Navigator and discoverer. Vasco da Gamma "Careful and skillful" "Careful and skillful" Vasco da Gamma (Vasco da Gamma) was born in the small town of Sines, located on the west coast of Portugal. The house where he lived has survived to this day. Even in his youth, da Gama was famous as a “cautious and skillful” navigator, able to control ships and people. In addition, he was an experienced courtier and knew how to get along well with the king and his entourage. After Columbus returned from his first voyage, disputes began to arise between Spain and Portugal over the division of newly discovered lands. Therefore, in Portugal, an expedition began to urgently prepare for a trip to India. The flotilla consisted of four ships, two of which were built under the supervision of the famous Portuguese navigator Bartolomeo Dias, who proposed replacing the oblique sails with rectangular ones and giving the hulls a shallower draft for ease of maneuvering in shallow waters. Taking into account the three-year voyage, special attention was paid to the strength of the ships and equipment; a triple set of sails and ropes was taken. The armament of each ship consisted of 12 bombards. A large amount of food and ammunition was taken, as well as cheap items to exchange with the natives. The flotilla's crew consisted of 168 people, including 10 criminals, taken to carry out the most dangerous assignments. On June 8, 1497, a flotilla consisting of three caravels of the displacement "San Gabriel" under the command of Vasco da Gama, "San Rafael", "Berrida" and "San Michael" left Lisbon and headed for the Cape Verde Islands. Then they went southeast, and a few days later da Gama ordered to turn southwest into hitherto unknown seas. A few days later he ordered a change of course to the east. Thus, the admiral’s genius discovered the most convenient sea route to India for sailing ships. Having rounded the Cape of Good Hope, the flotilla entered the Indian Ocean and continued its journey north along the coast. Soon the cargo ship had to be burned due to its unseaworthiness. Having reached Mozambique, they anchored, but a quarrel broke out between the Portuguese and the Arabs and forced them to hurry up and leave. A month later we approached Mombasa. However, they soon had to flee from there too. At dawn on May 20, 1498, Calicut appeared. From now on, the name of Vasco da Gama, the first European to sail from Portugal to India, became known throughout the world. He proved that the seas around the Indian Peninsula were not inland, as many scientists believed at that time, and mapped the correct outlines of the African continent and India. In September 1499, the surviving 55 members of the expedition returned to Lisbon. The admiral was showered with awards: he was given the title of Count of Vidigueira, the title of Admiral of East India and the Indian Ocean, and was appointed Viceroy of India. A lot of literature personifies Da Gamma as a very noble and kind person. This is wrong. He was a very cruel man. Sometimes he acted like a real pirate! He captured innocent people and robbed ships, killing residents of the places where his ship visited. But at the same time he was very brave! One day, during a strong storm in the area of ​​an undersea earthquake, his team was in a panic. And only Vasco da Gamma remained unperturbed. “Rejoice, friends,” he exclaimed, the sea itself is afraid of us! The admiral made two more trips to India, where he died in 1524. 15 years later, his remains were transported to his homeland. On the tombstone it is written: “Here lies the great Argonaut Don Vasco da Gama, first Count of Vidigueira, admiral of India and its famous discoverer.”

After the return of Bartolomeu Dias, who first circumnavigated Africa and entered the Indian Ocean, discovering the Cape of Storms, renamed the Cape of Good Hope by the King of Portugal, an expedition to India was organized. It was led by the court officer Vasco da Gama, a man who believed that achieving a goal justifies any means. On July 8, 1497, Vasco da Gama sailed to India. The expedition included two heavy ships, a light fast ship and a transport ship with supplies of food and equipment for repairs. All of them were equipped with the most advanced navigation instruments for their time.

On the advice of Dias, the ships had two types of sails - triangular for sailing along the coast and square for sailing in the open sea. The crew was 170 people, among whom were convicts. . After 12 days, the sailors reached Cape Verde, a Portuguese possession on the west coast of Africa. Then Vasco da Gama described a large arc across the Atlantic, finding not the shortest, but the fastest and most convenient route for ships from Lisbon to the Cape of Good Hope. After 93 days, having covered about 6,000 km, the ships reached the Gulf of St. Helena. Never before have sailors spent so much time at sea without calling at ports.

On November 21, 1497, having passed the Cape of Good Hope, the expedition moved along the east coast of Africa. Da Gama named one of the places where they replenished food and water supplies Natal (Christmas), now the Natal province of South Africa. From the crews of Arab ships they learned about the existence of the large port of Mozambique and the trading centers of Mombasa and Malindi. However, they were met with hostility. Arab merchants were afraid of losing their monopoly in trade with India. Only thanks to the fact that Vasco da Gama managed to find out in advance about the intentions of the authorities and quickly go out to the open sea, the expedition managed to escape.

In Malindia, the Portuguese saw merchant ships from India for the first time. The ruler of Malindia, who was at enmity with the Sheikh of Mombasa, provided the Portuguese with an experienced pilot who knew the routes to the shores of Hindustan very well. Taking advantage of the favorable southwest monsoon, the Portuguese ships crossed the ocean in just three weeks, and the coasts of India, covered with lush tropical vegetation, opened up to the sailors' eyes. Three more days of sailing, and finally, on May 20, 1498, the expedition moored at the port of the rich and populous city of Calicut, which today is called Kozhikode.

However, trade relations were not established easily. The arrogance of Vasco da Gama and the intrigues of the Arab merchants led to the fact that the Portuguese ships set off on their return journey with only a small amount of spices. This time the monsoon blew towards the ships, and the journey to the east coast of Africa took longer. The expedition ended in September 1499. In 1502, Vasco da Gama set out again at the head of warships and turned Calicut into a Portuguese colony. At home he was showered with honors and received the title of count.

Only twenty years later, da Gama was appointed viceroy of the Portuguese colonies in India, but did not hold this high post for long, as he was overtaken by death from a serious illness. The ashes of the navigator were transported to Portugal, and the king ordered the inscription to be engraved on his tombstone: “Here lies the great Argonaut Don Vasco da Gama, first Count of Vidigueira, admiral of India and its famous discoverer.”

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Vasco da Gama was born in 1460 (according to another version - in 1469) in the family of the Alcaida of the city of Sines, the Portuguese knight Estevan da Gama (1430-1497) and Isabel Sodre. The future great navigator had several brothers, the eldest of whom, Paulo, later also participated in the voyage to India. The da Gama family, although not the most noble in the kingdom, was still quite ancient and honored - for example, one of Vasco’s ancestors, Alvaro Annis da Gama, served King Afonso III during the Reconquista, and, having distinguished himself in battles with the Moors, received a knighthood rank. In the 1480s, together with his brothers, Vasco da Gama joined the Order of Santiago. He received his education and knowledge 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 go along the French coast and capture all French ships in the roads. The young nobleman carried out this assignment very quickly and efficiently, and after that the king of France had to return the captured ship. Then for the first time they learned about Vasco da Gama.

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Predecessors of Vasco da Gama. Finding a sea route to India was, in fact, the task of the century for Portugal. The country, located away from the main trade routes of the time, could not participate in world trade with great benefit. Exports were small, and the Portuguese had to buy valuable goods from the East, such as spices, at very high prices, while the country, after the Reconquista and the wars with Castile, was poor and did not have the financial capacity for this. However, the geographical position of Portugal was very favorable for discoveries on the west coast of Africa and attempts to find a sea route to the “land of spices”. This idea began to be implemented by the Portuguese Infante Enrique, who went down in history as Henry the Navigator.

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Henry the Navigator died in 1460. In the same year, it is believed that Vasco da Gama was born, who was destined to complete the work begun by the Infante and his captains. By that time, the Portuguese ships, despite all the successes, had not even reached the equator, and after the death of Enrique, the expeditions ceased for some time. However, after 1470, interest in them increased again, the islands of Sao Tome and Principe were reached, and in 1482-1486 Diogo Can discovered a large stretch of the African coast south of the equator. In 1487, John II sent two officers by land, Peru da Covilha and Afonso de Paiva, in search of Prester John and the “land of spices.” Covilha managed to reach India, but on the way back, having learned that his companion had died in Ethiopia, he went there and was detained there by order of the emperor. However, Covilha managed to send home a report on his journey, in which he confirmed that it was quite possible to reach India by sea, circumnavigating Africa. Almost at the same time, Bartolomeu Dias discovered the Cape of Good Hope, circled Africa and entered the Indian Ocean, thereby finally proving that Africa does not extend to the Pole itself, as ancient scientists believed. However, the sailors of Dias's flotilla refused to sail further, which is why the navigator was unable to reach India and was forced to return to Portugal.

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Based on Dias' discoveries and information sent by Covilhã, the king planned to send a new expedition. However, over the next few years she was never fully equipped, perhaps because the sudden death in an accident of the king's favorite son, the heir to the throne, plunged him into deep grief and distracted him from public affairs; and only after the death of João II in 1495, when Manuel I ascended the throne, serious preparations for a new naval expedition to India continued.

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The expedition was carefully prepared. Especially for her, during the lifetime of King João II, under the leadership of the experienced navigator Bartolomeu Dias, who had previously explored the route around Africa and knew what type of ship design was needed to sail in those waters, four ships were built. “San Gabriel” (flagship ship) and “San Rafael” under the command of Vasco da Gama’s brother, Paulo, which were the so-called “nau” - large three-masted ships with a displacement of 120-150 tons, with quadrangular sails, a lighter and more maneuverable caravel "Berriu" with slanting sails (captain - Nicolau Coelho) and a transport ship for transporting supplies under the command of Gonçalo Nunez.

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The expedition had the best maps and navigation instruments at its disposal. The outstanding sailor Peru Alenquer, who had previously sailed to the Cape of Good Hope with Dias, was appointed chief navigator. Not only sailors went on the voyage, but also a priest, a scribe, an astronomer, as well as several translators who knew Arabic and the native languages ​​of equatorial Africa. The total number of crew, according to various estimates, ranged from 100 to 170 people. 10 of them were convicted criminals who were supposed to be used for the most dangerous assignments. Considering that the voyage was supposed to last many months, they tried to load as much drinking water and provisions into the holds of the ships as possible. The diet of sailors was standard for long voyages of that time: the basis of nutrition was crackers and porridge from peas or lentils. Also, each participant was given half a pound of corned beef per day (on fast days it was replaced with fish that was caught along the way), 1.25 liters of water and two mugs of wine, a little vinegar and olive oil. Sometimes, to diversify the diet, onions, garlic, cheese and prunes were given.

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In addition to the government allowance, each sailor was entitled to a salary of 5 cruzadas for each month of voyage, as well as the right to a certain share in the spoils. Officers and navigators, of course, received much more. The Portuguese took the issue of arming the crew with the utmost seriousness. The sailors of the flotilla were armed with a variety of bladed weapons, pikes, halberds and powerful crossbows, wore leather breastplates as protection, and officers and some soldiers had metal cuirasses. The presence of any hand-held firearms was not mentioned, but the armada was excellently equipped with artillery: even the small Berriu had 12 guns, the San Gabriel and San Rafael each carried 20 heavy guns, not counting the falconets .

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Path. On July 8, 1497, the armada solemnly left Lisbon. Soon the Portuguese ships reached the Canary Islands, but Vasco da Gama ordered them to be bypassed, not wanting to reveal the purpose of the expedition to the Spaniards. A short stop was made at the Portuguese-owned Cape Verde Islands, where the flotilla was able to replenish supplies. Somewhere off the coast of Sierra Leone, Gama, on the advice of Bartolomeu Dias (whose ship first sailed with the squadron, and then headed to the fortress of São Jorge da Mina on the Guinean coast, where Dias was appointed governor), to avoid headwinds, moved southwest and deepened into the Atlantic Ocean, only after the equator turning again to the southeast. More than three months passed before the Portuguese saw land again.

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On November 4, the ships dropped anchor in the bay, which was given the name St. Helena. Here Vasco da Gama ordered a stop for repairs. However, the Portuguese soon came into conflict with the locals and an armed clash occurred. The well-armed sailors did not suffer serious losses, but Vasco da Gama himself was wounded in the leg by an arrow. Much later, this episode was described in great detail by Camões in his poem “The Lusiads.” Towards the end of December 1497, for the religious holiday of Christmas, Portuguese ships sailing northeast were approximately opposite the high coast called Gama Natal ("Christmas"). On January 11, 1498, the flotilla stopped at the mouth of a river. When the sailors landed on the shore, a crowd of people approached them, sharply different from those whom they had met before in the country of Congo and speaking the local Bantu language, addressed those who approached, and they understood him (all languages ​​of the Bantu family are similar). The country was densely populated by farmers processing iron and non-ferrous metals: sailors saw them with iron tips on arrows and spears, daggers, copper bracelets and other jewelry. They greeted the Portuguese friendly, and Gama called this land “The Country of Good People.” Moving north, on January 25 the ships entered the estuary, where several rivers flowed. Residents here also welcomed foreigners well.

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A week later, the flotilla approached the port city of Mombasa, Gama detained an Arab dhow at sea, plundered it and captured 30 people. On 14 April he anchored in Malindi Harbour. The local sheikh greeted Gama friendly, since he himself was at enmity with Mombasa. He entered into an alliance with the Portuguese against a common enemy and gave them a reliable old pilot, Ibn Majid, who was supposed to lead them to South-West India. The Portuguese left Malindi with him on April 24. Ibn Majid headed northeast and, taking advantage of the favorable monsoon, brought the ships to India, the coast of which appeared on May 17. Seeing Indian land, Ibn Majid moved away from the dangerous shore and turned south. Three days later, a high cape appeared, probably Mount Delhi. Then the pilot approached the admiral with the words: “This is the country you were striving for.” By the evening of May 20, 1498, the Portuguese ships, having advanced 100 kilometers to the south, stopped in a roadstead against the city of Calicut (now Kozhikode).

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On the return route, the Portuguese captured several merchant ships. In turn, the ruler of Goa wanted to lure and capture the squadron in order to use the ships in battle with their neighbors. I had to fend off pirates. The three-month route to the shores of Africa was accompanied by heat and illness of the crews. And only on January 2, 1499, the sailors saw the rich city of Mogadishu. Not daring to land with a small team exhausted by hardships, Da Gama ordered “to be on the safe side” to bombard the city. On January 7, the sailors arrived in Malindi, where in five days, thanks to good food and fruits provided by the sheikh, the sailors became stronger. But still, the crews were so reduced that on January 13, one of the ships had to be burned at a parking lot south of Mombasa. On January 28, we passed the island of Zanzibar, and on February 1, we made a stop at the island of Sao Jorge, near Mozambique, and on March 20, we rounded the Cape of Good Hope. On April 16, a fair wind carried the ships to the Cape Verde Islands. From there, Vasco da Gama sent ahead a ship, which on July 10 brought news of the expedition's success to Portugal. The captain-commander himself was delayed due to his brother’s illness.

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Interesting facts During one of his travels, Vasco da Gama traded a bull and ivory items with African natives for several red caps. During the expedition, out of hundreds of sailors, only 55 survived. Vasco da Gama was distinguished by his cruelty towards the population of India, arguing that there were many Muslims among them. Thus, he destroyed several dozen ships of Calicut and Arab merchants and traders, and fired on Goa and Calicut. A Brazilian football club is named after Vasco da Gama. In 1998, the 500th anniversary of Vasco da Gama's first voyage was widely celebrated. On April 4, at the mouth of the Tagus (Lisbon), the longest bridge in Europe, named in honor of the great navigator, was inaugurated. A city in Goa is named after Vasco da Gama.

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Reasons Preparation and departure Africa and arrival in India Return home With the end of the reconquista (in Portugal it ended in the middle of the 13th century, in Spain - at the end of the 15th century), a mass of small landed nobles - hidalgos, for whom the war with the Moors was the only occupation, remained without causes. It was from among the 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,” one contemporary writes about the Spanish conquistadors. Finally, the royal power was very interested in opening new countries and trade routes. The impoverished peasantry and underdeveloped cities, experiencing heavy feudal oppression, could not give the kings enough money to cover the expenses that their regime required. In addition, the numerous warlike nobles left idle after the reconquista posed a danger to the king and the cities, since they could easily be used by large feudal lords in the fight against royal power. The sea route connecting Italian trading cities with the countries of 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, expansion was possible only towards the unknown Atlantic Ocean, because trade along the Mediterranean Sea had already been previously captured by the powerful sea cities of the republics of Italy, and trade along the North and Baltic seas - by the union of German cities by the Hanseatic League. The geographical position of the Iberian Peninsula, extended far to the west into the Atlantic Ocean, favored this direction of expansion. When in the 15th century In Europe, the need to look for new sea routes to the East intensified; the least interested in these searches was the Hansa, which monopolized all trade between the countries of North-Western Europe, as well as Venice, which also had enough Mediterranean trade. In addition, the Arab states in North-West Africa were strong and did not allow the Portuguese to expand east along the Mediterranean coast. Then Portugal and Spain began to look for new sea routes across the Atlantic Ocean. Spices were used to improve the taste of food, store and disinfect products. The monopoly on the spice trade was maintained by the Arabs, who bought pepper, cinnamon and other seasonings in Indian ports: Calicut, Cochin, Kananur, and then delivered them on small ships to the port of Jeddah near Mecca. Then caravans through the desert brought the cargo to Cairo, where it was floated on barges along the Nile to Alexandria. And there the spices were sold to Italian merchants from Venice and Genoa. They, in turn, distributed the goods throughout Europe. Of course, at each stage the price of spices increased, and at the final points it became exorbitant. Portugal longed for the opening of a sea route to India. A document has been preserved confirming that soldiers in Genoa received part of their salary in gold coins, and part in spices by the weight of these coins. It began in 1495. Vasco da Gama developed the theoretical part, and under the leadership of Bartolomeu Dias, ships were built at that time, taking into account all the achievements of those times. The slanting sails were changed to rectangular, which increased the stability of the ships by reducing their draft. In case of clashes with Arab pirates, 12 guns were placed on the decks. The displacement was increased to 100-120 tons for large supplies of food 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 at intervals of many months. The ships, in addition to food for the sailors, carried beans, flour, lentils, prunes, onions, garlic and sugar. They did not forget to put goods for trade with African aborigines in the holds: striped and bright red fabrics, corals, bells, knives, scissors, cheap tin jewelry for exchange for gold and ivory. The experienced Gonçalo Alvares was appointed captain of the flagship San Gabriel. Da Gama entrusted the second ship San Rafael to his brother Paulo. In addition, the expedition also included the San Miguel (another name for Berriu), an old light ship with slanting sails under the command of Nicolau Coelho, and an unnamed cargo ship under the command of Captain Gonçalo Nunez. The average speed of the flotilla with favorable winds could be 6.5-8 knots. The core of the 168-person team was made up of those who sailed with Bartolomeu Dias. 10 people from the team were criminals released from prison specifically for the expedition. It was not a pity to plant them for reconnaissance in especially dangerous areas of Africa. On July 8, 1497, during a prayer service, all travelers were traditionally absolved of their sins (this tradition was once begged by Henry the Navigator from Pope Martin V). Vasco da Gama and Bartolomeu Dias boarded. A cannon salvo was heard and 4 ships left the port of Lisbon. Then the ships found themselves in a belt of strong eastern winds, which did not allow them to move forward along the known route along Africa. Somewhere in the region of 10° north latitude, da Gama first showed himself decisively - he ordered to turn southwest 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. The caravels moved 800 nautical miles from Africa. For three months the ships did not see 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 future use. The health of the team was significantly undermined. But a convenient route with favorable air flows to the Cape of Good Hope was opened. 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 today, rare sailing ships sail exactly along this route. After the equator, the ships were finally able to turn east without losing the wind they needed. On October 27, the sailors saw whales, then birds and algae - land was nearby. It was the African coast near St. Helena Bay. Here da Gama planned to stay: in addition to replenishing supplies, it was necessary to heel the ships, that is, pull them ashore and clear the bottom of shells and mollusks, which seriously slowed down the speed 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 local residents - the short, warlike Bushmen. After the expedition commander was wounded in the leg, he had to urgently set sail. After 93 days of sailing, the sailors reached the Cape of Good Hope, and on November 22, 1497, the squadron rounded the cape. At this time, one damaged ship was sunk. On November 25, the remaining ships entered the Bay of Saint Blas (San Bras - now Mosselbay in South Africa). The Hottentots who emerged from the jungle were intimidated by shots from bombards, and a post - padran - was installed at the landing site. On December 16, the squadron reached the last point reached by B. Dias - Rio do Infante. Then Vasco de Gama became the discoverer. After four months of sailing and 4,400 km covered, the Portuguese stopped in St. Helena Bay. There was a way to the 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 collapse again. Several dozen people died. European sailors also faced other hitherto unknown problems: currents of unprecedented strength running along shoals and reefs, as well as many weeks of calm. The Portuguese stayed in the Mozambican port of Quelimane for more than a month, and only then sailed up the Mozambique Strait, which separates Africa and the island. Madagascar. The strait is the longest strait on Earth - about 1760 km, the smallest width is 422 km, the smallest depth is 117 m. At this stage we had to walk very carefully and only during the day. 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). Residents of the city initially mistook the Portuguese for their co-religionists, since the clothes of the sailors were worn out and lost their national characteristics. The local ruler even gave Vasco da Gama a rosary as a sign of friendship. But the arrogant and arrogant captain considered the townspeople to be savages and tried to offer the emir a red cap as a gift. The local ruler indignantly rejected such a gift. On April 7, the Portuguese approached another major port on the way - Mombasa (now a city in Kenya), where the Arabs tried to seize the caravels by force. 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. On April 14, the sailors were warmly received at the port of Malindi, just 120 km north of Mombasa. Here Vasco da Gama saw 4 ships from India. Then he realized that India could be reached. The local emir was an enemy of Sheikh Mombasa, and wanted to acquire new allies, especially those 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 walked the seas using an astrolabe. He left behind navigational manuals, some of which have been preserved and are in a museum in Paris. At that time, the Arabs were significantly superior to the Portuguese in both maritime navigation and astronomy. Now it was possible to follow the course exactly. 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, the sailors saw the Indian coast. The Sheikh provided them with the most famous pilot of the Indian seas, Ahmed ibn Majid of Oman. Ahmed walked the seas using an astrolabe. He left behind navigational manuals, some of which have been preserved and are in a museum in Paris. At that time, the Arabs were significantly superior to the Portuguese in both maritime navigation and astronomy. Now it was possible to follow the course exactly. 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, the sailors saw the Indian coast. On May 20, 1498, the captain of the San Gabriel saw the coast of India near the city of Calicut (now the city of Kozhikode in the Indian state of Kerala). Thus, thanks to the skill of an experienced Arab, a 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 harbor 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 luxury goods that the rich in Europe dreamed of were delivered here. Everything was sold in the markets of Calicut. Vasco asked to be carried to an audience with the ruler in a palanquin, surrounded by trumpeters and standard-bearers. The local prince (zamorin), rightfully considering himself the “ruler of the sea,” greeted da Gama and his closest assistant, officer Fernand Martin, cordially. And, imagine, da Gama gave such a ruler cheap Andalusian striped cloth, the same red caps and a box of sugar as he gave to the leaders of African tribes! The Zamorin rejected the gifts, just as the ruler of Mozambique had once done. And soon the Rajah heard about the atrocities of the Portuguese in Africa. However, Vasco da Gama asks the ruler to give permission to establish a trading post in Calicut. But the Zamorin refused, allowing the newcomers only to sell their goods and leave. The goods were difficult to sell only after 2 months. Spices, copper, mercury, amber and jewelry were purchased with the proceeds. Arab merchants, sensing competition, persuaded the Zamorin to burn their ships. Before heading back, Da Gama invited the Zamorin to make a gift to the Portuguese king, namely, to load about half a ton of cinnamon and cloves. The Zamorin was so offended by this that he ordered da Gama to remain ashore under house arrest and demanded a large fee for the spices already purchased. Until the duty is paid, the Portuguese remaining on the shore are taken prisoner. In response, da Gama captured the nobles of Calicut. The parliamentarian brought a letter from the Portuguese with a threat: all the captives would be taken overseas forever if the Indians did not immediately lift the seizure of the items already purchased and release the officer Diego Dias, who was stuck on the shore with some goods. The Zamorin conceded. An exchange of hostages took place and the Portuguese were taken to the ships. However, da Gama released only 6 high-ranking hostages out of 10, promising to release the rest after the return of the detained goods. But since the goods were not returned, the expedition left Calicut with hostages on board. The journey back to Africa turned out to be 4 times longer. In a hopeless situation, da Gama was forced to leave India before the favorable northeast monsoon, which the Arabs always used, blew out. Now the journey to Africa took three whole months: from the beginning of October 1498 to January 2, 1499. Scurvy and fever took away another 30 people from the already small crew, so that now there were literally 7-8 able-bodied sailors on each ship instead of 42 in the state, which was clearly not enough to manage the courts. On January 7, the sailors reached friendly Malindi. We managed to load food and water again. Of the three ships, the caravel "San Rafael" fared the worst. The remnants of the crew, having transferred the cargo from the holds, moved to the flagship, and burned the caravel. On January 28, 1948, the sailors passed the island. Zanzibar, and on February 1 we made a stop on the island. San Jorge near Mozambique. After that, on March 20, they rounded the Cape of Good Hope, and then sailed for 27 days with a fair wind to Cape Verde, where 2 ships arrived on April 16. There they found themselves in a dead calm, and then immediately in a storm. The first ship to arrive in Lisbon on July 10, 1499, with news of the success of the expedition, was the San Miguel under the command of Coelho. After the death of his brother, Vasco da Gama did not think about a triumphant return, and entrusted the command of the San Gabriel caravel to Joan da Sa. Nevertheless, when da Gama's ship returned to Lisbon a few weeks later, on September 18, 1499, it was greeted with great solemnity. The price of the greatest geographical discovery in the history of mankind was as follows: on July 8, 1497, 168 people on 4 ships set off for the shores of India, and in September 1499, only 55 sailors on two ships returned to Lisbon. In more than two years they swam 40 thousand km. For the first time, more than 4 thousand km of the eastern coast of Africa from the mouth of the Great Fish River to the port of Malindi were plotted on Portuguese maps. It seemed then that Vasco de Gama had discovered a richer 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 “Don” and a pension of 1000 cruzadas, the right to eternal duty-free export of any goods from the newly discovered India. However, this seemed not enough to the recipient himself, and he asked to be given his hometown of Sines as his personal possession. But the city then belonged to the Order of St. James. 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 award Vasco da Gama the title of “Admiral of the Indian Ocean” with all honors and privileges. Soon the navigator married Dona Catarina de Ataida, the daughter of a very influential dignitary. After the death of his brother, humane traits in the character of Vasco da Gama no longer appeared. On the contrary, this man inspired fear among his contemporaries.

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Vasco da Gama - the great navigator

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Vasco da Gama was born in 1460 (according to another version - in 1469) in the family of the Alcaida of the city of Sines, the Portuguese knight Estevan da Gama (1430-1497) and Isabel Sodre. The future great navigator had several brothers, the eldest of whom, Paulo, later also participated in the voyage to India. The da Gama family, although not the most noble in the kingdom, was still quite ancient and honored - for example, one of Vasco’s ancestors, Alvaro Annis da Gama, served King Afonso III during the Reconquista, and, having distinguished himself in battles with the Moors, received a knighthood rank. In the 1480s, together with his brothers, Vasco da Gama joined the Order of Santiago. He received his education and knowledge 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 go along the French coast and capture all French ships in the roads. The young nobleman carried out this assignment very quickly and efficiently, and after that the king of France had to return the captured ship. Then for the first time they learned about Vasco da Gama.

Slide 3

Finding a sea route to India was, in fact, the task of the century for Portugal. The country, located away from the main trade routes of the time, could not participate in world trade with great benefit. Exports were small, and the Portuguese had to buy valuable goods from the East, such as spices, at very high prices, while the country, after the Reconquista and the wars with Castile, was poor and did not have the financial capacity for this. However, the geographical position of Portugal was very favorable for discoveries on the west coast of Africa and attempts to find a sea route to the “land of spices”. This idea began to be implemented by the Portuguese Infante Enrique, who went down in history as Henry the Navigator.

Predecessors of Vasco da Gama.

Henry the Navigator

Slide 4

Henry the Navigator died in 1460. In the same year, it is believed that Vasco da Gama was born, who was destined to complete the work begun by the Infante and his captains. By that time, the Portuguese ships, despite all the successes, had not even reached the equator, and after the death of Enrique, the expeditions ceased for some time. However, after 1470, interest in them increased again, the islands of Sao Tome and Principe were reached, and in 1482-1486 Diogo Can discovered a large stretch of the African coast south of the equator. In 1487, John II sent two officers by land, Peru da Covilha and Afonso de Paiva, in search of Prester John and the “land of spices.” Covilha managed to reach India, but on the way back, having learned that his companion had died in Ethiopia, he went there and was detained there by order of the emperor. However, Covilha managed to send home a report on his journey, in which he confirmed that it was quite possible to reach India by sea, circumnavigating Africa. Almost at the same time, Bartolomeu Dias discovered the Cape of Good Hope, circled Africa and entered the Indian Ocean, thereby finally proving that Africa does not extend to the Pole itself, as ancient scientists believed. However, the sailors of Dias's flotilla refused to sail further, which is why the navigator was unable to reach India and was forced to return to Portugal.

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Based on Dias' discoveries and information sent by Covilhã, the king planned to send a new expedition. However, over the next few years she was never fully equipped, perhaps because the sudden death in an accident of the king's favorite son, the heir to the throne, plunged him into deep grief and distracted him from public affairs; and only after the death of João II in 1495, when Manuel I ascended the throne, serious preparations for a new naval expedition to India continued.

Slide 6

The expedition was carefully prepared. Especially for her, during the lifetime of King João II, under the leadership of the experienced navigator Bartolomeu Dias, who had previously explored the route around Africa and knew what type of ship design was needed to sail in those waters, four ships were built. “San Gabriel” (flagship ship) and “San Rafael” under the command of Vasco da Gama’s brother, Paulo, which were the so-called “nau” - large three-masted ships with a displacement of 120-150 tons, with quadrangular sails, a lighter and more maneuverable caravel "Berriu" with slanting sails (captain - Nicolau Coelho) and a transport ship for transporting supplies under the command of Gonçalo Nunez.

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Flagship "San Gabriel"

ship "San Rafael"

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The expedition had the best maps and navigation instruments at its disposal. The outstanding sailor Peru Alenquer, who had previously sailed to the Cape of Good Hope with Dias, was appointed chief navigator. Not only sailors went on the voyage, but also a priest, a scribe, an astronomer, as well as several translators who knew Arabic and the native languages ​​of equatorial Africa. The total number of crew, according to various estimates, ranged from 100 to 170 people. 10 of them were convicted criminals who were supposed to be used for the most dangerous assignments. Considering that the voyage was supposed to last many months, they tried to load as much drinking water and provisions into the holds of the ships as possible. The diet of sailors was standard for long voyages of that time: the basis of nutrition was crackers and porridge from peas or lentils. Also, each participant was given half a pound of corned beef per day (on fast days it was replaced with fish that was caught along the way), 1.25 liters of water and two mugs of wine, a little vinegar and olive oil. Sometimes, to diversify the diet, onions, garlic, cheese and prunes were given.

Slide 9

In addition to the government allowance, each sailor was entitled to a salary of 5 cruzadas for each month of voyage, as well as the right to a certain share in the spoils. Officers and navigators, of course, received much more. The Portuguese took the issue of arming the crew with the utmost seriousness. The sailors of the flotilla were armed with a variety of bladed weapons, pikes, halberds and powerful crossbows, wore leather breastplates as protection, and officers and some soldiers had metal cuirasses. The presence of any hand-held firearms was not mentioned, but the armada was excellently equipped with artillery: even the small Berriu had 12 guns, the San Gabriel and San Rafael each carried 20 heavy guns, not counting the falconets .

Slide 10

On July 8, 1497, the armada solemnly left Lisbon. Soon the Portuguese ships reached the Canary Islands, but Vasco da Gama ordered them to be bypassed, not wanting to reveal the purpose of the expedition to the Spaniards. A short stop was made at the Portuguese-owned Cape Verde Islands, where the flotilla was able to replenish supplies. Somewhere off the coast of Sierra Leone, Gama, on the advice of Bartolomeu Dias (whose ship first sailed with the squadron, and then headed to the fortress of São Jorge da Mina on the Guinean coast, where Dias was appointed governor), to avoid headwinds, moved southwest and deepened into the Atlantic Ocean, only after the equator turning again to the southeast. More than three months passed before the Portuguese saw land again.

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Vasco da Gama's sailing to India

Slide 12

On November 4, the ships dropped anchor in the bay, which was given the name St. Helena. Here Vasco da Gama ordered a stop for repairs. However, the Portuguese soon came into conflict with the locals and an armed clash occurred. The well-armed sailors did not suffer serious losses, but Vasco da Gama himself was wounded in the leg by an arrow. Much later, this episode was described in great detail by Camões in his poem “The Lusiads.” Towards the end of December 1497, for the religious holiday of Christmas, Portuguese ships sailing northeast were approximately opposite the high coast called Gama Natal ("Christmas"). On January 11, 1498, the flotilla stopped at the mouth of a river. When the sailors landed on the shore, a crowd of people approached them, sharply different from those whom they had met before in the country of Congo and speaking the local Bantu language, addressed those who approached, and they understood him (all languages ​​of the Bantu family are similar). The country was densely populated by farmers processing iron and non-ferrous metals: sailors saw them with iron tips on arrows and spears, daggers, copper bracelets and other jewelry. They greeted the Portuguese friendly, and Gama called this land “The Country of Good People.” Moving north, on January 25 the ships entered the estuary, where several rivers flowed. Residents here also welcomed foreigners well.

Slide 13

A week later, the flotilla approached the port city of Mombasa, Gama detained an Arab dhow at sea, plundered it and captured 30 people. On 14 April he anchored in Malindi Harbour. The local sheikh greeted Gama friendly, since he himself was at enmity with Mombasa. He entered into an alliance with the Portuguese against a common enemy and gave them a reliable old pilot, Ibn Majid, who was supposed to lead them to South-West India. The Portuguese left Malindi with him on April 24. Ibn Majid headed northeast and, taking advantage of the favorable monsoon, brought the ships to India, the coast of which appeared on May 17. Seeing Indian land, Ibn Majid moved away from the dangerous shore and turned south. Three days later, a high cape appeared, probably Mount Delhi. Then the pilot approached the admiral with the words: “This is the country you were striving for.” By the evening of May 20, 1498, the Portuguese ships, having advanced 100 kilometers to the south, stopped in a roadstead against the city of Calicut (now Kozhikode).

Slide 14

On the return route, the Portuguese captured several merchant ships. In turn, the ruler of Goa wanted to lure and capture the squadron in order to use the ships in battle with their neighbors. I had to fend off pirates. The three-month route to the shores of Africa was accompanied by heat and illness of the crews. And only on January 2, 1499, the sailors saw the rich city of Mogadishu. Not daring to land with a small team exhausted by hardships, Da Gama ordered “to be on the safe side” to bombard the city. On January 7, the sailors arrived in Malindi, where in five days, thanks to good food and fruits provided by the sheikh, the sailors became stronger. But still, the crews were so reduced that on January 13, one of the ships had to be burned at a parking lot south of Mombasa. On January 28, we passed the island of Zanzibar, and on February 1, we made a stop at the island of Sao Jorge, near Mozambique, and on March 20, we rounded the Cape of Good Hope. On April 16, a fair wind carried the ships to the Cape Verde Islands. From there, Vasco da Gama sent ahead a ship, which on July 10 brought news of the expedition's success to Portugal. The captain-commander himself was delayed due to his brother’s illness.

Slide 15

Only on September 18, 1499, Vasco da Gama solemnly returned to Lisbon. Only two ships and 55 people returned. At the cost of the death of the rest, the path to South Asia around Africa was opened. Already in 1500-1501, the Portuguese began trading with India, then, using armed force, they founded their strongholds on the territory of the peninsula, and in 1511 they captured Malacca, the true land of spices. Upon his return, the king awarded Vasco da Gama the title of “don”, as a representative of the nobility, and a pension of 1000 cruzadas.

Slide 16

During one of his travels, Vasco da Gama traded a bull and ivory items with African natives for several red caps. During the expedition, out of hundreds of sailors, only 55 survived. Vasco da Gama was distinguished by his cruelty towards the population of India, arguing that there were many Muslims among them. Thus, he destroyed several dozen ships of Calicut and Arab merchants and traders, and fired on Goa and Calicut. A Brazilian football club is named after Vasco da Gama. In 1998, the 500th anniversary of Vasco da Gama's first voyage was widely celebrated. On April 4, at the mouth of the Tagus (Lisbon), the longest bridge in Europe, named in honor of the great navigator, was inaugurated. A city in Goa is named after Vasco da Gama.

Interesting Facts