance of Italian and Catalan sailors, were trained maritime affairs, there they were engaged in the improvement of ships and navigational instruments, were drawn according to the information brought by Portuguese sailors, sea charts and plans for new expeditions were developed. Since the Reconquest, the Portuguese have been familiar with Arabic mathematics, geography, navigation, cartography and astronomy. Heinrich drew funds for the preparation of travels from the income of the spiritual and knightly order of Jesus headed by him, and also received through the organization of a number of trading companies on shares with wealthy nobles and merchants who hoped to increase their income through overseas trade. Prince Henry the Navigator was at first against the slave trade, but then he began to encourage it, as it brought him fabulous wealth. His ships began to regularly go to West Africa to catch slaves and acquire golden sand, ivory and spices, exchanged from blacks for trinkets. The hope of plundering the entire African coast somewhat accelerated the Portuguese advance to the south.

But difficulties with the recruitment of daredevils who would go to unknown seas remained. The situation improved significantly after the Portuguese rounded Cape Nome in 1419 and discovered about. Madeira, in 1432 they took possession of the Azores, and in 1434 Zhil Eannish rounded Cape Bojador, south of which life was considered impossible in the Middle Ages. Nuño Tristan reached Senegal, brought local residents and sold at a profit. The African slave trade was already flourishing, and justified the cost of shipping. In the mid-40s, the Portuguese rounded Cape Verde and reached the coast between the Senegal and Gambia rivers, densely populated and rich in golden sand, ivory and spices. In the 60s and 70s, Portuguese sailors reached the coast of the Gulf of Guinea and crossed the equator. Guinea and the Congo were annexed to the Portuguese crown, supplying slaves and gold. By 1482, they reached the mouth of the Congo River, where they established the main base on the way to the development of the entire African coast. On the Portuguese maps of Africa, the names of new lands appeared: “Pepper Coast”, “Ivory Coast”, “Slave Coast”, “Gold Coast”. In 1486, the expedition of Diogo Kahn reached Cape Cross. Sailors approached the southern tip of the African continent. But for the kings of Portugal, these were minor discoveries - they were attracted by the path to the "Spice Islands".

Spices worth their weight in gold

Spices were used to improve the taste of food, storage and disinfection of products. The monopoly on the spice trade was maintained by the Arabs, who bought pepper, cinnamon and other spices in Indian ports: Calicut, Cochin, Kananur, and then delivered on small ships to the port of Jeddah near Mecca. Then the caravans through the desert brought the cargo to Cairo, where it was rafted on barges down the Nile to Alexandria. And there spices were sold to Italian merchants from Venice and Genoa. Those, in turn, distributed the goods throughout Europe. Of course, at each stage, the price of spices increased, and at the final points it became sky-high. Portugal craved discovery sea ​​route to India. A document has been preserved confirming that the soldiers in Genoa received part of their salary in gold coins, and part in spices for the weight of these coins.

Bartolomeu Dias and the first attempt to reach the "land of spices" in 1487

On February 3, 1488, after 5 months of sailing, the ships of the great admiral of that era, Bartolomeu Dias, rounded the Cape of Good Hope - the southern point of Africa. Further, due to a two-week severe storm and the refusal of the team, suffering from hunger, to sail forward, the admiral had to return to Lisbon. By the River Rio do Infante (River of the Princes), he erected a padran - a stone pillar with the royal coat of arms, confirming the Portuguese sovereignty over the new lands. Admiralclaimed that from South Africa it is possible to go by sea to the coast of India. This was also confirmed by Pedro Covellano, sent in 1487 by the Portuguese king in search of the shortest route to India through the countries North Africa and the Red Sea and visited the Malabar coast of India, the cities of East Africa and Madagascar. In his report to the king, sent from Cairo, he reported that “Portuguese caravels that trade in Guinea, sailing from one country to another heading for about. Madagascar and the port of Sofala can easily pass into these eastern seas and approach Calicut, for there is a sea everywhere here.After 10 years, Vasco da Gama had to do what Bartolomeu Dias failed to do. Yes, such a commander as da Gama would not have allowed the team to rebel then.

Why Vasco da Gama was entrusted to continue the work of Bartolomeu Dias

Vasco da Gama was born around 1460-1469 in the Portuguese town of Sines and came from an ancient noble family. Father, Ishtevan da Gama was the chief ruler and judge of the cities of Sines and Silvis. In the 1480s, together with his brothers, he entered the Order of Santiago. He received his education and the art of navigation in Évora. Vasco participated in naval battles from a young age. When, in 1492, French corsairs captured a Portuguese caravel with gold, sailing from Guinea to Portugal, the king instructed him to pass along the French coast and capture all French ships in the raids. After that, the king of France had to return the captured ship. Then for the first time they learned about Vasco da Gama. Contemporaries of the future great navigator said about him that he was not afraid of responsibility, was fanatical in achieving ambitious goals, and this was appreciated in Europe in that era. In addition, he often broke into anger, was greedy and despotic. He completely lacked diplomatic qualities, however, in those years it was not highly valued.

It is not surprising that King Manuel I (1495-1521) entrusted such an experienced sailor with an unusual task - to open a sea route to India, which Columbus had tried to do before, and, as you know, on October 12, 1492, instead of India, he discovered America.Technically, the Portuguese were ready for long journeys: by the end of the 15th century, they were already actively using the astrolabe, the quadrant and the goniometric ruler in navigation, and they learned to determine longitude from the noon sun and declination tables.

Preparing for historical journey to the shores of India 1497-98

It began in 1495. Vasco da Gama developed the theoretical part, studying maps and navigation, and under the leadership of Bartolomeu Dias, ships were built at that time, taking into account all the achievements of those times. The oblique sails were changed to rectangular ones, which increased the stability of the ships, reducing their draft. In case of clashes with Arab pirates, 12 guns were placed on the decks. Displacement has been increased to 100-120 tons for large food supplies and fresh water, as well as everything necessary for a three-year voyage. It was supposed to catch fish along the way, and moor to the ports for water at intervals of many months. Here's what a sailor's daily ration for India looked like: half a pound of crackers, a pound of corned beef, 2.5 pints of water (1.6 l), 1/12 pint of vinegar, and 1/24 pint of olive oil. In fasting, the meat was replaced with 0.5 pounds of rice or cheese. The Portuguese were not able to refuse wine even at sea, so everyone was given 0.7 liters of wine per day. The ships also carried beans, flour, lentils, prunes, onions, garlic and sugar. They did not forget to put goods for trade with African natives into the holds: striped and bright red fabrics, corals, bells, knives, scissors, cheap pewter jewelry for exchange for gold and ivory.

It is known that it was not possible to invent anything significant so that water would not seep into the holds of flat-bottomed Portuguese ships with a high bow during the voyage. Some of the products simply rotted and after a while floated on the surface along with the rats. Another problem, where and how to sleep for the crew, also at that time had not yet been resolved. The famous Indian hammocks "from Columbus" have not yet come into wide use. The team had to sleep anywhere. And you can easily guess about the sanitary conditions on the ships.

The experienced Goncalo Alvaris was appointed captain of the San Gabriel flagship. The second ship "San Rafael" da Gama entrusted his brother Paulo. In addition, the San Miguel (another name is Berriu) also participated in the expedition, an old light ship with slanting sails under the command of Nicolau Coelho and an unnamed cargo ship under the command of Captain Goncalo Nunes. The average speed of the flotilla with a favorable wind could be 6.5-8 knots.

The backbone of the team of 168 people were those who swam with Bartolomeu Dias. 10 people from the team were criminals released from prison specifically for the expedition. It was not a pity to land them for reconnaissance in especially dangerous areas of Africa.

Sailing into the unknown

On a hot day on July 8, 1497, during a prayer service, according to tradition, all travelers were forgiven of their sins (this tradition was once asked by Henry the Navigator from Pope Martin V). Vasco da Gama and Bartolomeu Dias came on board. There was a cannon volley and 4 ships left the port of Lisbon.

A week later, the ships reached the Canary Islands. The ships got lost in the fog and met again at the Cape Verde Islands. Restocked here fresh water and provisions. And Dias landed in order to sail further with other ships, to the new fortress of San Jorge da Mina on the Guinean coast - he was appointed governor of Guinea.

Further, the ships fell into a band of strong easterly winds, which did not allow them to go forward. known way along Africa. Somewhere in the region of 10 ° north latitude, da Gama first showed himself decisively - he ordered to turn to the southwest in order to try to bypass the winds in the open ocean. He made an arc across the Atlantic Ocean, almost reaching the shores of the then unknown Brazil. Caravels moved away from Africa at a distance of 800 nautical miles. For three months the ships did not encounter any land on the horizon. Food spoiled in the equatorial heat, and water became unusable. I had to drink sea ​​water. They ate stale salted meat prepared for the future. The health of the team was significantly undermined. But a convenient path was opened with favorable air currents to the Cape of Good Hope. The ships also avoided falling into a zone of complete calm, when they could stand still for a long time, and this threatened the slow death of the entire crew. And rare today sailing ships walk along this route. After the equator, the ships, finally, without losing the wind they needed, were able to turn east.

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Off the coast of South Africa

On October 27, the sailors saw whales, then birds and algae - the land was nearby. Imagine how the sailors perceived the long-awaited exclamation of the watchman: “Land!” It was African coast at the bay of St. Helena. Here, da Gama planned to linger: in addition to replenishing supplies, it was necessary to subject the ships to cranking, that is, to pull them ashore and clean the bottom of shells and mollusks, which seriously slowed down and destroyed the wood. However, da Gama was arrogant and cruel towards all pagans and, as a result, the Portuguese had a conflict with the locals - undersized warlike Bushmen. After the expedition commander was wounded in the leg, they had to urgently set sail.

After 93 days sailing from the coast of Portugal, the sailors reached the Cape of Good Hope. Again, as in the case of Bartolomeu Dias, after an incredible storm, the sailors agreed to turn back. Then da Gama, in front of everyone, threw navigational instruments into the sea. "Look!" he shouted. “I don't need any other guide but the Lord. If I don't reach my goal, Portugal will never see me again!"

On November 22, 1497, the squadron rounded the Cape of Good Hope. At this time, one damaged ship was sunk. Three days later, the remaining ships entered the bay of St. Blas (San Brush - now Mosselbay in South Africa). The caravels were repaired: they patched up the plating, hemmed the torn sails and gear, and fixed the loose masts. The Hottentots who came out of the jungle were intimidated by shots from bombards. Here they installed a pillar - padran.

December 16 reached the last point reached by B. Dias - Rio to Infante. Later, Vasco de Gama became the discoverer. After four months of sailing and covered 4400 km, the Portuguese stopped in the bay of St. Helena to rest. On Christmas Day, da Gama rounded Cape Agulhas and sailed along the southern coast of today's South Africa. He marked this high bank on the map as "Natal", which means Christmas.

The next step was to head north. In January, the expedition passed the mouth of the Limpopo and Zambezi rivers (later this territory became the Portuguese colony of Mozambique). The ships began to break down again. From monotonous food, half of the crew developed scurvy - the gums festered and bled, knees and shins swelled, many could not even walk. Several dozen people have died. European sailors also faced other hitherto unknown problems: currents of unprecedented strength, going along shallows and reefs, as well as weeks of calm. In the Mozambique port of Quelimane, the Portuguese stood for more than a month, and only then sailed up the Mozambique Channel, which separates Africa and about. Madagascar. The strait is the longest strait on Earth - about 1760 km, the smallest width - 422 km, the smallest depth - 117 m. We had to go very carefully at this stage and only during the day - it was easy to run into one of the hundreds of small islands. It was obvious that without maps and a pilot, the journey was almost doomed to death.

On March 2, the ships sailed to the Arab port of Mozambique (in the north of today's state of Mozambique). The inhabitants of the city at first mistook the Portuguese for their co-religionists, as the sailors' clothes were frayed and lost their national signs. The local ruler even gave Vasco da Gama a rosary as a sign of friendship. But the arrogant and arrogant captain, who never had a diplomatic gift, considered the townspeople savages and tried to offer the emir a red cap as a gift. Of course, the local ruler indignantly rejected such a gift. The atmosphere heated up.

Even before the break in relations, the Emir managed to put at the disposal of the flotilla two experts in maritime affairs, but one of them immediately fled, and the second was unreliable: shortly after sailing, he tried to pass off some islands he encountered as the mainland. The enraged commander ordered the liar to be tied to the mast and personally brutally flogged. The island where this happened was put on the map under the name of Isla do Asoutada (Carved).

The lands of the "wild" black tribes in Mozambique ended, and then the zone of the Arab maritime trade union began, and Muslim ports stood on the shores. In turn, the Arabs actively colonized East Africa, buying ambergris, metals and ivory in the depths of the mainland. They didn't need competitors.

On April 7, the Portuguese approached another major port on the way - Mombasa (now a city in Kenya), where the Arabs tried to capture the caravels by force. Barely escaped. Here, for the first time, the Portuguese encountered the hostility of the local Arabs and used artillery. The supply of provisions and water became difficult.

Finally, good luck! On April 14, the sailors were warmly received in the port of Malindi, just 120 km north of Mombasa. Here Vasco de Gama saw 4 ships from India. Then he realized that India could be reached. The local emir was an opponent of Sheikh Mombasa, and wanted to gain new allies, especially armed with firearms, which the Arabs did not have.

The sheikh provided them with the most famous pilot of the Indian seas, Ahmed ibn Majid of Oman. Ahmed sailed the seas using the astrolabe before Vasco was born. He left behind navigational manuals, some of which have been preserved and are in a museum in Paris. At that time, the Arabs greatly outnumbered the Portuguese in both maritime navigation and astronomy. Boarding the San Gabriel, the pilot busily turned around in front of the astonished captain. accurate maps west coast of India with all azimuths and parallels. Now it was possible to go clearly on the course. At the end of April, the red sails of the Portuguese caravels caught the favorable monsoon and moved to the northeast. Just 23 days later, sailors saw seagulls from the Indian coast.

Long awaited India

On May 20, 1498, the captain from his captain's bridge on the San Gabriel saw the brown coast of India near the city of Calicut (now the city of Kozhikode in the Indian state of Kerala). So, thanks to the skill of an experienced Arab, the sea route from Europe to India around Africa was opened. It took ten and a half months; more than 20 thousand km were covered. Calicut was one of the largest trading centers in Asia, "the pier of the entire Indian Sea", as the Russian merchant Afanasy Nikitin, who visited India in the second half of the 15th century, called this port. The very luxuries that the rich in Europe dreamed of were delivered here. Everything was sold in the bazaars of Calicut. There was a tart smell of pepper, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg in the air. Doctors offered medicines: aloe, camphor, cardamom, asafoetida, valerian. Fragrant myrrh and sandalwood, blue dyes (indigo), coconut fiber, ivory were in abundance. Fruit suppliers spread their bright and juicy goods: oranges, lemons, melons, mangoes. Something Europeans saw for the first time, for example, this a large number of elephants.

Vasco asked to be carried to an audience with the ruler in a rich palanquin (tent stretcher), surrounded by trumpeters and standard bearers. The local prince (zamorin), rightly considering himself "the ruler of the sea", met da Gama and his closest assistant officer Fernand Martin cordially. Zamorin sat on an ivory throne, on green velvet, dressed in gold-woven clothes. Rings with precious stones sparkled on the fingers of his hands - Arab India was accustomed to luxury.And, imagine, da Gama presented such a ruler with cheap Andalusian striped cloth, the same red caps and a box of sugar as the leaders of African tribes! Of course, Zamorin rejected gifts, as once the ruler of Mozambique.

Soon the rajah heard about the atrocities of the Portuguese in Africa. ATAsco da Gama assured the Raja that he had come a long way in the name of Jesus and was now asking the ruler for permission to establish a trading post in Calicut. But Zamorin refused and allowed the aliens

just sell their goods and retire. Goods were sold with difficulty only after 2 months. With the proceeds, spices, copper, mercury, amber and jewelry were purchased. Arab merchants, sensing competition from the arrogant Portuguese, incited the Zamorin to burn their ships. And da Gama himself added fuel to the fire. Before heading back, he suggested that the Zamorin make a gift to the Portuguese king, namely, to load about half a ton of cinnamon and cloves. Zamorin was so offended by this that he ordered da Gama to remain on the shore under house arrest, and also to surrender all sailing equipment and ship's rudders; also demanded a large duty for already bought spices. In the meantime, the duty is not paid, the Portuguese remaining on the shore are taken prisoner. Then Gama captured noble persons who at that time were inspecting ships and purchasing Portuguese goods. The ships immediately turned around, ready to sail. The envoy brought a letter from the Portuguese with a threat: all the captives would be forever taken overseas if the Indians did not immediately remove the arrest from the items already purchased and release the officer Diego Dias, who was stuck on the shore with some goods. Zamorin yielded - there was an exchange of hostages. The Portuguese were taken to the ships, however, da Gama released only 6 of the 10 high-ranking hostages, promising to release the rest after the return of the detained goods. But the goods were not returned. The expedition left Calicut with the hostages on board. The idea was to show the Arab nobility the power of Lisbon and bring them back with the next expedition. The Portuguese easily got away from the Indian boats pursuing them and even attacked several merchant ships.

Escape from India

The way back to Africa turned out to be 4 times longer. In a hopeless situation, da Gama was forced to leave India before the associated northeast monsoon, which the Arabs had always used, blew out. Now the road to Africa took three whole months - from the beginning of October 1498 to January 2, 1499. Scurvy and fever took another 30 people from the already small crew, so now there were literally 7-8 able-bodied sailors on each of the ships instead of 42 in the state, which was clearly not enough for effective management courts.

On January 7, luck again smiled at the brave sailors, when their strength was already running out - they reached the friendly Malindi. We managed to load food and water again. Of the three ships, the San Rafael caravel was the worst. There was no strength for repairs, and there would be no one to sail on it. The rest of the team with cargo from the holds moved to the flagship, and the San Rafael was burned.

January 28 passed about. Zanzibar, and on February 1 made a stop at about. San Jorge off Mozambique. March 20 rounded the Cape of Good Hope. And then only 27 days went with a fair wind to Zeleny Mys, where 2 ships arrived on April 16. There they fell into a dead calm, and then immediately into a storm.

Homecoming

On July 10, 1499, the ship "San Miguel" under the command of Coelho arrived in Lisbon first, with news of the success of the expedition. The commander himself was delayed in the Azores because of the illness of his brother Paulo. Perhaps the first and last time the captain showed compassion and really took the death of his brother hard. He no longer thought about a triumphant return and instructed Joan da Sa to lead the San Gabriel caravel. Only a few weeks later, on September 18, 1499, Vasco da Gama solemnly returned to Lisbon.

The price of the greatest geographical discovery in the history of mankind was as follows: on July 8, 1497, 168 people went to the shores of India on 4 ships, and in September 1499, only 55 sailors returned to Lisbon on two ships. For more than two years they have sailed 40 thousand km. For the first time, more than 4,000 km of the east coast of Africa from the mouth of the Great Fish River to the port of Malindi was plotted on Portuguese maps. Then it seemed that Vasco de Gama discovered more rich land than Columbus. The navigator proved that the seas around Hindustan are not inland.

Returning to Portugal, the captain was greeted with great honor, endowed with the title of "don" and a pension of 1000 cruzados, the right to eternal duty-free export of any goods from the newly discovered India. However, this seemed not enough to the most awarded, and he asked to give him his native city of Sines in his personal possession. But the city then belonged to the Order of Saint James, whose Grand Master was the Duke of Coimbra, the illegitimate son of the late King Joan II. The king signed the letter to the admiral, but the Jacobites categorically refused to give up their property. To get out of the situation, the monarch had to give Vasco da Gama the title of "Admiral of the Indian Ocean" with all the honors and privileges.

Soon the navigator married Dona Catarina de Ataida, the daughter of a very influential dignitary. His wife bore him five children: Francisco, Eshtevan (1505-1576, governor of India), Paulo, Krishtovan, Pedro. There is an assumption that there were 2 more daughters. But did their father love them? After the death of his brother, the humane features in the character of Vasco da Gama no longer appeared. On the contrary, this man inspired fear among his contemporaries. However, Vasco de Gama was greatly revered for his exploits. Surviving sailors also became heroes, and proudly told horror stories about the disasters through which they were led by the will and courage of their leader

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Expedition led by Admiral Cabral in 1500.

For Portugal, it was necessary to resolutely continue the work begun, so as not to let anyone bypass them in India. The following year, a squadron of 13 ships and 1.5 thousand people set off along the beaten path. The fleet was headed by the noble Don Pedro Alvares Cabral, who was lucky to discover Brazil and Madagascar along the way. In Calicut, success awaited him too - the impressive appearance of the flotilla quickly set the Indians in a peaceful mood. Portuguese navigators and the admiral himself engaged in petty robbery in the bay of Calicut, and Portuguese merchants demanded that they be given all the best goods of the market. An uprising broke out and fifty Portuguese were killed. In response, Cabral burned and sank not only all Muslim, but also all Indian ships in the bay of Calicut, and then fired at the city itself, but he failed to capture the port, important for trade. He purchased a cargo of spices from Cochin and returned to Lisbon. The Portuguese made fabulous profits.

1. Portrait of the discoverer of Brazil, Pedro Alvares Cabral.

2. Map of sailing da Gama ( green Line) and Admiral Cabral (pink line).

The second expedition of Vasco da Gama in 1502

On February 10, 1502, in order to establish fortifications in India and subdue the country, King Manuel I sent a squadron of 10 ships again led by Don Vasco da Gama. On the second trip to the shores of India, the admiral was accompanied by 10 more ships. Five high-speed military caravels were under the command of the admiral's uncle, Don Vicente Sudre. They were supposed to impede Arab maritime trade in Indian Ocean, cruising between India and Egypt, attacking their ships. And five more - under the command of the admiral's nephew, Istvan da Gama, and were intended to guard trading posts in India.

On the way, at the Cape Verde Islands, the admiral showed the Indian ambassadors returning to their homeland a caravel loaded with gold. The ambassadors were amazed to see so much precious metal for the first time. Vasco da Gama sailed for some time along the coast of Brazil, which he could have easily discovered during his first voyage. But, as mentioned above, Admiral Cabral, following the path of Vasco da Gama, did this earlier.

Along the way, Vasco da Gama founded forts and trading posts in Sofal and Mozambique. Gold and hippopotamus teeth were brought here, which, being harder and whiter, were then valued even more than the famous ivory. Also during his second voyage, the commander subjugated the Arab Emir of Kilva and imposed tribute on him. The admiral defeated the Arab fleet of 29 ships sent against him. On the islands near about. Zanzibar, the Portuguese taxed the local Emir Ibrahim and forced him to recognize the dominion of King Manuel I. Anjidiva in the Goa region, wanting to avenge the murdered Portuguese and instill fear in the locals, da Gama burned the Arab ship Mary, locking three hundred Muslim pilgrims with their wives and children in the hold.

April 30, 1502 Vasco da Gama reached his main goal - Calicut. locals we saw under his leadership not three ships with dying sailors, but a whole flotilla armed to the teeth. Zamorin was frightened and immediately sent envoys with an offer of peace and compensation for the damage caused earlier. But the admiral broke too high a price for quiet life Indian city. He demanded that all Arabs be expelled from Calicut. The Raja refused. The Portuguese reacted again in his own spirit - he hanged 38 Indians captured on the shore and began a systematic shelling of the city. Calicut was fired from cannons until a leak opened in the hulls of the ships, loosened from gun recoil. Zamorin sent envoys to Cochin to open the eyes of an ally of the Portuguese to their atrocities, but the boat was intercepted, and the ears and noses of the envoys were cut off and, having sewn dog-like ones in their place, the envoys were returned back. Don Vasco, leaving seven ships for the blockade of Calicut under the command of Vicente Sudre, sailed to Cochin to trade

A trading post and a fort had to be founded in Kananur. The Portuguese took the port under full customs control, and sank any ships that entered the harbor without permission. Five ships were left in the port of Cochin. This is how the first European military bases across the ocean arose. Thus began a sad story for the Indian population living on the shores of the Arabian Sea.

On January 3, 1503, a Zamorin diplomat arrived in Cochin with an offer of peace. The ambassador was tortured, and he admitted that the Arabs were gathering a large fleet against the Portuguese, but for now they were simply lulling their vigilance. Don Vasco immediately sailed back to Calicut and destroyed the enemy ships. Some of them were shot from powerful cannons, some were boarded. A lot of gold was found on the captured ships, and on one - a whole harem of young Indian women. The most beautiful were selected as a gift to the queen, the rest were distributed to the sailors.

On February 20, 1503, the admiral went home. During the voyage, the Amirant Islands were discovered (now part of the Republic of the Seychelles), Fr. Ascension and Fr. St. Helena, located in the very center of the Atlantic Ocean (later Napoleon was imprisoned on St. Helena).

Vasco moved to live in the Portuguese city of Evora, where he once studied. He built himself a magnificent palace, the walls of which were decorated with images of palm trees, Hindus and tigers. The admiral spent 12 years there.

Portuguese postage stamp depicting Vasco da Gama

Capture of Goa, Malacca and Macau

Meanwhile, on November 25, 1510, the Viceroy of Portuguese India, Alfonso de Albuquerque, captured the fortress of Goa on the western coast of India. Fight with Sultan of Bijapur Yusuf Om Adil Khanom was bloody. Copper bombards turned the old capital into ruins. The battle ended with the traditional Portuguese destruction of all Muslims, including women and children. The Viceroy remembered that on this day of glorious victory Saint Catherine is honored. At the gate through which the Portuguese soldiers entered Goa, he ordered the construction of a temple in her honor - the first Christian church in Goa (now the Cathedral of St. Catherine - the largest Catholic cathedral in Asia). This blessed land has become an outpost for the capture of new territories and pirate power at sea. The fortress in Goa became the capital of the Viceroys of Portugal.

In 1510, the Iranian port of Hormuz was also captured. And in 1511, de Albuquerque took Malacca (now the city of Malaysia), a rich trading city in the Strait of Malacca, blocking the entrance to the Indian Ocean from the east. With the capture of Malacca, the Portuguese cut off the main route connecting the countries of Asia Minor with the main supplier of spices - Moluccas mi islands (now Indonesia) and entered the Pacific Ocean. A few years later, they completely capture these islands and establish maritime trade with South China. In 1513, the Portuguese reached Macau and the island on which Hong Kong is now located. In 1535 they received permission to moor their ships in Macau and trade from them. After 18 years, they achieved the construction of warehouses for products brought from Europe, and in 1553 they already founded a permanent settlement here with fortifications and actively began trading at a fair in the Chinese city of Guangzhou. The territory of Macau was leased from China for 185 kg of silver annually.

Vasco da Gama's last expedition

Vasco de Gama was burdened by seclusion in his palace. Since the king did not appoint him to command the expeditions of the Portuguese, he began to ask the sovereign for permission to offer his services to some other power. This was normal practice in that era. For example, Magellan did the same, and Columbus glorified the Spanish crown, being Italian. In 1519, Manuel I gave his faithful servant the possession of the cities of Vidigueira and Vila dos Frades and awarded the title of Count of Vidigueira, however, did not want to let go national hero serve other states.

But the new king Juan III (1521-1557), who received less and less profit, decided to appoint the 64-year-old harsh and incorruptible Vasco da Gama as the fifth viceroy. Back in 1505, King Manuel I, on the advice of Vasco da Gama, established the position of Viceroy of India. Succeeding each other, Francisco de Almeida and Affonso de Albuquerque by cruel measures strengthened the power of Portugal on the land of India and in the Indian Ocean. However, after de Albuquerque's death in 1515, his successors proved greedy and incapable.

Already a gray-haired navigator for the third time stepped on board a ship going to the “land of spices” on April 9, 1524, consisting of 14 ships. Legend has it that at Dabul, at 17° north latitude, the fleet was hit by an underwater earthquake. The crew was superstitiously horrified, and only the self-confident admiral was delighted: “Look, even the sea trembles before us!”

Immediately upon his arrival in India, Vasco da Gama took firm action against the abuses of the colonial administration. He stopped the most egregious abuses like selling cannons to the Arabs and arrested several of the most corrupt officials (including former head of the Indian colonies of Portugal by Don Duarte de Minesis). To successfully combat light Arab ships, he built several ships of the same type, forbade private individuals to trade without royal permission and tried to attract benefits as much as possible. more people for maritime service. The viceroy arranged for himself a luxurious court and recruited two hundred native guards.

But suddenly, in the midst of this turbulent activity, a strong man who had never suffered from diseases quickly fell ill. I started having severe pain in my head. On Christmas Day, December 24, 1524, at 3 pm in the city of Cochin, Admiral da Gama died. He was first buried in the Goa Cathedral. After 15 years, his remains were transported to their homeland and buried in the small church of Quinta do Carmo in Alentejo, and in 1880 they were transferred to a monastery in Lisbon. On that grave is inscribed: "Here lies the great Argonaut Don Vasco da Gama, First Count of Vidigueira, admiral of the East Indies and its famous discoverer."

1. Monastery dos Jerónimos in Lisbon, where Vasco da Gama rests.
2. The tomb of Vasco da Gama in the monastery.
3 . Belem tower in honor of the navigator (1515-21), Lisbon.

New discoveries and successes of Portugal

On the picture . Monument to da Gama in his hometown of Sines.

18 years after the death of the great navigator, Portuguese ships reached the shores of distant Japan and founded the first European trading post there. With the opening of the sea route from Western Europe to India and East Asia, a huge colonial empire of Portugal was created, stretching from Gibraltar to the Strait of Malacca. The Portuguese Viceroy of India, who was in Goa, was subject to five governors governing Mozambique, Hormuz, Muscat, Ceylon and Malacca. The Portuguese also subjugated major ports East Africa. The peak of Portuguese rule came in early XVI century, when Portugal acquired its main and most generous buyer and seller - Vijayanagar Empire. The beautiful capital of the richest Hindu state - Hampi (Vijayanagara)with a population of 500 thousand, was a continuous bazaar. The Portuguese brought here Arabian horses, Chinese porcelain, saffron from Kashmir, wood, velvet, damask, satin, bright red fabrics, exquisite items from Bengal, precious stones. To be sent to their country, they loaded iron, spices, diamonds, pearls, ready-made jewelry, rice, medicines, myrobolan and other medicines, as well as oils and incense. Their intensive trade went through the port of Goa, which reached highest development in this period.

Reasons for the loss of Portuguese dominance in the 16th century

The most important opening of the sea route in the history of mankind, which connected Europe with Asia, was used by feudal Portugal for its own enrichment, for plundering and oppressing the peoples of Africa and Asia. The aliens, on whom the Pope entrusted the mission of converting the pagans to the Christian faith, destroyed temples and built their own churches. Heretics were burned in the colonies, debauchery and incitement of soldiers to take Indian women as concubines reigned. Piracy became one of the tools of the colonial policy of Portugal, and the officers of His Majesty's fleet became pirates. Viceroys were greedy and replaced one after another, dying early from wounds and diseases. Such a policy led to the gradual loss of Portugal's positions won by Vasco da Gama. All Portuguese colonies passed into the hands of others maritime powers: England, France, Holland, Denmark. In India, only Goa, Daman and Diu remained Portuguese colonies until 1961. Outrages continued in them - only in 1812 the Inquisition was abolished in Goa.

Heroes of the Age of Discovery

Columbus, Magellan and Vasco da Gama became the main celebrities of the Age of Discovery. It is interesting that the first two were looking for what da Gama eventually found - the spice-rich lands of India.

Vasco da Gama was remembered, he was idolized. The great-grandson of the navigator, who was the viceroy of Portugal in 1597-1600, erected in honor of his great ancestor the Arch of the Viceroys, through which now passes the road to the Mandovi River, the embankment and the piers. They remember him today. In 1988, the whole world celebrated the 500th anniversary of Vasco da Gama's first voyage. At the mouth of the Tagus (Lisbon), the longest bridge in Europe was inaugurated, named after the great navigator, the first pirate of the Indian Ocean, discoverer and destroyer.

In the history of mankind, the discovery of the sea route from Europe to India was outstanding event. Until the opening of the Suez Canal in the 60s of the XIX century. The sea route around South Africa was the main sea route along which trade was carried out between the countries of Europe and Asia and Europeans penetrated into the basins of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

1. Map of the voyage of Vasco da Gama and Fernand Magellan (blue line).
2. Map of the voyage of Magellan in 1519-22.

4-5. Maps of the voyage of Columbus in 1492-1502.

City of Vasco da Gama in Goa

Today, the city is the terminus of a railway line to Goa. In 1703, due to another plague that struck Goa, the small town briefly became the capital of Goa. The seaport of Marmagao near the city of Vasco da Gama is now one of the most important in India. Berths already existed here in the 16th century. Now life in this port town has become very quiet. And before the streets of Vasco da Gama filled with adventurers - tipsy sailors and excited travelers. Their resting place for centuries has been the red light district. Now next to it is Dabolim Airport. A few years ago, this "folk craft" was banned by government decree.
Basilica of Bom Jesus in Goa
Francis Xavier - patron saint of Goa
Churches of Old Goa and Panaji
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The search for a sea route to India was very important for Portugal. important task. A country located away from the main trade routes of that time could not fully participate in world trade. Export was small, and the Portuguese had to buy valuable goods of the East for very high prices. Wherein geographical position Portugal was very much in favor of discoveries on the western coast of Africa and attempts to find a sea route to the “land of spices”.

In 1488, Bartolomeu Dias discovered the Cape of Good Hope, circled Africa and entered the Indian Ocean. After that, he had to turn back, as the sailors demanded a return to Portugal. Based on the discoveries of Dias, King João II was about to send a new expedition. However, preparations for it dragged on and got off the ground only after the accession to the throne of Manuel I in 1495.

The head of the new expedition was not Bartolomeu Dias, but Vasco da Gama, who at that time was 28 years old. He was born in the Portuguese seaside town of Sines and belonged to an old aristocratic family. He had at his disposal two heavy ships, the San Gabriel and the San Rafael, a light fast ship, the Berriu, and a transport ship with supplies. The crew of all ships reached 140-170 people.

2 Swimming

The ships passed by the Canary Islands, separated in the fog and gathered at the Cape Verde Islands. The journey was hampered by headwinds. Vasco da Gama turned to the southwest and, a little before reaching Brazil, thanks to a fair wind, managed to reach the Cape of Good Hope in the most convenient way. On November 22, the flotilla rounded the cape and entered unfamiliar waters.

At Christmas, the ships entered the bay, which was called the Harbor of Christmas (port of Natal). At the end of January 1498, the expedition reached the mouth of the Zambezi River, where it stayed for about a month, repairing ships.

Moving further along the east coast of Africa, the Portuguese reached Mozambique on 2 March. Here began the territories controlled by the Arabs. Vasco da Gama had enough interpreters, so that the further navigation took place along a route that was quite understandable for the Portuguese: they knew the distances, the main ports where they had to stop.

3 India

In a wealthy Somali city, Melinda Gama managed to negotiate with the sheikh, and he provided him with a pilot. With his help, the expedition reached India in May 1498. The ships stopped at the city of Calicut (Kozhikode). The local ruler - zamorin - cordially received the ambassador of the Portuguese captain. However, Gama sent gifts to the ruler that had no value, relations between him and the ruler cooled, and the situation in the city, on the contrary, escalated to the limit. Muslim merchants turned the townspeople against the Portuguese. The ruler did not give Vasco da Gama permission to establish a trading post.

On August 9, before leaving, da Gama turned to the Zamorin with a letter, in which he recalled the promise to send an embassy to Portugal and asked him to send several bags of spices as a gift to the king. However, the ruler of Calicut in response demanded payment of customs duties. He ordered the arrest of several Portuguese, accusing them of espionage. In turn, Vasco da Gama took hostage several noble Calicutians who visited the courts. When the Zamorin returned the Portuguese and part of the goods, Vasco da Gama sent half of the hostages ashore, and took the rest with him. On August 30, the squadron set off on its return journey.

The way back was not easy. On January 2, 1499, the sailors of da Gama saw the Somali port of Mogadishu. In September 1499, Vasco da Gama returned to his homeland a hero, although he lost two ships and two-thirds of the crew, including his beloved brother Paulo.

4 Second voyage to India. departure

Immediately after the opening of the sea route to India, the Portuguese kingdom began to organize annual expeditions there. An expedition in 1500, led by Pedro Alvares Cabral, concluded a trade agreement with the Zamorin of Calicut and established a trading post there. But the Portuguese came into conflict with the Arab merchants of Calicut, the trading post was burned, and Cabral sailed out of the city, firing at him with cannons.

Vasco da Gama was again appointed head of a new large expedition, equipped after the return of Cabral. Part of the flotilla (15 ships out of 20) left Portugal in February 1502.

5 Swimming

Beyond the equator, probably for the purpose of reconnaissance, Gama went, not moving far from land, along the coasts of Arabia and North-West India to the Gulf of Cambay, and from there turned south.

At Kannanur, Gama's ships attacked an Arab ship sailing from Jeddah (the harbor of Mecca) to Calicut with valuable cargo and 400 passengers, mostly pilgrims. Having plundered the ship, Gama ordered the sailors to lock the crew and passengers in the hold, among whom were many old men, women and children, and the bombardiers to set fire to the ship.

6 India

Having made an alliance with the ruler of Kannanur, Gama moved a flotilla against Calicut at the end of October. He began by hanging 38 fishermen on yardarms, who offered fish to the Portuguese, and bombarded the city. At night, he ordered to remove the corpses, cut off the heads, arms and legs, dump the bodies into the boat. Gama attached a letter to the boat saying that this would be the fate of all citizens if they resisted. The tide washed the boat and the stumps of the corpses ashore. The next day, Gama again bombarded the city, plundered and burned a cargo ship approaching it. Leaving seven ships to blockade Calicut, he sent two other ships to Kannanur for spices, and with the rest went for the same cargo to Cochin.

After two "victorious" skirmishes near Calicut with Arab ships, Vasco da Gama in February 1503 led the ships back to Portugal, where he arrived in October with a cargo of spices of great value. After this success, Gama's pension and other incomes were significantly increased, and later he received the title of count.

7 Third voyage

In 1505, King Manuel I, on the advice of Vasco da Gama, established the position of Viceroy of India. Successive Francisco d'Almeida and Affonso d'Albuquerque strengthened Portugal's power on Indian soil and in the Indian Ocean with cruel measures. However, after the death of Albuquerque in 1515, his successors began to cope with their tasks much worse, thinking more about personal enrichment.

The king of Portugal, João III, decided to appoint the 54-year-old harsh and incorruptible Vasco da Gama as the second viceroy. In April 1524, the admiral sailed from Portugal. Vasco da Gama was accompanied by two sons - Estevan da Gama and Paulo da Gama.

8 India. Death

Immediately upon his arrival in India, da Gama took firm action against the abuses of the colonial administration. But on December 24, 1524, Vasco da Gama died of malaria in Cochin.

The famous navigator Vasco da Gama is one of the symbols of Portugal and its pride: he was the first to travel by sea from Europe to India. That's what they told us at school in history lessons. In fact, he was a cruel pirate, a cynical intriguer and a rare despot.

The Portuguese had been sending expeditions along the coast of Africa for half a century to go around it and swim to India. In this distant country there were spices that were worth their weight in gold after the Turks blocked the overland trade route from the east. Don Eshtevan himself was preparing for the expedition, but two of his five sons were destined to complete it.

Vasco was a bastard (he was born before his parents married), and this was reflected in his character. The boy knew that he would not receive an inheritance and had to make his own way in life. And reproaches about the origin only hardened him. In 1480, together with his older brother Paulo, also illegitimate, he took the monastic vows. However, only the first step is obedience.
Some biographers call the subsequent period of Vasco's life "12 mysterious years." For some reason, a young man of not very noble family, and even a bastard, becomes known as a “good knight and faithful vassal” of the king. Perhaps as a teenager he took part in one of the wars with Spain, and later fought with the Muslims in Morocco. And yet it is difficult to explain the case when Vasco beat the judge, and King Juan II, who usually does not tolerate lawlessness, forgave him. Maybe really for merit?

Once again, Vasco appeared on the horizon of history in the year of the first expedition of Columbus: in 1492, the king sent him to rob French ships. When da Gama returned to court, everyone was talking about the fact that the Spaniards had laid a western sea route to India. The only thing left for the Portuguese was the “route” around Africa, which Bartolo-meu Dias discovered in 1488. And here comes another mystery. Juan II did not have time to equip a new expedition, and the new king Manuel I did not favor the da Gama family. Nevertheless, it was not Dias who was appointed its head, but the young Vasco. The king ordered Diash to sail only as far as Guinea and become the commandant of the fortress there.
Six decades later, the historian Gaspar Correira naively assured that Manuel I, accidentally seeing Vasco, was fascinated by his appearance. He really had a pleasant appearance, but this is hardly the reason. There is another version: the mathematician, astronomer and part-time court astrologer Abraham Ben Shmuel Zakuto predicted to King Manuel that two brothers would conquer India. It seems that he mentioned the brothers for a reason: presumably, Zakuto taught Vasco at the university in Evora.
But, most likely, Manuel was simply bribed by Vasco's ability to set a goal and go towards it, immense cruelty, but at the same time flexibility, a talent for deception and intrigue. Such a man was capable of conquering India.

On July 8, 1497, three ships left the port of Lisbon. Interestingly, on the way, Vasco used the advice of Dias, despite the fact that he actually sat him down. When they circled Africa, rebellions began demanding the return. Vasco seized the rebels, tortured, identified the participants in the conspiracy and put everyone in shackles.
As soon as the flotilla reached the trading territory of Arab merchants, the voyage turned into a pirate raid. First of all, Vasks deceived the Sultan Mozambeek, posing as a Muslim. He gave pilots, after which da Gama began mercilessly robbing all passing ships.
Almost a year after sailing, the ships approached the Indian city of Calicut. Its ruler received the Europeans with honors, but soon rightly suspected them of malicious intent and put them under arrest. Vasco and his companions were rescued by local merchants - they hoped that the newcomers would "shorten" the Arab competitors. The ruler eventually even bought the entire cargo, paying with spices. But they did not fill the holds - and da Gama continued to loot.
Once he came across a ship on which there was an admiral from the Goa region, a Spanish Jew. Vasco convinced him - most likely under torture - to help with the attack on his city. On the ship of the admiral, the Portuguese approached the city at night, and he shouted that he had friends with him. "Friends" robbed the court in the port, cutting out everyone who did not have time to escape.
On the way back The Portuguese were mowed down by hunger and scurvy. On September 18, 1499, only two ships and 55 people returned to Lisbon (Paulo, Vasco's brother, also died). At the same time, the expenses for the expedition paid off 60 (!) times. Vasco was showered with honors: he received the right to the prefix "don" to his name, a pension of a thousand gold pieces and his native city of Sines in fief possession. But it was not enough for him: the brand of a bastard burned pride, he wanted to be a count and nothing else. In the meantime, he married Catarina di Ataidi, a girl from a very noble family.

Soon the expedition of Pedro Cabral left for India, but he lost most of the ships and people in the battles (among them was the disgraced Dias), and brought few goods. As a result, the third expedition to India was again led by Vasco. The disruption of Arab trade in the Indian Ocean was now his main goal, and in order to achieve it, he crushed everything in his path. So, having captured an Indian ship, he locked the crew and passengers, including women and children, in the hold, and set fire to the ship. When they nevertheless got out onto the deck, he shot them from cannons, and the survivors were finished off in the water. However, he spared two dozen children ... Having captured more than 800 prisoners in Calicut, Vasco ordered them to be tied up, after cutting off their noses, ears and hands, and also knocking out their teeth so that the unfortunate could not untie the ropes with their help. People were loaded onto the ship and also shot from cannons.
All this was too much even for that cruel time. And this is not hatred towards Muslims, but deliberate acts of intimidation, although personal sadism is not excluded. For example, da Gama captured several Indians and wanted to use them as targets for crossbowmen. And then I learned that these people are Christians (probably Indian Nestorians). Then he ordered ... to call a priest so that fellow believers would be confessed before death.
Upon his return, the king raised Vasco's pension, but did not give the coveted county. Then he threatened that, like Columbus, he would leave Portugal. And he immediately received the title of Count Vidigueira ...

Da Gama achieved everything he wanted: he had a title, lands, wealth, six sons - all of them would also sail to India. But the king did not let him live in peace - already Juan III. In India, the Portuguese administration was mired in corruption, and Vasco was sent to restore order there. He set to work with his inherent thoughtful cruelty, but he did not have time to complete the king's task: on December 24, 1524, he suddenly died of malaria.
The body of Vasco da Gama was transported to Portugal and buried in his county, but in the 19th century the crypt was looted. By the 400th anniversary of his first expedition, the ashes were reburied in Lisbon, but it turned out that the bones were not the same. Others were found, reburied again, although there is no certainty about their authenticity. One thing is certain: this cruel, greedy and morbidly ambitious man will remain one of the greatest sailors in the history of the world.