Who Discovered the Sea Route to India

Answer:

The finding of the maritime route to India by the Portuguese was the first documented expedition across Europe to India through the Cape.

This was done under the rule of King Manuel I from 1495–to 1499. Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama led this. It established the Portuguese nautical and trading foothold in Kerala as well as the Indian Ocean and is regarded among the most notable journeys of an Age of Exploration.

Preparations for the Trip

1. Portuguese King John II devised a plan to work just on the Cape Route to India as a cost-cutting strategy in commerce with Asia, as well as an attempt to control the spice trade.
2. John II desired trading posts as well as the development of the kingdom of Portugal, which had already been turned into an Empire, to add to the growing powerful Portuguese maritime presence. Under his tenure, however, the work was never completed.
3. His successors, King Manuel I, named Vasco da Gama to lead the trip while preserving the original strategy in place.
4. The ruling elite, on the other hand, was not pleased with this development. A different perspective on the voyage that John II had diligently organised was apparent at the Corte de Montemor-o-Novo in 1495.
5. This viewpoint was satisfied with commerce between Guinea and North Africa but was wary of the difficulties posed by the management of any foreign possessions, as well as the costs involved in the establishment and upkeep of sea routes.
6. This viewpoint is portrayed in the figure of Old Man of Restelo, which resists the armada’s boarding inside the Portuguese heroic poet Luís Vaz de Camões’ Os Lusíadas.  
7. It is frequently recognized as Portugal’s most important literary achievement.
8. The piece commemorates the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama’s discovery of a maritime passage to India.