what land did vasco da gama claim or settled in

Instead, the Italian navigator found himself on an island that later became known as the Bahamas. Image Credit: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons There are no known authentic portraits of Columbus Posthumous portrait of Columbus by Sebastiano del Piombo, 1519. Under the sponsorship of Ferdinand II and Isabella I of Spain, he had originally set sail hoping to find a westward route to the Far East. Often called the “discoverer” of the New World, Christopher Columbus embarked on 4 voyages across the Atlantic Ocean between 14.

His patronage of Portuguese exploration led to expeditions across the Atlantic Ocean and along the western coast of Africa, and the colonising of the Azores and Madeira islands.Īlthough he did not earn the title ‘”the Navigator” until three centuries after his death, Henry was considered the main initiator of the Age of Discovery and the Atlantic slave trade. The Portuguese prince has a legendary status in the early stages of European exploration – despite never having embarked on an exploratory voyage himself. Setting sail aboard his “treasure ships”, he would exchange valuable goods such as gold, porcelain and silk for ivory, myrrh and even China’s first giraffe.ĭespite being instrumental in extending the influence and power of the Ming dynasty China, Zheng’s legacy went overlooked after China entered a long period of isolation. Known as the Three-Jewel Eunuch Admiral, Zheng He was China’s greatest explorer.Ĭommanding the world’s mightiest fleet of 300 ships and as many as 30,000 troops, Admiral Zheng made 7 epic voyages to southeast Asia, south Asia, the Middle East and Africa between 14. His writings also had a significant influence on European cartography, ultimately leading to the Age of Discovery a century later. Polo was not the first European to reach China, but his travelogue inspired many explorers – among them, Christopher Columbus. The result of their encounter was Il milione (“The Million”) or ‘The Travels of Marco Polo’, which described his voyage to and experiences in Asia. Upon his return to Venice, Polo was imprisoned in Genoa alongside the writer Rustichello da Pisa. Image Credit: Grevembrock, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Polo wearing a Tartar outfit, print from the 18th century

What land did vasco da gama claim or settled in