Known as a tough and fearless navigator, da Gama solidified his reputation as a reputable sailor when, in 1492, King John II of Portugal dispatched him to the south of Lisbon and then to the Algarve region of the country, to seize French ships as an act of vengeance against the French government for disrupting Portuguese shipping.įollowing da Gama's completion of King John II's orders, in 1495, King Manuel took the throne, and the country revived its earlier mission to find a direct trade route to India. When he was old enough, young da Gama joined the navy, where was taught how to navigate. Little is known about his upbringing except that he was the third son of Estêvão da Gama, who was commander of the fortress in Sines in the southwestern pocket of Portugal. Early Yearsĭa Gama was born into a noble family around 1460 in Sines, Portugal. He subsequently made two other voyages to India and was appointed as Portuguese viceroy in India in 1524. His success in doing so proved to be one of the more instrumental moments in the history of navigation.
In 1497, explorer Vasco da Gama was commissioned by the Portuguese king to find a maritime route to the East.
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