Expeditions To India

First Expedition:

Vasco was appointed by King Manuel I to find a sea route to India in 1497. The main reason for this expedition was to establish trade relations with Indian spice merchants. He departured from Lisbon, Portugal  in 1497 with a fleet of 4 ships. It is explained that Vasco lost almost half of his men on this journey. Vasco and his fleet stopped in Africa many times along the way. They fought through many challenges such as scurvy, storms, and a lack of food. However, they finally arrived in Calicut in 1498. This first interaction between Portugal and India was  peaceful, as the Portugese were welcomed by the local ruler and they established trade relations with merchants. However, there were some misunderstandings between the two countries over culture. Due to this, Vasco departed from Calicut and returned to Portugal with ships full of spices and other goods. 

Second Expedition:

Vasco da Gama's second expedition to India was a bit more aggressive than his previous. This occurred in 1502, with a purpose to consolidate Portugese presence in India and to expand their trade and control over this region.  This time, the leader of Calicut was angered by the Portugese presence in India. as they interfered with the trade system on their last expedition. The Portuguese faced this problem by burning down  Calicut and killing upto 1000 men.