2. Biography of the life of Vasco
Da Gama
o Nationality - Portuguese
o Lifespan - 1469 – 1524 (55 years)
o Family - Father was Estevao da
Gama a Portuguese noble and
Courtier
o Education - Well educated befitting
his status
o Career - Explorer and Navigator
o Famous for : Discovered an sea
route from Portugal to the East,
assumed to be impossible feat as it
3. Early Life
o Vasco da Gama was born in Sines,
Province of Alemtejo, Portugal
o He came from a noble Portuguese
family and his father was a
distinguished soldier who attended
the Portuguese court
o Vasco da Gama was well educated
as befitted his status and he had
been taught several languages,
physics, geometry, mathematics and
4. First Voyage
o Sent by King John II
o Started on 8th July,1497
o It consists of 4 ships and a crew
of 179
o 22 November 1497- Sailed around
the Cape of Good Hope
o 25 December 1497- Reached the
coast of Natal
o January 1498 - Reached the mouth
of the Zambezi
o 20 May 1498 - Reached India
o 5 October 1498 - Sets sail for
home
5.
6.
7. Second Voyage
o Sent by King Manuel I
o Started on 12th February 1502
o It consists of 20 war ships
o In this voyage :
o Engaged in privateer actions
against Arab merchant ships
o Destroyed a Calicut fleet of
29 ships
o Extracted favorable trading
concessions
o Returned home in 1503
8. Third Voyage
o Sent by King John III
o Started in 1524
o Aim is to replace the incompetent
Eduardo De
Menezes as viceroy of the
Portuguese possessions
o Contracted Malaria and died on 24th
December, 1524
o Body was 1st buried at St.Francis
Church at Kochi
o Later, his remains were returned
to Portugal in 1539
o The Monastery of Hieronymites was
erected in the honor of his voyage
10. His Contributions
o Found a sea route to India
o Responsible for Portugal's success as an
colonizing power
o His voyages proved vital to maintain
national trade routes to the far east.
