Explorers

Who was Vasco da Gama?

Vasco da Gama was born in 1460 in Sines, Portugal and
died on December 24, 1524, in Cochin, India. In 1497,
explorer Vasco da Gama was commissioned by the
Portuguese king to find a maritime route to the East. His
success in doing so proved to be one of the more
instrumental moments in the history of navigation. He
subsequently made two other voyages to India and was
appointed as Portuguese viceroy in India in 1524.
Da Gama was born into a noble family around 1460 in
Sines, Portugal. Little is known about his upbringing
except that he was the third son of Estêvão da Gama,
who was commander of the fortress in Sines in the southwestern pocket of Portugal.
When he was old enough, young da Gama joined the navy, where was taught how to
navigate.

Travels

First travel
On July 8 of that year, he captained a team of four vessels, including his flagship, the
200-tons San Gabriel, to find a sailing route to India and the East.

To embark on the journey, da Gama pointed his ships south, taking advantage of the
prevailing winds along the coast of Africa. His choice of direction was also a bit of a
rebuke to Christopher Columbus, who had believed he'd found a route to India by
sailing east.

Following several months of sailing, he rounded the Cape of Good Hope and began
making his way up the eastern coast of Africa, toward the uncharted waters of the
Indian Ocean. By January, as the fleet neared what is now Mozambique, many of da
Gama's crewmembers were sick with scurvy, forcing the expedition to anchor for rest
and repairs for nearly one month.
In all, da Gama's first journey covered nearly 24,000 miles in close to two years, and
only 54 of the crew's original 170 members survived.

Second travel

When da Gama returned to Lisbon, he was greeted as a hero. In an effort to secure the
trade route with India and usurp Muslim traders, Portugal dispatched another team of
vessels, headed by Pedro Álvares Cabral. The crew reached India in just six months, and
the voyage included a firefight with Muslim merchants, where Cabral's crew killed 600
men on Muslim cargo vessels. More important for his home country, Cabral established
the first Portuguese trading post in India.

In 1502, da Gama helmed another journey to India that included 20 ships. Ten of the
ships were directly under his command, with his uncle and nephew helming the others.
In the wake of Cabral's success and battles, the king charged da Gama to further secure
Portugal's dominance in the region.

Finally, on February 20, 1503, da Gama and his crew began to make their way home.
They reached Portugal on October 11 of that year.

Main ideas

Known as a tough and fearless navigator, da Gama solidified his reputation as a

reputable sailor when, in 1492, King John II of Portugal dispatched him to the south of
Lisbon and then to the Algarve region of the country, to seize French ships as an act of
vengeance against the French government for disrupting Portuguese shipping.

Following da Gama's completion of King John II's orders, in 1495, King Manuel took the
throne, and the country revived its earlier mission to find a direct trade route to India.
By this time, Portugal had established itself as one of the most powerful maritime
countries in Europe.
Who was Jeanne Baret?

Jeanne Baret was a French botanist and explorer.

Unknowingly, she became the first woman to sail
around the world. She was born on July 27, 1740, in
Autun, France and died on August 5, 1807.
Her family was poor. One record indicates that her
father was a day laborer who helped with farming and
harvesting.1 Since she grew up in a rural area, Baret
became skilled at gathering and learning about
different plants. Although she had no formal
education, Jeanne Baret possessed a strong
knowledge of botany at a young age.

She became known as an “herb woman” due to her knowledge of botanical (plant)
medicine. Years later, Baret was employed as a housekeeper to Philibert Commerson.
Commerson studied medicine, natural history, and botany – the study of plants. He had
moved close to Jeanne’s hometown to work and collect plant samples. It was during this
time that Baret and Commerson formed a close friendship.

Travels

First travel

Two ships were part of this journey: The Boudeuse and the Étoile which Baret and
Commerson sailed on. The Étoile set sail from Nantes, France in 1766. Their goal was to
circumnavigate – sail around – the world. One of the first stops made during the
journey was in Montevideo, Uruguay. After successfully sailing through the Strait of
Magellan at the tip of South America, the Étoile reached Tahiti in 1767.

Baret was able to hide her true identify from the crew for much of the journey by
remaining private and defensive. But in Tahiti Baret’s true identity was revealed.
Historians do not know the actual story of how the reveal took place. One account note
that when she went ashore in Tahiti, the Tahitian natives quickly noticed her gender.
When taken back aboard the Étoile she confessed to lying and revealed her true identity.

Second travel
Baret continued the ship from Tahiti to New Ireland – located today in Papua New
Guinea. Staying on board as a woman was sometimes dangerous.

After this, Baret did not go ashore very often. In 1768, the ship stopped in Mauritius, an
island in the Indian Ocean, to restock its supplies. When the Etoile and Boudeuse were
ready to head back to France, Baret and Commerson did not join them. They remained
in Mauritius.

Commerson and Baret stayed in Mauritius as guests of Pierre Poivre, governor of the
island. While living on Mauritius, Baret continued to act as Commerson’s housekeeper
and nurse until his death in 1773. Baret remained in Mauritius until she returned to
France. At some point, she met a French soldier named Jean Dubernat. They married in
May 1774. They moved to Dubernat’s hometown of in Saint-Aulaye where she remained
until her death. Jeanne Baret died in Saint-Aulaye, France on August 5, 1807, at the age
of 67.

Main ideas

-Jeanne Baret’s achievement for being the first woman to circumnavigate the world was
not always fully recognized. Her work and collections of exotic plants are still important
information today.

-Baret herself did not record her experiences during the voyage. Travel logs from several
crew members, though, reveal the hardships that she dealt with when her true identity
was revealed.

- In one translation of Commerson’s notes, he credits Baret for being the first female to
circle the globe.
Why did you choose those explorations?  

Because it can delve deeper into the life of the explorer and how it was affected for
better and for worse

Can you say some important general aspects of that exploration? 

In the Age of Discovery he was noted for having been the commander of the first
ships that sailed directly from Europe to India to discover a trade route from
Europe to India.

What is the route?  

Discovery of the sea route to India, he left there to Calicut, returning to Portugal, after
all that he made another three trips to India.

Discovery? 

Discovery of the sea route to India

Year?  

1497-1499

What history do you know about it?  

When Vasco da Gama was about ten years old, these long-term plans were about to be
achieved stretching out into the unknown in a northeast direction. Portugal hoped to
use the route started by to break the monopoly on Mediterranean trade.

Do you know negative aspects about that exploration?  

On March 1, 1503, the war between the Zamorin of Calicut and the Raja of Cochin
began. Their ships assaulted Arab merchant ships, also destroying a fleet of 29 Calicut
ships. After this battle, they received important favorable commercial concessions from
the zamorin.
What else do you know?  
On this trip the first known record of European sighting of the Seychelles was given,
which Vasco da Gama named Amirante Islands in his own honor.

Why did you choose those explorations?  

To deepen what the first French woman to go around the world experienced

Can you say some important general aspects of that exploration? 

The expedition used two French warships, commanded by Louis Antoine de

Bougainville, in which the presence of women was not allowed, so Baret had to
disguise himself as a man during the three years of the voyage.

What is the route?  

Expedition around the world.

Discovery? 

There were no discoveries to the normal, since it was an extensive route, at most
they stopped in merchant islands, but the discovery that Jeanne Baret infiltrated as
a man discovered that she was a woman.

Year?  

1766-1785

What history do you know about it?  

One of the mysteries of Baret's life is how he got an education, as his

signature on later legal documents provides evidence that he was not
illiterate.

Do you know negative aspects about that exploration?  

According to events, Baret, through a disguise, went around the globe in

one of the ships commanded by the Lord of Bougainville. He devoted
himself to helping Mr. de Commerson, a physician and botanist, and
shared with great courage the labors and dangers of this sage. She was
an extraordinary woman who had a salary of two hundred pounds, she
was able to sail without disturbances, but the problems did not wait.
What else do you know?  
On April 26, 2018, in honor of Jeanne Barret, the name of Mount Baret is
officially given to a mountain range on the planet Pluto.

Vasco da Gama:

Advantage:
In the Age of Discovery, he was noted for having been the commander of
the first ships that sailed directly from Europe to India to discover a trade
route from Europe to India. It was the longest ocean voyage ever made.1 At
the end of his life, for a brief period in 1524, he was governor of Portuguese
India with the title of viceroy.

Disadvantage:
Vasco da Gama set out to install the Portuguese center and a factory in
Cochin, after consecutive efforts. The Portuguese bombarded Calicut and
destroyed the Arab trading posts.

Jeanne Baret:

Advantage:
Jeanne Baret's discovery drew the attention of a wider public to Baret and
helped undo some of the old misconceptions about her life.

Disadvantage:
Despite her scientific contributions, history kept her from all recognition
for her work for centuries and she was only remembered as a lover
Commerson (her late husband).