Vasco da Gama was born in a small seaport near Portugal. He participated in wars, that took place at Costel. He became a well trained sailor. He was King Manuel's (of Portugal) favorite sailor. When the King decided that Portugal had to find another route to India, he chose Vasco da Gama to be the commander of the expedition to India.
Ten years after Bartholomew Diaz sailed his ship around the southern tip of Africa, da Gama sailed his four ships around the Cape of Good Hope to reach India. Once he got around the southern tip of Africa he was in uncharted territory, at least for the Portuguese. He needed to find a navigator to show him the way to India. As he traveled up the coast looking for a navigator, he did very cruel things to many people.. He tortured natives by using the drops. The drops were made out of boiling water and pitch. Even with the drops, no one would help him. Finally he kidnapped a sheik's servant, the sheik gave him a navigator in return for the servant's life. When he arrived in Calicut he was greeted by cheering crowds who carried him around in a sedan chair. After the celebration, da Gama gave the king gifts. The king was greatly insulted, because the gifts were not fit for a king. Da Gama was thrown out of the Calicut. When he was walking back to his ship, people lined the streets and chanted "Portugal, Portugal" and spat on the ground. He left Calicut and returned to Portugal. Da Gama had finally found a sea route to Asia, introducing the new way for explorers in the future.
Da Gama came back to Calicut in 1502 with twenty ships. He was angry at how he had been treated. He attacked and burned a ship with three-hundred eighty passengers coming back from a pilgrimage to the Muslims' holy city of Mecca. He stayed and watched the ship burn for four days. He then found and hung thirty-eight fishermen from the rigging of his ship. That was his way of telling the people of India to get ride of the Muslims that controlled the spice trade.
The King of Portugal, in 1524, decided India wasn't being run properly. He decided to ask the 64 year old da Gama to be India's new viceroy. Even though da Gama was living in retirement with his wife and six sons, he agreed to do what the king had asked. He didn't have a chance to be the new viceroy for long. In 1524, on Christmas eve, da Gama died. He had only been the viceroy three months.
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