Vasco da Gama
![Anonymous portrait, {{circa|1525}}](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/Ignoto_portoghese%2C_ritratto_di_un_cavaliere_dell%27ordine_di_cristo%2C_1525-50_ca._02.jpg)
His initial voyage to India by way of Cape of Good Hope (1497–1499) was the first to link Europe and Asia by an ocean route, connecting the Atlantic and the Indian oceans. This was a milestone in Portuguese maritime exploration as and marked the beginning of a sea-based phase of globalization. Da Gama's discovery of the sea route to India opened the way for an age of global imperialism and enabled the Portuguese to establish a long-lasting colonial empire along the way from Africa to Asia. Traveling the ocean route allowed the Portuguese to avoid sailing across the highly disputed Mediterranean Sea and traversing the dangerous Arabian Peninsula. The sum of the distances covered in the outward and return voyages made this expedition the longest ocean voyage ever made until then.
After decades of sailors trying to reach the Indies, with thousands of lives and dozens of vessels lost in shipwrecks and attacks, da Gama landed in Calicut on 20 May 1498. Unopposed access to the Indian spice routes boosted the economy of the Portuguese Empire, which was previously based along North and coastal West Africa. The main spices at first obtained from Southeast Asia were pepper and cinnamon, but soon included other products, all new to Europe. Portugal maintained a commercial monopoly of these commodities for several decades. It was not until a century later that other European powers were able to challenge Portugal's monopoly and naval supremacy in the Cape Route.
Da Gama led two of the Portuguese India Armadas, the first and the fourth. The latter was the largest and departed for India three years after his return from the first one. For his contributions, in 1524 da Gama was appointed Governor of India, with the title of Viceroy, and was ennobled as Count of Vidigueira in 1519. He remains a leading figure in the history of exploration, and homages worldwide have celebrated his explorations and accomplishments. The Portuguese national epic poem, ''Os Lusíadas'', was written in his honour by Luís de Camões. Provided by Wikipedia
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6by Catarina Vieira, Nuno Bettencourt, Nuno Ferreira, Mónica Carvalho, Vasco GamaGet full text
Published 2018-01-01
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7by Paulo Fonseca, Francisco Sampaio, José Ribeiro, Helena Gonçalves, Vasco GamaGet full text
Published 2015-12-01
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9by Catarina Vieira, Nuno Bettencourt, Nuno Ferreira, Mónica Carvalho, Vasco GamaGet full text
Published 2018-01-01
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14by Ana Isabel Azevedo, Ricardo Fontes-Carvalho, Adelaide Dias, Vasco Gama RibeiroGet full text
Published 2015-10-01
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15by Juliana Silva, Neusa Guiomar, Marisa Passos Silva, Daniel Caeiro, Vasco GamaGet full text
Published 2017-08-01
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16by Ana Isabel Azevedo, Ricardo Fontes-Carvalho, Adelaide Dias, Vasco Gama RibeiroGet full text
Published 2015-10-01
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18by Paulo Fonseca, Paulo Neves, José Ribeiro, Helena Gonçalves, António Couceiro, Vasco GamaGet full text
Published 2014-01-01
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20by Paulo Fonseca, Adelaide Dias, Nuno Bettencourt, Nuno Ferreira, Conceição Fonseca, Vasco GamaGet full text
Published 2014-12-01
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