Presentation on the theme of Vasco da Gama. Great travelers: Vasco da Gama. Fragments from the presentation

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 who knew how to manage ships and people. In addition, he was an experienced courtier and knew how to get along well with the king and his entourage.

After the return of Columbus from the first voyage, more and more disputes began to arise between Spain and Portugal about 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, of which two were built under the supervision of the famous Portuguese navigator Bartolome Dias, who proposed replacing oblique sails with rectangular ones and, for ease of maneuvering in shallow waters, to give the hulls a smaller draft. Based on a 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. Columba Bombard Columba Bombard A large amount of food and ammunition was taken, as well as cheap things to exchange with the natives. The crew of the flotilla consisted of 168 people, including 10 criminals taken to carry out the most dangerous assignments.

Then they went to the southeast, and a few days later da Gama ordered to turn southwest into hitherto unknown seas. A few days later, he ordered to change course to the east. So the genius of the admiral opened the most convenient sea route for sailing ships to India. On June 8, 1497, a flotilla consisting of three caravels with a displacement of "San Gabriel" under the command of Vasco da Gama, "San Rafael", "Berrid" and "San Michael" left Lisbon and headed for the Cape Verde Islands.

Rounding the Cape of Good Hope, the flotilla entered the Indian Ocean, and continued north along the coast. Soon, the cargo ship had to be burned due to unsuitability for navigation. Having reached Mozambique, they anchored, but the outbreak of a quarrel between the Portuguese and the Arabs forced them to hurry with the departure. A month later they approached Mombasa. However, they 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 who passed by sea from Portugal to India, became known to the whole 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 remaining 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 the East Indies 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 not true. He was very Cruel person. Sometimes he acted like a real pirate! He took innocent people prisoner and robbed ships, killed the inhabitants of those places where his ship entered. But at the same time he was very brave! One day, during a severe storm in the area of an underwater earthquake, his team was in a panic. And only Vasco da Gamma remained imperturbable. "Rejoice, friends," he exclaimed, "the sea itself is afraid of us!"

The admiral made two more trips to India, where he died in 1524. After 15 years, his remains were transported to his homeland. On the tombstone is written: "Here lies the great Argonaut Don Vasco da Gama, the first Count of Vidigueira, Admiral of India and its famous discoverer."

Vasco da Gama was born in 1460 (according to another version in 1469) in the family of the alcaid of the city of Sines, the Portuguese knight Eshtevan da Gama () and Isabel Sodre. The future great navigator had several brothers, the eldest of whom, Paulo, later also participated in the voyage to India. The genus da Gama was, although not the most noble in the kingdom, but still quite ancient and well-deserved, so one of Vasco's ancestors, Alvar Annish da Gama, served during the Reconquista to King Afonso III, and, having distinguished himself in battles with the Moors, received a knighthood . In the 1480s, together with the Vasco da Gama brothers, he entered 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 pass along the French coast and capture all French ships in the raids. 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.

The search for a sea route to India was, in fact, the task of the century for Portugal. A country located away from the main trade routes of that time could not participate in world trade with great profit. Exports were small, and the valuable goods of the East, such as spices, the Portuguese had to buy at very high prices, while the country after the Reconquista and the wars with Castile was poor and did not have financial resources for this. However geographical position Portugal was highly favored by discoveries on west bank Africa and attempts to find a sea route to the "land of spices". This idea was put into practice by the Portuguese Infante Enrique, who went down in history as Henry the Navigator. Henry the Navigator

Henry the Navigator died in 1460. In the same year, it is believed, Vasco da Gama was born, who was destined to complete the work begun by the Infante and his captains. By that time, the ships of the Portuguese, despite all the successes, had not even reached the equator, and after the death of Enrique, the expeditions stopped for some time. However, after 1470, interest in them increased again, the islands of Sao Tome and Principe were reached, and at Diogo Can, a large segment of the African coast was discovered south of the equator. In 1487, João II sent two officers overland, Peru da Covilhã and Afonso de Paiva, in search of Prester John and the "land of spices". Covilhan 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, Covilhã managed to send back to his homeland 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, thus definitively proving that Africa does not extend to the very pole, as ancient scientists believed. However, the sailors of the Dias flotilla refused to sail further, because of which the navigator failed to reach India and was forced to return to Portugal.

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

The expedition was carefully prepared. Especially for her, during the life of King Juan II, under the guidance of an experienced navigator Bartolomeu Dias, who had previously explored the route around Africa and knew what kind of ship design was needed to sail in those waters, four ships were built. "San Gabriel" (flagship) 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 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 Goncalo Nunes.

The expedition had best cards and navigational devices. The outstanding sailor of Peru, Alenker, who had previously sailed to the Cape of Good Hope with Dias, was appointed chief navigator. Not only sailors went on a voyage, but also a priest, a clerk, an astronomer, as well as several translators who knew Arabic and native languages \u200b\u200bof 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 to last for 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-distance voyages of that time: the basis of food was crackers and porridge made from peas or lentils. Also, each participant was entitled to half a pound of corned beef per day (on fast days it was replaced by fish that was caught along the way), 1.25 liters of water and two mugs of wine, a little vinegar and olive oil. Sometimes, in order to diversify the food, onions, garlic, cheese and prunes were given out.

In addition to state allowances, each sailor was entitled to a salary of 5 kruzad for each month of navigation, as well as the right to a certain share in the booty. Officers and navigators, of course, received much more. With the utmost seriousness, the Portuguese treated the issue of arming the crew. The sailors of the flotilla were armed with a variety of cold bladed weapons, pikes, halberds and powerful crossbows, they wore leather breastplates as protection, and the officers and part of the soldiers had metal cuirasses. The presence of any handguns was not mentioned, but the armada was excellently equipped with artillery: even the small Berriu had 12 cannons, the San Gabriel and San Rafael carried 20 heavy guns each, not counting the falconets .

On July 8, 1497, the armada solemnly left Lisbon. Soon the Portuguese ships reached the Canary Islands, but Vasco da Gama ordered to bypass them, not wanting to give the Spaniards the purpose of the expedition. A short stop was made at the Portuguese-owned Cape Verde Islands, where the flotilla was able to resupply. Somewhere near the coast of Sierra Leone, Gama, on the advice of Bartolomeu Dias (whose ship first sailed with a squadron, and then headed for 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.

On November 4, the ships anchored in the bay, which was given the name of St. Helena. Here Vasco da Gama ordered to stop for repairs. However, the Portuguese soon came into conflict with the locals and there was an armed clash. The well-armed sailors did not suffer serious losses, but Vasco da Gama himself was wounded with an arrow in the leg. Much later, this episode will be described in great detail by Camões in his poem The Lusiads. By the end of December 1497, on the religious holiday of Christmas, the Portuguese ships sailing to the northeast were approximately against 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, they were approached by a crowd of people who were very different from those whom they had met earlier in the country of the Congo and who spoke the local Bantu language, addressed a speech to those who came up, and they understood him (all languages of the Bantu family are similar). The country was densely populated by farmers who processed iron and non-ferrous metals: sailors saw iron arrowheads and spearheads, daggers, copper bracelets and other ornaments. They met the Portuguese in a friendly manner, and Gama called this land the "Country of Good People." Moving north, on January 25, ships entered the estuary, where several rivers flowed. Residents here also received strangers well.

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 she anchored in Malindi harbor. The local sheikh greeted Gama in a friendly way, as he himself was at enmity with Mombasa. He made an alliance with the Portuguese against a common enemy and gave them a reliable old pilot, Ibn Majid, who was to lead them to Southwestern India. With him, the Portuguese left Malindi on April 24. Ibn Majid took a course to the northeast and, using 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 coast and turned south. Three days later, a high cape appeared, probably Mount Delhi. Then the pilot approached the admiral with the words: "Here it is the country to which you aspired." By the evening of May 20, 1498, the Portuguese ships, having advanced 100 kilometers to the south, stopped on the roadstead against the city of Calicut (now Kozhikode).

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 the battle with neighbors. I had to fight off the pirates. The three-month route to the coast of Africa was accompanied by heat and sickness 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, yes Gama ordered "for warning" to bombard the city from bombards. On January 7, the sailors arrived in Malindi, where in five days, thanks to good food and fruits provided by the sheikh, the sailors got stronger. But all the same, the crews were so reduced that on January 13, one of the ships had to be burned in the parking lot south of Mombasa. On January 28 they passed the island of Zanzibar, and on February 1 they made a stop at the island of Sao Jorge, off Mozambique, on March 20 they rounded the Cape of Good Hope. On April 16, a tailwind carried the ships to the Cape Verde Islands. From there, Vasco da Gama sent a ship forward, which on July 10 brought news of the success of the expedition to Portugal. The captain-commander himself was delayed due to his brother's illness.

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 the years, 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, a true country of spices. The king, upon his return, awarded Vasco da Gama the title of "don", as a representative of the nobility, and a pension of 1000 crusades.

During one of his travels, Vasco da Gama traded a bull and ivory items from the African natives for a few red hats. During the expedition, out of a hundred sailors, only 55 survived. Vasco da Gama was distinguished by cruelty towards the population of India, arguing that there were many Muslims among them. So, he destroyed several dozen ships of Calicut and Arab merchants and merchants, fired at 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 after the great navigator, was inaugurated. A city in Goa is named after Vasco da Gama.

Vasco Da Gama

Konstantinova Elena Andreevna

MBOUSOSH No. 37 Stavropol

Vasco da Gama - Portuguese navigator of the era of the Great geographical discoveries. Commander of a naval expedition that sailed from Europe to India for the first time in history. 6th Governor of Portuguese India and 2nd Viceroy of India (in 1524), 1st Earl of Vidigueira.

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

The expedition was carefully prepared. Especially for her, during the life of King Juan II, under the guidance of an experienced navigator Bartolomeu Dias, who had previously explored the route around Africa and knew what kind of ship design was needed to sail in those waters, four ships were built. "San Gabriel" (flagship) 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 Goncalo Nunes.

Path. On July 8, 1497, the armada solemnly left Lisbon. Soon the Portuguese ships reached the Canary Islands, but Vasco da Gama ordered to bypass them, not wanting to give the Spaniards the purpose of the expedition. A short stop was made at the Portuguese-owned Cape Verde Islands, where the flotilla was able to resupply. Somewhere near the coast of Sierra Leone, Gama, on the advice of Bartolomeu Dias (whose ship first sailed with a squadron, and then headed for 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.

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 country of spices. The king, upon his return, awarded Vasco da Gama the title of “don”, as a representative of the nobility, and a pension of 1000 crusades

Presentation on the topic "Vasco da Gama" in geography in powerpoint format. This presentation for schoolchildren tells about the great traveler Vasco da Gama, who discovered the sea route to India.

Fragments from the presentation

Vasco da Gama was born in 1460 (according to another version - in 1469) in the family of the alcaid of the city of Sines, the Portuguese knight Eshtevan 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 genus da Gama was, although not the most noble in the kingdom, but still quite ancient and well-deserved - for example, one of Vasco's ancestors, Alvar Annish da Gama, served during the Reconquista to King Afonso III, and, having distinguished himself in battles with the Moors, received a knighthood rank.
In the 1480s, together with the Vasco da Gama brothers, he entered 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 pass along the French coast and capture all French ships in the raids. 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.

Vasco da Gama's predecessors

The search for a sea route to India was, in fact, the task of the century for Portugal. A country located away from the main trade routes of that time could not participate in world trade with great profit. Exports were small, and the valuable goods of the East, such as spices, the Portuguese had to buy at very high prices, while the country after the Reconquista and the wars with Castile was poor and did not have financial resources for this.
However, the geographical position of Portugal was very conducive to the discovery of the western coast of Africa and attempts to find a sea route to the “land of spices”. This idea began to be implemented by the Portuguese infantile Enrique, who went down in history as Henry the Navigator.
Henry the Navigator died in 1460. In the same year, it is believed, Vasco da Gama was born, who was destined to complete the work begun by the Infante and his captains. By that time, the ships of the Portuguese, despite all the successes, had not even reached the equator, and after the death of Enrique, the expeditions stopped 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 segment of the African coast south of the equator.
In 1487, João II sent two officers overland, Peru da Covilhã and Afonso de Paiva, in search of Prester John and the "land of spices". Covilhan 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, Covilhã managed to send back to his homeland 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, thus definitively proving that Africa does not extend to the very pole, as ancient scientists believed. However, the sailors of the Dias flotilla refused to sail further, because of which the navigator failed to reach India and was forced to return to Portugal.
Based on the discoveries of Dias and the information sent by Covilhã, the king planned to send a new expedition. However, over the next few years she was never fully equipped, perhaps due to the fact that the sudden death in an accident of the favorite son of the king, heir to the throne, plunged him into deep grief and distracted him from state affairs; and only after the death of João II in 1495, when Manuel I came to the throne, did serious preparations continue for a new sea expedition to India.
The expedition was carefully prepared. Especially for her, during the life of King Juan II, under the guidance of an experienced navigator Bartolomeu Dias, who had previously explored the route around Africa and knew what kind of ship design was needed to sail in those waters, four ships were built. "San Gabriel" (flagship) 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 Goncalo Nunes.
The expedition had at its disposal the best maps and navigational instruments. The outstanding sailor of Peru, Alenker, who had previously sailed to the Cape of Good Hope with Dias, was appointed chief navigator. Not only sailors went on a voyage, but also a priest, a clerk, an astronomer, as well as several translators who knew Arabic and native languages \u200b\u200bof 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 to last for 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-distance voyages of that time: the basis of food was crackers and porridge made from peas or lentils. Also, each participant was entitled to half a pound of corned beef per day (on fast days it was replaced by fish that was caught along the way), 1.25 liters of water and two mugs of wine, a little vinegar and olive oil. Sometimes, in order to diversify the food, onions, garlic, cheese and prunes were given out.
In addition to state allowances, each sailor was entitled to a salary - 5 kruzad for each month of navigation, as well as the right to a certain share in the booty. Officers and navigators, of course, received much more.
With the utmost seriousness, the Portuguese treated the issue of arming the crew. The sailors of the flotilla were armed with a variety of cold bladed weapons, pikes, halberds and powerful crossbows, they wore leather breastplates as protection, and the officers and part of the soldiers had metal cuirasses. The presence of any handguns was not mentioned, but the armada was excellently equipped with artillery: even the small Berriu had 12 cannons, the San Gabriel and San Rafael carried 20 heavy guns each, not counting the falconets .

Path

On July 8, 1497, the armada solemnly left Lisbon. Soon the Portuguese ships reached the Canary Islands, but Vasco da Gama ordered to bypass them, not wanting to give the Spaniards the purpose of the expedition. A short stop was made at the Portuguese-owned Cape Verde Islands, where the flotilla was able to resupply. Somewhere near the coast of Sierra Leone, Gama, on the advice of Bartolomeu Dias (whose ship first sailed with a squadron, and then headed for 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.
On November 4, the ships anchored in the bay, which was given the name of St. Helena. Here Vasco da Gama ordered to stop for repairs. However, the Portuguese soon came into conflict with the locals and there was an armed clash. The well-armed sailors did not suffer serious losses, but Vasco da Gama himself was wounded with an arrow in the leg. Much later, this episode will be described in great detail by Camões in his poem The Lusiads.
By the end of December 1497, on the religious holiday of Christmas, the Portuguese ships sailing to the northeast were approximately against 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, they were approached by a crowd of people who were very different from those whom they had met earlier in the country of the Congo and who spoke the local Bantu language, addressed a speech to those who came up, and they understood him (all languages of the Bantu family are similar). The country was densely populated by farmers who processed iron and non-ferrous metals: sailors saw iron arrowheads and spearheads, daggers, copper bracelets and other ornaments. They met the Portuguese in a friendly manner, and Gama called this land the "Country of Good People." Moving north, on January 25, ships entered the estuary, where several rivers flowed. Residents here also received strangers well.
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 she anchored in Malindi harbor. The local sheikh greeted Gama in a friendly way, as he himself was at enmity with Mombasa. He made an alliance with the Portuguese against a common enemy and gave them a reliable old pilot, Ibn Majid, who was supposed to bring them to Southwestern India. With him, the Portuguese left Malindi on April 24. Ibn Majid took a course to the northeast and, using 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 coast and turned south. Three days later, a high cape appeared, probably Mount Delhi. Then the pilot approached the admiral with the words: "Here it is the country to which you aspired." By the evening of May 20, 1498, the Portuguese ships, having advanced 100 kilometers to the south, stopped on the roadstead against the city of Calicut (now Kozhikode).
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 the battle with neighbors. I had to fight off the pirates. The three-month route to the coast of Africa was accompanied by heat and sickness 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, yes Gama ordered "for warning" to bombard the city from bombards. On January 7, the sailors arrived in Malindi, where in five days, thanks to good food and fruits provided by the sheikh, the sailors got stronger. But all the same, the crews were so reduced that on January 13, one of the ships had to be burned in the parking lot south of Mombasa. On January 28 they passed the island of Zanzibar, and on February 1 they made a stop at the island of Sao Jorge, off Mozambique, on March 20 they rounded the Cape of Good Hope. On April 16, a tailwind carried the ships to the Cape Verde Islands. From there, Vasco da Gama sent a ship forward, which on July 10 brought news of the success of the expedition to Portugal. The captain-commander himself was delayed due to his brother's illness.
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 country of spices. The king, upon his return, awarded Vasco da Gama the title of "don", as a representative of the nobility, and a pension of 1000 crusades.

During one of his travels, Vasco da Gama traded a bull and ivory items from the African natives for a few red hats.
During the expedition, out of a hundred sailors, only 55 survived.
Vasco da Gama was distinguished by cruelty towards the population of India, arguing that there are many Muslims among them. So, he destroyed several dozen ships of Calicut and Arab merchants and merchants, fired at 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 after the great navigator, was inaugurated.
A city in Goa is named after Vasco da Gama.

Causes Preparation and departure Africa and arrival in India Returning 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), the mass of small estate nobles - hidalgos, for whom the war with the Moors was the only occupation, remained without causes. 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. Finally, the royal power was very interested in opening up 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 sea route connecting the 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 only possible towards the unknown Atlantic Ocean, because trade in the Mediterranean had already been captured by the powerful sea cities of the republics of Italy, and trade in the North and Baltic Seas - by the union of 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 least of all in these searches was the Hansa, which monopolized all trade between the countries of North-Western Europe, as well as Venice, which had enough Mediterranean trade. In addition, the Arab states in Northwest Africa were strong and did not allow the Portuguese to expand eastward 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, 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 longed to open a 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. 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 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. The displacement was 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. The ships, in addition to food for sailors, 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. 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. 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. Further, the ships fell into a zone of strong easterly winds, which did not allow them to go forward along the well-known path 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 today, rare sailing ships go exactly along this route. After the equator, the ships, finally, without losing the wind they needed, were able to turn east. On October 27, the sailors saw whales, then birds and algae - the land was nearby. It was the 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 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 St. Blas (San Brush - now Mosselbay in South Africa). The Hottentots who came out of the jungle were frightened by shots from bombards, and a pillar - padran was installed at the landing site. On December 16, the squadron reached the last point reached by B. Dias - Rio to Infante. Later, Vasco de Gama became the discoverer. After four months of sailing and 4400 km traveled, the Portuguese stopped in the bay of St. Helena. There was a road 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 break down again. 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. At this stage, we had to go 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). 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 considered the townspeople 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 capture 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 in 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 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. 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. Now it was possible to go exactly on the course. At the end of April, the red sails of the Portuguese caravels caught the favorable monsoon and moved to the northeast. In just 23 days, 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 sailed the seas using the astrolabe. 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. Now it was possible to go exactly on the course. At the end of April, the red sails of the Portuguese caravels caught the favorable monsoon and moved to the northeast. In just 23 days, the sailors saw the Indian coast. On May 20, 1498, the captain on the San Gabriel saw the 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. Vasco asked to be carried to an audience with the ruler in a palanquin, 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. 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! Zamorin rejected gifts, as once the ruler of Mozambique. And soon the rajah heard about the atrocities of the Portuguese in Africa. However, Vasco da Gama asks the ruler for permission to establish a trading post in Calicut. But the Zamorin refused, allowing the aliens only to sell their goods and leave. Goods were sold with difficulty only after 2 months. With the proceeds, spices, copper, mercury, amber and jewelry were purchased. 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. Zamorin was so offended by this that he ordered da Gama to remain on the shore under house arrest and demanded a large duty for the spices already bought. In the meantime, the duty is not paid, the Portuguese remaining on the shore are taken prisoner. In response, da Gama captured the nobles of Calicut. 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 relented. There was an exchange of hostages and 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 since the goods were not returned, the expedition left Calicut with the hostages on board. 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 carried away 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 to manage the courts. On January 7, the sailors reached the friendly Malindi. We managed to load food and water again. Of the three ships, the San Rafael caravel was the worst. The rest of the team, having transferred cargo from the holds, switched to the flagship, and the caravel was burned. On January 28, 1948, sailors passed about. Zanzibar, and on February 1 made a stop at about. San Jorge off Mozambique. After that, on March 20, they rounded the Cape of Good Hope, and then sailed for 27 days 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. On July 10, 1499, the San Miguel ship under the command of Coelho arrived in Lisbon first with the news of the success of the expedition. After the death of his brother Vasco da Gama, he did not think about a triumphant return, and instructed Joan da Sa to command the San Gabriel caravel. Nevertheless, when a few weeks later, on September 18, 1499, da Gama's ship returned to Lisbon, he was received very solemnly. 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 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 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 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 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. 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.