We put on our best attire, placedīombards in our boats, and took with us trumpets and many flags. Out to speak to the king, and took with him thirteen men, of whom I was one. On the following morning, which was Monday, May 28th (1498), the captain-major (Vasco da Gama) set As it was late when this message arrived, the captain-major deferred going. (Portuguese alcaide, “governor”), and is always attended by two hundred men armed with swords andīucklers. To Pandarani, to conduct the captain-major to where the king awaited him. The same time the king sent a bale (Arabic wali, “governor”), with other men of distinction, When we were at anchor, a message arrived informing the captain-major that the king was already in the city. We did not, however, anchor as near the shore as the king’s pilotĭesired. He ordered the sails to be set, and we departed. Ourselves did not feel comfortable, and the captain-major (Vasco da Gama) had no sooner received this royal message than Moreover, that it was customary for the ships which came to this country to anchor there for the sake of safety. Place to which we were to go was good, whilst at the place we were then it was bad, with a stony bottom, which was quite At this time we were actually in front of the city of Calicut. Matter of fact, he started at once with a large retinue.Ī pilot accompanied our two men, with orders to take us to a place called Pandarani, below the place (Capua) where weĪnchored at first. He sent word to the captain bidding him welcome, saying that he was about to proceed to Calicut. The king presented the bearers of this message with That if he desired it he would take them to where the king then was. Two men to him with a message, informing him that an ambassador had arrived from the King of Portugal with letters, and When we arrived at Calicut the king (the Zamorin) was fifteen leagues away. At first sight they seem covetous and ignorant. Numerous bracelets on their arms, and rings set with precious stones on their toes All these people are well-disposedĪnd apparently of mild temper. They wear many jewels of gold round the neck, The women of this country, as a rule, are ugly and of small stature. The most respectable who do this, for the others manage as best they are able. They go naked down to the waist, covering their lower extremities with very fine cotton stuffs. On the crown as a sign that they are Christians. Some of them have big beardsĪnd long hair, whilst others clip their hair short or shave the head, merely allowing a tuft to remain ‘The city of Calicut is inhabited by Christians. Society, has the highest value, and from it the following description of the visit at Calicut is taken. “Roteiro,” or Journal, on the contrary, as is emphasized by Ravenstein in his translation for the Hakluyt Of life in India would particularly qualify him to describe the manners at the Zamorin’s court. “Lendas da India” is not generally held in high esteem by historians, although the author’s many years Reception written by Gaspar Correa, who was not with the expedition, although he came to India fifteen years later andĬlaims to have used the diary of Figueiro, a Portuguese priest who accompanied Da Gama’s fleet. The brief extract here given is supplemented by an account of the voyager’s portrait in the British Museumĭiary has not yet been determined. “Roteiro,” a journal of Vasco da Gama’s voyage written by a member of the expedition, although theĪfter a MS. Hisįirst visit to the city of Calicut and his reception at the Zamorin’s court are well described in the
#VASCO DA GAMA QUIZLET SERIES#
The favour of the Zamorin, or native ruler of the place, he was able to establish, between the Indian states and his ownĬountry, a series of friendly relations for trade and commerce, which proved of the greatest importance to Portugal. Rounding the Cape of Good Hope, arrived on May 20, 1498, at Calicut in Malabar, on the southeast coast of India. The command of a Portuguese fleet for an expedition to the East, set sail from Lisbon in the summer of 1497, and after This celebrated voyager, whom King Manuel of Portugal commissioned with The voyage which the Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama made to India at the close of the fifteenth century hasįrequently been mentioned in the preceding volumes, especially in the sixth a brief selection from the contemporaryĪccounts of it may therefore be welcomed here. Chapter 6 – The Portuguese Navigator Vasco Da Gama at Calicut and His Reception by the Zamorin 1498 A.D. Home Top menu Table of Contents Previous: Chapter 5 Next: Chapter 7 Chapter 6 – The Portuguese Navigator Vasco Da Gama at Calicut and His Reception by the Zamorin