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How did Portugal gain control of the spice trade?

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Infante Dom Henrique was a prince, the third son of John I of Portugal. Henrique was a dreamer, but more importantly, a doer. In 1416, Henrique established a center for exploration in southwestern Portugal. An arsenal was constructed, and an observatory, later a school for navigation and the study of geography.

The Arrival of Vasco Da Gama in Calcutta, 20th May 1498
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Cartographers came to work for Henrique and ships were built in the nearby harbor. From this base of operations, the Portuguese sailed the Atlantic charting the coast of Africa. The prince became known as "Henry the Navigator". It is said, one of Henry's goals was to find a sea route to the fabled land of Prester John, the legendary Christian King of India. Henry died in 1460.

In July 1497, Vasco da Gama, a student from the school of navigation, sailed from Lisbon with four ships. They rounded Africa and on May 20, 1498, lay anchor off Calicut on the Malabar Coast of India. Some of the first people the Portuguese met in India were Moors from Tunis who could speak both Castilian and Genoese. Not trusted by the Moorish traders or the raja, Zamorin, Vasco da Gama left Calicut. He returned to Portugal in September 1499 with a very small amount of spices.

Vasco Da Gama
Received by Zamorin Ruler of Calicut
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Vasco da Gama was made "Admiral of the Indian Ocean" and returned to Calicut with a fleet of twenty warships in 1502. His ships wreaked havoc on Arabic trade vessels, destroyed the Calicut fleet, and bombarded the port and city. To halt further destruction, Zamorin granted Vasco da Gama spice trade concessions. He took the plunder from the city and spices back to Portugal.

The Arabic traders once again lost control of the spice trade. Alexandria and Venice would no longer control the import and distribution of spices to Europe. Major trade centers shifted to Western Europe. The Portuguese crown gave Vasco da Gama land and the title, Count Vidigueira. In 1524, he sailed again to India to take control of Portuguese holdings. He died shortly after arriving and was buried in India. Fifteen years after his death, Vasco da Gama's body was returned to his homeland.

(Compiled from: "History of Calicut" , "Henry the Navigator" and "Vasco da Gama", Wikipedia, 2003 and "Round Africa to India, 1497-1498", Vasco da Gama, modern text by Professor J.S. Arkenberg, California State, Fullerton, 2003)

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