Who opened the sea route to India. Who opened the sea route to India and when did it happen? Who first reached India

The discovery of India is one of the greatest geographical discoveries in the history of mankind. It would not exist if the Europeans did not urgently need direct contacts with the country from where spices were brought to the continent. The dispute about who discovered India has been going on for many centuries. The official version is that Vasco da Gama found his way to India during his expedition.

Expedition background

India at the end of the 13th century was a mysterious and very distant country for Europeans. Information about its existence reached the inhabitants of Europe through merchants and sailors. The search for a direct route to India became relevant at the end of the 13th century, when the Arab Caliphate collapsed and the Mongols began to quickly conquer cities and trade centers located on the Great Silk Road.

If for the Arabs trade was one of the first places in foreign policy, then the rulers of the Golden Horde did not consider it necessary to develop it. When the Mongols completely captured China and India, then the spices stopped coming to the royal courts. The Arabs, who monopolized trade along the Great Silk Road, also suffered huge financial losses.

Another factor that had a huge impact on finding a way to India from Europe was the interest of the Portuguese king. The support of the monarchy gave the sailors both financial and moral support, and political protection. For Portugal, a new route to India was simply necessary, since the kingdom was located far from trade routes. Because of this, the country did not participate in world trade and did not receive any dividends from it. Thus, the Portuguese monarchs in the 15th century, patronizing the expedition of Vasco da Gama, wanted to replenish the state treasury and strengthen their international position.

Under the flag of Lisbon

Features of the geographical location of Portugal made it possible to study the western coast of Africa. This was used by the Prince of Portugal, Enrique-Henry the Navigator, who sought to find a sea route to India. Interestingly, Enrique himself never sailed on a ship, as he suffered from seasickness. It is not known whether this is true or a myth, but it was Enrique the Navigator who inspired other sailors and merchants to travel to Africa and beyond its western outskirts.

Gradually, the Portuguese reached Guinea and other southern lands, bringing home gold, slaves, spices, valuable goods and fabrics. At the same time, astronomical and mathematical knowledge and shipping were actively developing.

When Enrique died, expeditions to find a way by sea to the country of spices stopped for a while. The enthusiasm of the navigators subsided when none of the expeditions reached the equator.

The situation changed radically when, in the 1480s. an officer from Portugal found his way to India by land. He confirmed that this country can also be reached by sea. His words before the monarchs sounded plausible, since in B. Dias he managed to go around the Atlantic Ocean, enter the Indian Ocean, and open the Cape of Good Hope. If the sailors of Dias had not refused to sail further than the cape, then the navigator would have become the first person to reach India. But history decreed otherwise. The ships of B. Dias returned to Lisbon, and the glory of the discoverer continued to wait for Vasco da Gamma.

Vivaldi brothers

The first attempt to find an alternative route to India was made by the Genoese when the last stronghold of Europe in Asia, the city of Saint-Jean d'Acre, fell. The expedition from Genoa was led by the Vivaldi brothers, who equipped two ships with supplies, water and equipment for a journey to a distant country. Their path was supposed to run through the port of Ceuta, which is located in Morocco, and from there across the ocean. Crossing the ocean, the Vivaldi brothers were going to find India, buy goods there - spices, silks, spices - and return back to Genoa.

Historians do not find exact data on whether or not this expedition succeeded in fulfilling the assigned tasks in written sources. Nevertheless, researchers believe that part of the Vivaldi path nevertheless passed, since an accurate description of Africa began to appear on maps compiled at the beginning of the 14th century. Most likely, sailors from Genoa bypassed the African continent from the south side.

Swimming preparation

Vasco da Gama had excellent knowledge of navigation, experience as a navigator, knew how to deal with recalcitrant people, including sailors. Also, da Gama was a skilled diplomat, so he always got what he wanted from the monarchs of other kingdoms of Europe and from the rulers of the barbarian world.

Preparations for the voyage were made by Vasco da Gama, his brother Paulo and Bartolomeu Dias. Under the leadership of the latter, four ships were built, new maps were drawn up and navigational instruments were purchased. Cannons and special ovens were installed on the ships to bake bread. To protect against attacks by pirates, the sailors were armed with edged weapons, crossbows and halberds.

As provisions, breadcrumbs, fish, cheese, water, wine, vinegar, almonds, rice, lentils, and flour were loaded onto each ship.

First expedition and discovery of India

The departure of the ships from Lisbon under the direction of da Gamma took place on July 8, 1497. The expedition lasted three years. There were sailors, scientists, priests, translators, criminals on the ships. The total number of travelers varied, according to historians, from 100 to 170 people.

Having entered the Indian Ocean, the ships made a stop in Mozambique. The Sultan did not like the gifts and the behavior of the Europeans, because of this they were forced to sail away from Mozambique as soon as possible. Stopping in Mombasa, the Portuguese captured some booty - a ship, people, goods.

Further, the path ran to Malindi (in our time the southeast of Kenya), where da Gama hired a professional Arab pilot, who showed the Portuguese the way to India. Under the control of a pilot, the flotilla crossed the Indian Ocean from the west and on May 20, 1498 entered the port of the city of Calicut. Neither gifts nor Vasco da Gama made the proper impression on the local ruler. For him and the merchants who were at the court of the sovereign from Calicut, they were pirates, not sailors. Goods in the Indian port sold poorly, and there were constant quarrels due to high duties from the Indian authorities.

Seeing that the situation was not in favor of the Portuguese, yes Gama gave the order to sail back to Portugal. The way home was not easy. The ships of the expedition were robbed by pirates, the crew members were sick, there was not enough provisions and fresh water. The sailors of da Gama themselves robbed, seized merchant ships and coastal territories.

After going around the Green Islands, Vasco da Gama decided to send one ship to Manuel the First. The ship reached the port of Lisbon in July 1499. The crew members brought the news that the way to India by water was laid. The expedition leader himself and another ship returned to Portugal a few months later. The main results of the first voyage to the coast of India include:

Loss of personnel.
Loss of two ships out of four.
New lands were conquered, to which the power of the king of Portugal extended.
The capture of a large number of goods, the money from the sale of which made it possible to fully recoup the cost of equipping the expedition (60 times!).

Colonization of India

A new voyage of the Portuguese to India began in 1502 and lasted a year. The king wanted not only new geographical discoveries, but also the establishment of trade relations with the rulers of other states. The expedition was assigned to lead Pedro Alvaris Cabral, who failed in his mission to establish profitable trade relations. Fragile contacts with traders from Calicut were lost.

Because of this, the king decided that the only way to establish power over India was by force of arms. And again Manuel the First turned to Vasco da Gama, who was known for his uncompromising attitude. The second expedition of da Gama was more successful than the first:

Fortresses and trade factors were founded on the entire southern coast of the African continent.
Tribute was imposed on local emirs.
Portuguese authority established over the port of Calicut.
Captured the city of Cochin.

In 1503, the flotilla returned to Portugal with huge gifts. Da Gama received privileges, honors, a place at the court of monarchs. Manuel the First greatly appreciated his advice, developing plans for the further development of India.

Updated 09/18/2019

For a long time, Europeans have been attracted by fabulously rich India. Although the trade route was difficult and quite dangerous, trade was brisk, because it was incredibly profitable. Today we will talk about who discovered India and how exactly this happened. The discovery of India is an important event in the life of the planet.

Problems with trade, lasting 2 centuries

However, trade with India did not always go smoothly - problems began as early as 1258, when the Arab caliphate, which supported trade, fell. Baghdad was conquered by the Mongols, and since the Mongols were not very interested in trade, this all negatively affected the trade of Europeans with India.

And after the crusaders lost their last stronghold in the east in 1291 - Saint-Jean d'Acre, trade with. It was possible to get to India only by sea, about which the Europeans had no idea.

Vasco da Gama

Only after two long centuries it was possible to solve this problem. Vasco de Gama turned out to be a man who managed to crown the attempts of his predecessors with success . This ambitious and intelligent noble never took unnecessary risks or allowed himself to accept less reward than he deserved. If you want to know in what year Vasco da Gama discovered the sea route to India, read on.

The Portuguese king chose him for the expedition in 1497. Already ten and a half months after the ships set sail from Lisbon, anchors were dropped in the roadstead of the city of Calicut (the ship passed along Mozambique and Somalia).

First attempt to discover India

However, the very first attempt to circumnavigate Africa was made by Europeans long before that - back in 1291.

For a long time, Europeans have been attracted by fabulously rich India.

Although the trade route was difficult and quite dangerous, trade was brisk, because it was incredibly profitable.

Today we will talk about who discovered India and how exactly this happened.

The discovery of India is an important event in the life of the planet.

Trade problems lasting 2 centuries

However, trade with India did not always go smoothly - problems began as early as 1258, when the Arab caliphate, which supported trade, fell.

Baghdad was conquered by the Mongols, and since the Mongols were not very interested in trade, this all negatively affected the trade of Europeans with India.

And after the crusaders lost their last stronghold in the east in 1291 - Saint-Jean d'Acre, trade with attractive India was almost completely stopped.

It was possible to get to India only by sea, about which the Europeans had no idea.

Vasco de Gama

Only after two long centuries it was possible to solve this problem. Vasco de Gama turned out to be a man who managed to crown the attempts of his predecessors with success. This ambitious and intelligent noble never took unnecessary risks or allowed himself to accept less reward than he deserved. If you want to know in what year Vasco Da Gama opened the sea route to India,

golden idol

Another fifteen months passed, and Vasco de Gama did not stand empty-handed before the Portuguese king - with a 27-kilogram golden idol, which had a huge ruby on its chest and emerald eyes.

At that moment, it became quite clear that the sea route to India was now completely open.

Therefore, Vasco da Gama is the one who discovered India.

The experience of predecessors

The expedition of Vasco de Gama used the experience of his predecessor, Bartolomeo Dias, who reached the Cape of Good Hope in 1488.

Another navigator - Diogo Cannes in 1485 became the first European to set foot on the lands of South-West Africa. Alivize Kadamosto, thirty years before Cannes, explored the mouth of the Gambia River. Alivize's notes told the world how the natives behaved when they saw a white man.

He wrote that people came to look at him, as if at a miracle, they even tried to rub him with saliva to check whether it was real skin color or white paint.

Convinced that it was not paint, they were very surprised and opened their mouths in surprise.

First attempt to discover India

However, the very first attempt to circumnavigate Africa was made by Europeans long before that - back in 1291.

The sources of those times tell about the Vivaldi brothers, who went on ships to Ceuta, having stocked up with supplies and drinking water. They went to India to buy lucrative goods there, but no reliable information about this expedition has been preserved.

However, we can assume that the Vivaldi brothers managed, at least from the south, to go around Africa, because it was after 1300 that approximately the correct outlines of the African continent began to appear on some maps.

Now the sea route to India is completely open, and thanks to the construction of the Suez Canal, it has even been significantly reduced.

However, the experience of the first sailors is still not forgotten - it was thanks to them that

Oriental spices, Chinese silks have long attracted Europeans. However, after the defeat of the Crusaders, the capture of Jerusalem by Salah ad-Din and the conquest of Baghdad by the Mongols, the well-trodden land routes from China and India to Europe became dangerous, and after the fall of Saint-Jean d'Acre, communication between East and West was practically interrupted. Therefore, the crowned persons of the then strongest maritime powers of Spain and Portugal and the rulers of the Venetian, Genoese and Florentine republics began to equip expeditions to search for other routes to the eastern lands. At the same time, among kings, margraves and doges, merchants and navigators, the belief was rooted that whoever opened the sea route to India would occupy Europe.

The first attempts to find a sea route

The first attempt to circumnavigate Africa and reach India was made by the Genoese navigators, the brothers Vandino and Ugolino Vivaldi in 1291. The latest news of an expedition consisting of two galleys was received from Cape Juby in Morocco. After that, no information about the navigators was received, and the attempt made in 1315 by the son of Ugolino - Sorleone Vivaldi to find his father failed. Despite the fact that the Genoese do not claim to be the first to discover the sea route to India, in 1300 a map was drawn in Genoa, on which the southern coast of Africa is quite accurately indicated.

After 150 years, the Venetian navigator Alvise Cadamosto explored the mouth of the Gambia, and the Portuguese Diogo Cannes reached the shores of South-West Africa in 1484-1485. Today he is recognized as the pioneer of the great Portuguese discoveries, and his work was continued by Bartolomeu Dias, who rounded the southernmost point of the African continent, which he called the Cape of Storms (today the Cape of Good Hope). And despite the fact that B. Dias failed to build a waterway to the eastern lands, he proved that the sea route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean can be overcome by ships.

Who discovered India and in what year

The first Spaniard to visit India was Christopher Columbus in 1492. For 15 years, Europe was under the delusion that he had reached the shores not of America, but of the East Indies or Cathay (China).

At that time, the Catholic Church divided the spheres of maritime influence, giving the southern part of the Atlantic to the Portuguese, and the northern part to the Spaniards. The king of Portugal, Manuel the Fortunate, sent a land expedition led by Pedro da Covilho to India for reconnaissance, and at the same time, on his orders, a flotilla of four ships was laid down, commanded by Vasco da Gama.

Who opened the way to India around Africa

On July 8, 1497, a flotilla consisting of two heavy three-masted ships (San Gabriel and San Rafael), the Berriu caravel and an auxiliary vessel, led by the future governor of Portuguese India, Vasco da Gama, sailed from the harbor of Lisbon. On May 20, 1498, the Portuguese reached the city of Kozhikode - Calicut (not to be confused with modern Calcutta), located in Malabar Hindustan. Today, this day is considered the date of the opening of the "sea communication" between Europe and the eastern countries, and Vasco da Gama was the first to open the sea route to India, rounding the African continent.

Why was it necessary to look for a sea route to India

When people hear that India was discovered in the Middle Ages, they often think that this was the first acquaintance of Europeans with this country. In fact, India has been known since ancient times.

First, the Persians conquered part of the Hindustan peninsula, and then Alexander the Great came, who also conquered the interior of the peninsula. Later, the Romans traded with the Indians. By this I want to say that India was not something unknown to European countries.

It was necessary to open a sea route to India, due to the fact that its northern part was captured by the Mongols, and they did not allow trade. There was also a European-controlled city in Asia that supported trade, but power over it was lost.

What were the attempts to open a distant country

The first attempts to find a way to India through the sea were mentioned as early as the fourteenth century. The attempt was made by the Vivaldi brothers, but it is not known how their journey ended.

Later, Portuguese navigators tried to repeat the path of the Vivaldi brothers. Thanks to these attempts, the development of the coast of Africa and the subsequent colonization of the continent became possible. First, Diogo Cannus managed to get to southwestern Africa. Bartolomeo Dias was the first to reach the extreme southern point of Africa. It was he who proved that the oceans are connected, and there is a way to India.

Who is Vasco da Gamma

Vasco da Gamma is considered the discoverer of India in history. It was he who, using the achievements of his predecessors, reached India. In addition, he was the first to circumnavigate the African continent.

During the voyage, the expedition called at the following ports:

Mozambique;
Mombassa;
Malindi;
Calicut.

Due to Vasco da Gamma's lack of a diplomatic gift, it was difficult to establish relations with local rulers and therefore the expedition constantly had problems in ports.

In 1498, the sea route to India was discovered with great difficulty by Portuguese navigators.

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