VASCO DA GAMA'S FIRST VOYAGE TO INDIA

After receiving the reports of Cão, Dias and probably Covilhã in the late 1480s and early 1490s, João II knew that he was tantalisingly close to linking Portugal by sea to the trading world of monsoon Asia. With that objective in mind, he therefore began preparations for a major new expedition – but was soon distracted by internal matters, then immobilised by ill-health. João finally died in 1495, and it was therefore under the patronage of his successor, King Manuel, that the expedition set sail two years later. In command was Vasco da Gama, at the time a service nobleman of no obvious distinction.

Despite an upsurge of interest in Vasco da Gama in the late 1990s – the five hundredth anniversary of his famous voyage – we still know relatively little about his background and early career. However, both his parents came from Sines in Baixo Alentejo, an area long associated with the Order of Santiago, and it is clear Vasco himself was closely identified with this order. As a young man he participated in various military enterprises and probably served for a while in North Africa. He is known to have commanded a minor naval operation in 1492; but, overall, there is nothing unusual in his service record and no evidence he possessed any particular maritime skills or experience.