Adventures in a Messy Life

Hands on learning for active learners

  • Home page
    • Start Here
    • About Us
    • Get all of the posts now!
    • Disclosure and other blogging information
  • Homeschooling
    • Homeschool Curriculum
    • Why I homeschool (comments from a former teacher)
    • Homeschooling and the Holidays
  • History and geography
    • Ancient History Lessons
    • Modern History lessons
    • American History Lessons
    • LEGO history
  • Science
  • Bible Curriculum
  • STORE

At what cost progress? Lessons from Vasco de Gama

October 28, 2016 Ticia 6 Comments

There are some explorer names I remember better than others.  As I mentioned yesterday I have a hard time remembering Bartolomue Dias.  Vasco de Gama, on the other hand I remember.  I have fun saying his name, it just rolls off the tongue.  I wonder if that helped him when traveling.  It certainly made this homeschool history lesson more interesting.

Vasco de Gama finds a sea route to India

 

Where are we now in history?  Where does Vasco de Gama fit in?

So often, history is told as a series of unconnected lessons, and you are left wondering what is going on.  Let me give you a bit of context for this Vasco de Gama lesson.

Dias calls it Cape of Storms instead of Cape of Good Hope

Bartolomue Dias has rounded the Cape of Storms Good Hope.  The Crown of Portugal overruled his plans for naming it, and their name was much catchier. It’s all about the PR.

Columbus writing assignment

About five years later a young upstart Genoan who had been turned down over and over again by Portugal, convinces Spain to fund his plan to find India by sailing West. He had a lot of convincing maps and math to back him up.  But he could not seem to find the riches of India.

It is now five years later, and history is about to be rocked by a new change.

(links marked with an * are affiliate links)

SUPPLIES FOR OUR BARTOLOMEU DIAS Vasco De Gama lesson

giant maps (learn how to make wall maps), row boat like from this Lego Junior Pirate set*, a few guys or so (like the Lego education fantasy and historical figures set*), and Mystery of History 3*

 

Vasco de Gama sails to India

Vasco de Gama and Dias

Vasco de Gama was commissioned by the king of Portugal to finish what Dias had started and find India.  So de Gama set out putting together his crew.  He asked Dias to accompany him, and because this was still a rather shaky idea a crew of convicts were quite willing to go with him.

Possibly because they were not professional sailors they were more willing to take risks because they didn’t know what everyone else did.  Vasco de Gama was able to make much better time to the Cape of Good Hope.

Vasco de Gama sick at cape

de Gama and his crew rounded the Cape of Good Hope, and his crew was in pretty bad shape.  Many were suffering from scurvy, and other illnesses caused by the lack of good food.  His four ships were also not in good shape, so….

de Gama stops for repairs
He actually still has 4 ships right now, I just didn’t want to keep moving all four of my “ships”

They took port in Mozambique.  They stayed there for a month or so asking after Prestor John, but the Muslim king had not heard of him, and sent him further North saying “Maybe you’ll find him up there.”  Vasco de Gama and his crew did not leave under pleasant conditions.  The city attempted to board his ship and de Gama in retaliation fired his ship’s cannons at the city.

Vasco de Gama pirate

Vasco de Gama made a couple of more stops in his journey to India, growing more desperate for supplies, even briefly resorting to piracy to get what they needed.  He also became quite convinced Prestor John did not exist during this time, because no one had heard of him.

Vasco de Gama to India
He has a shepherd’s crook because he’s guiding them….See, that’s clever

In Malindi, de Gama hired a native navigator (sources disagree on who he is, so we’re going to call him NAVIGATOR).  The NAVIGATOR  safely steered de Gama around and through the Indian Ocean, avoiding dangers, and the monsoons that frequently come up then.

Vasco de Gama in India

Finally Vasco de Gama arrives at Calcutta, and at first is welcomed by the king there, but he manages to anger him by his paltry gifts.  Really it feels like de Gama was spectacularlly good at angering people.  That’s the hidden story in most of his encounters.

Vasco de Gama in India
pretend both “ships” are facing the same way

De Gama does manage to trade enough to make his trip profitable, and turns back to return to Portugal.  But, on the return trip he is not so good at avoiding storms, and disease.  He is forced to burn one of his ships rather than let it fall into foreign hands.  Another ship is lost at some point (I’m not able to find why).  Over half of his crew dies on the return voyage.  Vasco de Gama left with 170 people on four ships, and returned with two ships and 55 people.

 

In many ways de Gama’s trip was a failure.  He did not open a trade agreement.  He lost half of his ships, and over half of his crew.  His brother, the captain of one ship, died on the voyage.

And yet he did what no European had done before.  He sailed to India.  That’s an impressive achievement.

Vasco de Gama lesson

So, I am left asking at what cost progress?  Was the loss of life due to poor planning, hubris, or bad luck?  Was his inability to make trade agreements poor preparations on his part, lack of knowledge, or something else?  History doesn’t say, and I’m left wondering what I should think of the catchy named Vasco de Gama.

history africa, Age of Exploration, Asia, Europe, lego history, Mystery of History 3

Comments

  1. Phyllis at All Things Beautiful says

    October 28, 2016 at 7:30 am

    I am really enjoying this explorers series!

    Reply
    • Ticia says

      October 28, 2016 at 7:56 am

      Thanks! It’s been fun to write.

  2. Natalie PlanetSmartyPants says

    October 28, 2016 at 2:18 pm

    It must have been hard for him to push forward despite all the losses unless he was a sociopath. I want to believe that most leaders do not enjoy losing their people, especially if they have so relatively few to begin with.

    Reply
    • Ticia says

      October 28, 2016 at 3:37 pm

      I agree. It amazes me to read of all these explorers who have so many tragedies on their journeys. It’s not like these are strangers, but the men they’ve been traveling with on a small ship for months.

  3. Claire says

    October 31, 2016 at 6:35 am

    Fantastic post and, honestly, the Lego is genius!

    Reply
    • Ticia says

      October 31, 2016 at 7:51 am

      Thanks, the Lego makes it so much more fun.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Ticia Adventures in Mommydom Hi, I'm Ticia! This is the adventures of my family in life and learning. Follow along with us as we share our adventures. We're having a lot of fun and learning as we go.

Help!!!! I need to know:

Categories

 book and a movie combo

Copyright © 2023 ·