So John II soon set a new objective for his captains: to find a sea route to Asia by sailing under the African continent.īy the time Vasco da Gama was in his 20s, these plans were coming to fruition. At the time, this was virtually monopolized by the Republic of Venice, who operated overland routes via Levantine and Egyptian ports, through the Red Sea across to the spice markets of India. But John II was also eager to break into the highly-profitable spice trade between Europe and Asia. Under John II's watch, the gold and slave trade in west Africa was greatly expanded. To break the monarch's dependence on the feudal nobility, John II needed to build up the royal treasury and saw royal commerce as the key to it. Upon becoming king in 1481, John II of Portugal set out on many long reforms.
When Gomes charter came up for renewal in 1474, Prince John (future John II), asked his father Afonso V of Portugal to pass the African charter to him. In a few short years, Gomes's captains rapidly expanded Portuguese knowledge across the Gulf of Guinea and drummed up some business in gold dust, melagueta pepper, ivory and slaves. After Henry's death in 1460, the Portuguese crown showed little interest in continuing and, in 1469, the crown sold off the neglected African enterprise to a private Lisbon merchant consortium, led by Fernão Gomes. They had greatly extended Portuguese maritime knowledge, but had little profit to show for the effort. Exploration before Gamaįrom the earlier part of the 15th Century, Portuguese expeditions organized by Prince Henry the Navigator had been crawling down the African coastline, principally in search for west African riches (notably, gold). In 1492, John II dispatched Vasco da Gama on a mission to the port of Setúbal and to the Algarve to seize French ships in retaliation for peacetime depredations against Portuguese shipping - a task that Vasco rapidly and effectively performed. John II doted on the Order, and the Gamas prospects rose accordingly. The master of Santiago was Prince John, who would ascend to the throne in 1481 as King John II of Portugal. Īround 1480, Vasco da Gama followed his father (rather than the Sodrés) and joined the Order of Santiago. The Portuguese historian Teixeira de Aragão suggests that Gama studied at the inland town of Évora, which is where he may have learned mathematics and navigation and it has even been claimed (although dubiously) that he studied under the astronomer Abraham Zacuto. Little is known of Vasco da Gama's early life. Vasco also had one known sister, Teresa da Gama (who married Lopo Mendes de Vasconcelos). Vasco da Gama was the third of five sons of Estêvão da Gama and Isabel Sodré - in (probable) order of age: Paulo da Gama, João Sodré, Vasco da Gama, Pedro da Gama and Aires da Gama.
Her father and her brothers, Vicente Sodré and Brás Sodré, had links to the household of Infante Diogo, Duke of Viseu and were prominent figures in the military Order of Christ. Estêvão da Gama was appointed alcaide-mór (civil governor) of Sines in the 1460s, a post he held until 1478, and continued as a receiver of taxes and holder of the Order's commendas in the region.Įstêvão da Gama married Isabel Sodré, a daughter of João Sodré (also known as João de Resende), scion of a well-connected family of English origin. Vasco da Gama's father was Estêvão da Gama, who had served in the 1460s as a knight of the household of Infante Ferdinand, Duke of Viseu and went on to rise in the ranks of the military Order of Santiago. Statue of Vasco da Gama at his birthplace, Sines, Portugal