Vasco da Gama (c. 1469-1524) was a Portuguese navigator who, in 1497-9, sailed around the Cape of Good Hope in southern Africa and arrived at Calicut (now Kozhikode) on the south-west coast of India. This was the first direct voyage from Portugal to India and allowed the Europeans to cut in on the immensely lucrative Eastern trade in spices.
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Definition
Timeline
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c. 1469Vasco da Gama is born in Sines in the Alentejo region of Portugal.
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1492Vasco da Gama commands a small fleet which captures French vessels in several southern Portuguese ports.
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8 Jul 1497 - Aug 1499The Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama sails around the Cape of Good Hope and on to India and back.
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24 Apr 1498 - 18 May 1498Vasco da Gama crosses the Indian Ocean for the first time by sailing from Malindi to Calicut, India.
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1502 - 1503Vasco da Gama sails a 15-ship fleet from Portugal to Calicut, India.
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Apr 1524Vasco da Gama sails om his third voyage from Portugal to India.
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24 Dec 1524Vasco da Gama dies of illness at Portuguese Cochin in India.
