Have you ever sailed 15,000 miles? Have you gone all the way around Africa by ship before? I donÕt think so. Well, here is a man who did! May I introduce you to. . . Vasco da Gama! Vasco da Gama was a man of many abilities and accomplishments. He found a new way to get to India. This started a new trade route between India and Europe, which had important consequences for the history of Europe, Africa and India. This report will cover how the voyages of Vasco da Gama affected these places.

Born in Sines, Portugal in 1460, Vasco da Gama was the third son of Estevao da Gama. His father was the commander of the Sines fortress and thus he lived there. The early life of Vasco da Gama is not known in complete detail. He did not keep a diary and no one else wrote anything about his early life.

Vasco da Gama is most famous for sailing around the southern tip of Africa and finding a new way to India. In total he made three long voyages to India.

As Vasco da Gama sailed the oceans, he encountered many different cultures in Africa and Asia. He also encountered different religions, namely Islam and Hinduism. The difference in culture, religion and political and economic goals caused some conflicts. This report will include some of these conflicts.

In his first voyage, which started in 1497, Vasco da Gama sailed past the Cape of Good Hope at the south tip of Africa. After stopping in Mozambique, and what is now Kenya, he reached Calicut about ten months later. His return trip took even longer.

Vasco da Gama was sent back to India in 1502 by King Manuel I to restore order and revenge the death of some Portuguese killed in Calicut, and to establish the Portuguese control in the Indian Ocean. This was a rather difficult trip during which Vasco da Gama had to commit many violent fights and acts.

He was sent back in 1524 by King John III. While there, he tried to correct many of the mistakes of the previous Portuguese rulers. He died soon after.

Now that you know the basic facts about da GammaÕs expeditions, I will discuss the effects of his voyages on Africa, India, and Europe.

Part 1 Vasco da Gama and Africa

Africa was not a main objective for Vasco da Gama but more of a supply and recovery stop. During his first voyage he stopped in Mozambique and Mombasa and Malindi, now in Kenya. In his second voyage he stopped in Kilwa, which is in what is now Tanzania.

While in Africa, he interacted mostly with Muslims. Since Vasco da Gama and his crew were Christians, this caused some conflict. Even before this expedition, Christians in Europe had been having problems with the Arabs, which were Muslims, when they took control over Northern Africa, and parts of Spain and Portugal.

An example of a religious conflict is what happened in Mozambique during his first voyage. The Sultan provided Vasco da Gama with two pilots for the rest of his journey. The Sultan did not know that Vasco da Gama and the rest of his crew were Christians. This is most probably the reason that he offered friendship. One of the pilots abandoned them when he realized that the crew of these ships were Christians.

In Kilwa, the emir Ibrahim had been unfriendly to Cabral, an explorer appointed by King Manuel I to further Vasco da GamaÕs explorations. Vasco da Gama stopped in Kilwa during his second voyage, and threatened to burn Kilwa unless he would swear loyalty to King Manuel. This does not only represent a religious conflict, but it is also an indication of an effort to expand Portuguese control in Africa, and an example of colonization.

Colonization has been one of the most important parts of the history of Africa. At the beginning, the Europeans traded with the Africans firearms and other objects more advanced in technology, for salt, minerals, gold and eventually slaves. Later they basically took complete control of a number of African regions. Colonization was good and bad in many ways. It was bad because much of the original culture and rituals were lost and destroyed. It was also bad because it eventually lead into slavery. It also had some positive effects, on the other hand,. It exposed Africa to technology, better education and medicine. Portugal was not a major colonial power in Africa, but through the acts of Vasco da Gama, Portugal played some role.

Another effect of Vasco da GammaÕs voyages on Africa was the establishment of several trade centers that were used by the Europeans on their way to India. I will explain the importance of this new trade route to India in the next part of the report. These trading centers in Africa contributed to bringing more Europeans to Africa.

In summary, the acts of Vasco da Gama had a large impact on Africa in the following three ways. Firstly, trade started through the Cape of Good Hope and many trade centers were opened. Secondly, different religions met which caused some conflict. And thirdly, it contributed to the colonization of Africa which had good and bad results.

Part 2 Vasco da Gama and India

Discovering a new way to India was the main goal of Vasco da GammaÕs first expedition. The purpose of the next two trips was to establish and expand Portuguese control in the Indian ocean. Why was India so important?

India produced rare spices and herbs which were very important for Western Europe. India also traded gold, silver and jewels. Many countries were interested in these different kinds of riches. Before the discovery of the new route to India, all these products were coming to Europe through only one trade route. The trade was controlled by the Arabs in Egypt and a few other Mediterranean cities, mainly Venice. As a result, these products had very high prices and Venice was powerful.

The effects of Vasco da GammaÕs trips on India are similar to the ones in Africa but more severe. The trips contributed significantly to the colonization of the area of the Indian ocean, to the opening of new trading centers. The trips also contributed to the interaction between the different cultures and religions, and to political, religious and military conflicts.

When Vasco da Gama reached Calicut for the first time, he tried to establish a trade treaty with Zamorin, the Hindu leader. The treaty failed for two reasons. The first is that Vasco da Gama wanted to expel all Muslim merchants from the port, an indication of exporting the conflict between Christians and Muslims to India. The second reason is the lack of good understanding of the Hindu culture and the need to offer good presents. To avoid such mistakes in the future, Vasco da Gama took back with him to Portugal a number of Hindus to learn about their traditions and culture. This contributed to a better understanding of the Hindu culture in Europe.

Another example of the religious conflicts brought to India by the Portuguese was the massacre of the Portuguese, who were left in India by Pedro Alvares Cabral. He was the person sent to India by King Manuel I to further the expeditions of Vasco da Gama, and, in particular, to develop trading. The massacre was committed by the Hindus, who were urged by the Muslims. This event can also be seen as an act of resistance to the attempt to colonize India, which had began with Vasco da GamaÕs trip. The Portuguese reacted to the massacre very strongly. Vasco da Gamma was sent to get revenge and to completely take over the area. It was during this trip that the religious conflicts became more severe and the Portuguese acted as a colonial power putting down the local resistance. During this trip, Vasco da Gama performed the cruelest act of his life. He awaited for an Arab ship full of merchandise and about 200 to 400 people in it. After he stole all the merchandise, he set the ship on fire. All 200 to 400 people inside the ship were killed. The majority of the people in the ship were Muslims. Later Vasco da Gama formed an alliance with the rulers of Cannanore and Cochin, both enemies of Zamorin, and eventually took control of the area after some more fighting. The colonization was complete.

The Portuguese administrators of the area, following Vasco da Gama, committed several abuses, another example of colonial behavior. Vasco da Gama was sent a third time to India and tried to correct some of these mistakes.

Vasco da GamaÕs trips had also some positive effects on India. They (the trips) helped to develop more trading between India and Europe. Moreover they brought together different cultures.

Overall, there are four ways that what Vasco da Gama did had an impact on the people of India. A new trade route was established. The colonization of the area began , with its good and bad effects. Three different religions, Islam, Christianity and Hinduism, came together. Lastly Europeans and Indians developed a closer contact and began understanding their cultures.

Part 3 Vasco da Gama and Europe

Not only did the acts of Vasco da Gama affect African and India but also Europe. The main contribution to Europe of Vasco da GamaÕs expeditions was the opening of the new trade route to India. This was extremely helpful to Western Europe. It also led to the decline of some of the dominant Mediterranean cities, in particular Venice, which lost the monopoly over the spice trade.

The expeditions and the trade also helped Portugal to become a world power. Although this did not last for too long, it opened the way for other countries, like England, France, and Spain, to become world powers.

With all these new discoveries, Europeans also started to understand the world more as it really was. People now had a sense that the ÒNew WorldÓ was not India. New and more accurate maps were drawn.

European also came in contact with Hinduism and began to develop a good understanding of one of the dominant far east cultures and religions.

In summary Vasco da GamaÕs expeditions and discovery had a very important impact on Europe. They opened new trade routes, and led to the advancement and decline of different European cities and countries. They also contributed to a better understanding of the world and other important cultures and religions.

In conclusion Vasco da Gamma is one of the most important explorers of all time. His expeditions had far reaching results and shaped the world. Now, I want to leave you with couple questions: If you were Vasco da Gama, would you have done anything different? How should a future Vasco da Gama behave when he or she discovers new worlds?