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The Sea Route to India
Twenty-eight-year-old Vasco da Gama was sent by Dom Manuel I on July 8, 1497, with a flotilla of four ships and 180 men around Africa to India to bring back spices.
Years: 1497 — 1499
At the beginning of his reign, Dom Manuel I decided to give continuity to the projects of Expansion outlined by Dom João II. Accordingly, he appointed Vasco da Gama commander of the fleet who was entrusted with the mission of reaching the land of spices – India – by sea.
Vasco da Gama sailed from Restelo on July 8, 1497, and arrived at Calicut in May of 1498, returning to Lisbon in 1499. This long voyage marked the beginning of a new era in the relationship between West and East.
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