Vasco da Gama's Departure to India
- When
- 1497
- Where
- Lisbon
- Episodes
- 1
On 8 July 1497, Vasco da Gama departed Lisbon with a fleet of four ships and 170 crew members to establish a maritime route to India.
Episodes
Background and detail
Background. Vasco da Gama was a Portuguese mariner and nobleman. The expedition was undertaken under the authority of the Portuguese Crown, which sought to spread Christianity, challenge Muslim dominance in Indian Ocean trade, and gain direct access to the spice trade.
Departure. The expedition set sail from Lisbon on 8 July 1497. Da Gama led a fleet consisting of four ships with a total crew of 170 men, marking the beginning of his first voyage to India.
People involved
- Vasco da Gama · Expedition Leader
Sources
- Vasco da Gama Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-16
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.