A Brief Summary of Portuguese attempts to find a Sea Route to India (1450-1609)

Background

For centuries, goods from the east were brought in by Arab merchants at Constantinople (now Istanbul), where they were sold off to European traders at profitable amounts. These traders, in turn, transported the goods, mostly spices and fabrics, across Europe. 

But this well-established trading cycle collapsed in 1453 when the Turks captured Constantinople and stopped the free passage of goods from the Indian subcontinent and the Far East. The Turks demanded unreasonably high taxes and didn't guarantee safety against pirates, making it very difficult for the Europeans to trade peacefully.

Out of desperation, the Europeans started to look for an alternate route to India and beyond.

Map of Trade Routes around Turkey, ca.1028

European Merchants (15th Century AD)

The Journey begins...

During the 1450s, Prince Henry, "The Navigator" of Portugal was making significant attempts to find a different route to India. He believed that going southwards along the African coast would help them achieve a breakthrough and find a course eastwards--but in vain, the Portuguese weren't able to travel beyond the African coast and suffered massive losses due to the costly expeditions.   

A few decades after Prince Henry, King John II took upon the incomplete task; he enlisted famous explorer Bartolomeu Dias to help him in his mission. Dias set sail on his expedition in August 1487; his fleet sailed south along the west African coast, but, as they proceeded, they got caught in a violent storm. The storm lasted for seven full days and the crew lost all sight of land. Finally, the crew was able to sight land on their left; Dias realized that he had rounded the tip of the African continent while being stuck in the storm and was finally proceeding east towards India. But the threat of further storms and the vital need to deliver this information to the King made Dias turn back towards home. As his ships approached the southern tip of Africa, he named the surrounding area the Cape of Storms (which was later changed to the Cape of Good Hope upon John II's suggestion). 

Prince Henry, 'The Navigator' (1394-1460)

Bartolomeu Dias (1450-1500)

Enter Vasco da Gama...

After John II's demise, his successor King Manuel I resumed the task of finding a route to India. He appointed the renowned explorer Vasco da Gama to lead a voyage along the route discovered by Dias. On July 1497, da Gama set sail from Lisbon with four ships and a crew of 170 men. During the voyage, illness stuck the crew, and to make matters worse, the voyagers experienced ruthless storms as they approached the Cape of Good Hope. The morale of the crew fell and they threatened mutiny, but da Gama was determined to achieve his goal at any cost and sternly subdued the mutinous sentiments.

Vasco da Gama (1460-1529)

Once the ships reached the east coast of Africa, da Gama obtained the services of a local Indian pilot who was quite familiar with the routes to India. Finally, on May 20, 1498, Vasco da Gama landed on the Indian port of Kozhikode. 

Port of Kozhikode(Calicut) (ca.15th Century)

After 50 years of brutal struggle, the Portuguese had become the first European power to venture into the waters of the east. The Portuguese would continue to be the dominant western force in the region for the next century and in the process would go on to establish powerful eastern colonies such as Goa and the Moluccas Islands.