Age of Navigators...
On May 20th, I made my way from the middle of nowhere Iowa to a country that was once so powerful it made claim to half of the entire world!
Except it didn't, because it was too tiny and it couldn't handle it's enormous amount of colonies.
But the fact that Portugal had so much influence in the 16th century is pretty incredible. Size matters not!
Even though I have so much love for the intricate Manuelian Architecture and the beautiful azulejos that depict hundreds of years of history in blue and white tiles, there is an aspect an Portugal's history that many would like to forget.
Henry the Navigator believed there would be monsters beyond the Cape Bojador.
Little did he know, he was the most dangerous thing inhabiting the seas.
Years of economic advantage would occur because of this discovery, but it was all because of forced labor and brutal practices.
Vasco de Gama is another explorer who's story I find interesting yet slightly horrifying.
He is most famous for "discovering India", or more accurately establishing trading posts and establishing a sketchy trade relationship.
When Vasco de Gama landed in Kozhikode (then it was called Calicut), he was greeted kindly by the Hindu locals. However, this changed when he offered very cheap gifts and failed to establish secure trade relations at first.
His mannerisms were shown to be continually brutal due to his desperation to secure the trade of goods for Portugal.
The reason he failed so terribly at negotiations is because of his impatience and attitude.
"His hostility towards Muslims and unwillingness to adapt to local systems poisoned future relations and exposed the limits of his first journey."
History Skills (A handy high school education platform)
For his next voyage, he did what any frustrated kid would do when their sibling wouldn't let them play with the x-box: use brutal force and throw a tantrum.
Vasco de Gama burned 300 Muslim passengers near the India coast returning from Mecca. There were women, men, and children on the Míri, which was a part of the Hajj pilgrimage from over 183 countries.
Although the ship did not fire back after warning shots were sent out, de Gama still made the decision to pillage the ship even after negotiating with the wealthier pilgrams.
First spices were offered.
And then one of his wives was offered to de Gama.
And then his nephew...
And then the wealthier merchant even offered a peace agreement to secure trade!
And yet de Gama still pillaged the ship and murdered 300 people.
Talk about a tempter tantrum!
A more thorough account of this story is told here:
Despite all that de Gama accomplished during his years as an explorer, I still glared at his grave and silently said.
You are an idiot.
(Yes, that is what the cover image is)
p.s.
Here is a book to add to your book list! It is written by an Indian-American Historian who writes a lot about Portugal and India's relations.
Sources!
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