![]() ![]() He carried with him priests to see to the crews’ souls, interpreters to help communicate with Bantu and Arabic speakers, and a store of gifts the king intended for him to use to attract Indian rulers to trade. The trip across the southern Atlantic left the ships a worrying three months without sight of land, and the expedition met hostile natives in southern Africa - who gave da Gama an arrow wound - and Muslims in eastern Africa. The long voyage also took a serious toll of the crew around two-thirds died during the voyage, most of disease. Once he reached Calicut, da Gama’s reception was not very warm. The goods Manuel had sent as gifts were of poor value, infuriating Calicut’s ruler. Still, da Gama was able to leave India with some spices. After a long and harrowing return trip - which included the death of his brother - da Gama reached Portugal in September of 1499, more than two years after having set out. He was greeted as a hero and richly rewarded by the king. With his voyage, the Portuguese overseas empire was born. “This Day in World History” is brought to you by USA Higher Education. You can subscribe to these posts via RSS or receive them by email.
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