100 Historical Stories That Unlock Teenage Wisdom

Chapter 49 9 Vasco da Gama's Bloody Journey of "Discovery"

Chapter 59 up to?Gamma's Bloody Journey of "Discovery"—History is a Process of Two Sides Weaving

We have learned history lessons, but it does not mean we have mastered history, because history lessons only show us one line or one side of history, not the whole history.

On July 1497, 7, the 8-year-old Portuguese navigator arrived?Gama accepted the important task entrusted by the King of Portugal, and led the fleet to India, which was rich in gold and spices, to open the trade route to the East.Facing various tests, Da?With a serious expression on his face, Gamma led a neat team to the departure pier.The king saw them off in person, and people lit candles in their hands to pray for their safe journey. The 40 crew members bid farewell to their families, boarded four large ships, and headed south.

On August 8, the fleet arrived at the Cape Verde Islands. After they replenished food and drinking water here, they continued to sail southeast.The fleet circled the Cape of Good Hope and came to Mossel Bay. At this time, in order to save manpower, they destroyed the original supply ship and distributed the food to each ship to continue moving forward.

Soon, the fleet bypassed Agoya Bay. They rested in Kelimani Port for a month, and then sailed northeast to Mozambia. On May 1498, 5, Da?Gamma finally set foot on Calicut, the central port on the southwestern coast of India.What appeared before their eyes was Marco?The rich and prosperous East described by Polo.Local residents were amazed to learn that the fleet had come from far away.They asked Chase, "Why did you travel so long to come here?"The Portuguese replied to them with a simple and straightforward sentence: "We are looking for spices." 〖JP〗

On May 5, Da?Gamma was allowed to meet King Calicut.On this day, the ship first fired cannons to celebrate, and then arrived?Gamma entered the palace on a sedan chair carried by Indians.King Calicut received him lolling on a green velvet couch.Da?Gamma spent all his time talking before the king allowed them to sell the goods they brought locally.However, the hats, copper bells and other items they brought are not attractive to Indians, and the goods are piled up in the warehouse, and no one cares about them.In the end, they could only exchange spices such as mercury, copper, and coral.

In the scorching heat, Da?Gama tried to conclude a trade agreement with the king of Calicut, but because of the interference of Arab merchants, it has been fruitless.Months have passed, Da?Gamma couldn't bear this kind of cold reception, so he ordered the arrest of six local nobles as hostages to coerce the king to change his attitude.In the end, the king reluctantly agreed that the Portuguese could bring gold, silver, red woolen cloth, coral, etc. in exchange for cloves, pepper, and cinnamon.So, da?Gamma has completed his mission.

Taking hostages exposed the evil of the gold diggers.Actually, Da?Gamma's behavior during this expedition was extremely cruel.As soon as he left the coast of India, he captured a passing Arab merchant ship. After unloading the cargo, he burned the ship together with the people at sea. Hundreds of people on board, including women and children, were burned alive.Da?After Gama arrived in Calicut, he arbitrarily demanded that the ruler Zamorin expel all Muslims from the city.While Zamorin was hesitating, Da?Gamma killed and maimed 38 Indian fishermen before occupying the city.Although Zamorin was extremely angry, he had no choice but to agree to Da?gamma requirements.Da?Gamma established several colonies on the coast of India, on the way home, Da?Gama established a number of Portuguese colonies in East Africa.

On the way home, Da?Gamma and his party did not go well. More than 30 crew members died of scurvy. They had to destroy another ship and concentrate the crew on two ships. When he returned to Portugal in early September 1499, there were only 9 people left in the team, up to ?Gamma's younger brother was also killed on the voyage.How about this voyage?Gama made a fortune, and at the same time, the Portuguese were greatly tempted to continue such adventures.Since then, this east-west maritime trade route has been opened bypassing the sphere of influence of the Arabs.

Wisdom Interpretation:

From history textbooks, we know that Da?Gamma, a seemingly great navigator, led the fleet around the Cape of Good Hope and arrived in India.But the outstanding contribution cannot conceal his bloody "discovery" journey.

Our history is the mainstream history, and what books tell us is the backbone of history, but for us young people, understanding the branches and leaves of history is also of great benefit to enrich our knowledge!

Because history always has two sides, it is a process of interweaving two sides.Only when we truly understand this issue and pay attention to accumulation can we have an objective understanding of history.

(End of this chapter)