Vasco da Gama's bloody atrocities during his Indian expeditions

In the final decades of the 15th century, European powers turned to sea exploration as a solution to the disruption of land trade with Asia.

The fall of Constantinople in 1453 enabled the Ottoman Empire to tighten its grip over key trade routes, increasing the difficulty and cost of overland access to Asian goods.

This growing pressure forced kingdoms such as Portugal to seek maritime alternatives for accessing valuable goods.

Under the sponsorship of King John II and later King Manuel I, Portuguese navigators pushed further along the African coast in search of a sea route to India. 

Among those selected for command, Vasco da Gama stood out due to his noble background, naval experience, and loyalty to the Crown.

His appointment in 1497 followed the success of Bartolomeu Dias, who had reached the Cape of Good Hope in 1488.

From Lisbon, da Gama sailed with clear orders: reach India, build diplomatic and trade ties, and bring back cargo that paid for the voyage. 

In addition to trade goals, King Manuel viewed the Indian Ocean as a battleground for Christian influence, and he expected his commanders to undermine Muslim trade wherever possible.

Portuguese rhetoric described their mission in crusading terms, and da Gama sailed under orders to prioritise Christian partnerships and impose force when diplomacy failed.

Royal instructions, echoing earlier papal endorsements such as Romanus Pontifex issued by Pope Nicholas V in 1455 and reaffirmed by later bulls, urged the destruction of Muslim shipping and the spread of the faith through conquest. 

On 8 July 1497, da Gama departed Lisbon with four ships and a crew prepared for a lengthy and dangerous voyage.

Once it had navigated the western coast of Africa, the fleet then rounded the Cape and crossed the Indian Ocean.

In May 1498, it reached Calicut, a bustling port on the Malabar Coast ruled by a Hindu Zamorin whose personal name remains unknown in surviving records.

As a centre of the spice trade, Calicut attracted merchants from Arabia, Persia, and Southeast Asia. 

From the beginning, da Gama's approach revealed a poor grasp of Indian political and cultural expectations.

He presented low-quality gifts to the Zamorin, which offended local officials who expected luxury items and official titles.

Without formal credentials or knowledge of court customs, he struggled to gain trust or respect.

As a result, Muslim merchants, already well-established in the region, viewed the Portuguese with suspicion and warned the Zamorin of their intentions. 

After weeks of fruitless negotiations, da Gama lost patience and prepared for departure.

The voyage home proved disastrous. Scurvy decimated the crew, storms damaged the ships, and only two vessels reached Portugal.

Although he brought back some spices, the expedition had failed to secure a lasting trade agreement or favourable diplomatic connections.

His hostility towards Muslims and unwillingness to adapt to local systems poisoned future relations and exposed the limits of his first journey. 

In 1502, King Manuel I sent da Gama back to India with a far larger fleet and a mission based on force instead of negotiation.

The instructions given to him called for vengeance against the Zamorin of Calicut and the enforcement of Portuguese trade control using any means necessary.

With twenty heavily armed ships, da Gama sailed to the East intending to punish those who had resisted Portuguese demands. 

Near the Indian coast, he intercepted a large merchant ship, sometimes referred to in later sources as the Míri, which was carrying Muslim travelers who had returned from Mecca.

After he plundered its valuable cargo, he ordered the ship set on fire while more than 300 passengers remained trapped on board.

The victims, which included women and children, burned alive as da Gama watched from his vessel.

Some historians, such as Gaspar Correia, estimated over 400 victims and described the horror in graphic detail.

Portuguese records described the act as deliberate and planned. 

Upon arrival in Calicut, he issued demands that included the removal of Muslim traders and the acceptance of full Portuguese authority.

When the Zamorin refused, da Gama bombarded the city for two days and captured dozens of hostages.

His men dismembered the prisoners and sent their remains ashore in baskets, along with a letter that threatened further violence.

He then established a naval blockade that crippled trade and caused food shortages among the local population.

The blockade lasted several months, and cut trade links with the Red Sea and Arabian Peninsula, undermining Calicut's spice and textile exports. 

In the following months, da Gama increased his influence when he formed an alliance with Cochin, a rival of Calicut.

The Raja of Cochin, referred to in Portuguese sources as Trimumpara Raja, accepted Portuguese support in exchange for protection.

With Portuguese backing, Cochin gained temporary security, while da Gama used the alliance to tighten control over the region’s commercial network.

His tactics included intimidation, public violence, and repeated attacks on Muslim shipping.

Indian merchants and rulers recognised that the Portuguese had come to control through force rather than to trade as equals. 

During the centuries that followed, European historians praised Vasco da Gama as a gifted navigator who opened a path to Asia and grew Portugal’s influence.

His voyages established a permanent connection between Europe and the East, which laid the foundation for a sea empire stretching from Africa to the Pacific.

However, his record cannot be separated from the brutal methods he employed to secure those achievements. 

In Indian records and stories, da Gama appears as a ruthless aggressor who caused terror among innocent people and disrupted long-standing trade systems.

The burning of the Míri, the destruction of Calicut, and the mutilation of hostages were part of a broader policy aimed at asserting Portuguese control through fear and cruelty.

Da Gama imposed them on unwilling populations using calculated violence. 

In 1524, King João III appointed da Gama as Viceroy of Portuguese India, hoping that his authority would curb the abuses of earlier governors.

He arrived in India for the third time in September but died in Cochin in December, less than three months later.

His final journey ended in the same city where he had once exercised terror to assert control. 

In recent decades, historians have begun to reassess the consequences of his expeditions.

His success as a navigator remains significant, but his actions also saw the beginning of European colonialism in the Indian Ocean.

His missions introduced naval control enforced through treaties that left little room for local autonomy and through intolerance of other faiths, a system that persisted for generations. 

For modern audiences, da Gama has bloodied hands. Any full account of his life must include the crimes he committed, the suffering he caused, and the imperial system he helped to build.

His story reminds us that exploration and violence often travelled together in the age of empire.