There, he made an alliance with the local ruler, further securing Portugal’s position as a dominant spice trader.ĭa Gama left Cochin in February 1503. Once he had the Calicut ruler's surrender, da Gama went south to Cochin (known as Kochi today). There, da Gama destroyed the trading post and killed 38 hostages. His brutal practices continued once he reached Calicut. In one instance, he ordered the massacre of 380 people - including women and children - aboard a Muslim ship returning from Mecca. During his journey, da Gama slaughtered hundreds of Muslims, attacking ships and firing cannons at trading posts up and down the east African coast. Da Gama left Lisbon with 20 armed ships under his command. In 1502, King Manuel once again sent da Gama to India to further secure Portugal’s dominance in the region. Cabral established a trading post in Calicut, but conflicts with the local Muslims resulted in battles and the deaths of 70 Portuguese. The spice trade was hugely important for Portugal and soon after da Gama’s return, King Manuel dispatched another expedition to India, led by Pedro Alvares Cabral. He was made an admiral and married Catarina de Ataíde, a woman of a noble family. Though only 54 of the original 170-member crew returned to Portugal in 1499, da Gama received a hero’s welcome. Ultimately, it took da Gama’s fleet more than a year to return to their homeland after leaving India. Paulo died on the Azores and, after mourning on the island for some time, da Gama eventually returned to Portugal more than one month after the other ships had come back. Da Gama’s brother Paulo fell ill and da Gama took him to the Azores with hopes of healing him. The ships split up off the western coast of Africa, returning to Lisbon at different times. So many men died of scurvy during the crossing that da Gama ordered the St. The passage across the Indian Ocean - which had previously taken little more than three weeks - took more than three months. The ships encountered terrible storms during their journey.

In August, after three months in India, da Gama’s fleet left Calicut - despite advice that monsoon season was approaching.

A monument to Vasco da Gama stands in Lagos, Portugal.

What was vasco da gama famous for