He also believed that he could find and form an alliance with Prester John, who ruled over a Christian empire somewhere in Africa. He dispatched ships to explore the western coast of Africa to expand Portugal’s trade influence. Much of that was due to Henry the Navigator, who, at his base in the southern region of the country, had brought together a team of knowledgeable mapmakers, geographers and navigators. By this time, Portugal had established itself as one of the most powerful maritime countries in Europe. Known as a tough and fearless navigator, da Gama solidified his reputation as a reputable sailor when, in 1492, King John II of Portugal dispatched him to the south of Lisbon and then to the Algarve region of the country, to seize French ships as an act of vengeance against the French government for disrupting Portuguese shipping.įollowing da Gama’s completion of King John II’s orders, in 1495, King Manuel took the throne, and the country revived its earlier mission to find a direct trade route to India. When he was old enough, young Vasco da Gama joined the navy, where was taught how to navigate. Little is known about his upbringing except that he was the third son of Estêvão da Gama, who was commander of the fortress in Sines in the southwestern pocket of Portugal. Vasco da Gama was born into a noble family around 1460 in Sines, Portugal. He subsequently made two other voyages to India, and was appointed as Portuguese viceroy in India in 1524. His success in doing so proved to be one of the more instrumental moments in the history of navigation. In 1497, he was commissioned by the Portuguese king to find a maritime route to the East.

Explorer Vasco da Gama was born in Sines, Portugal, around 1460.

What did vasco da gama die from