Vasco daGama is remembered, in Portugal, as one of the greatest “heroes” in
nationalhistory. But his statues were torn down in India (Goa and Kerala)
andMozambique. Pirate or not pirate, here is the real description of the story.
What happens when a husband and wife get a divorce? Each of them tells their
own story.
OnSeptember 29, 1502, Portuguese ships spotted a boat on the Indian coast
withhundreds of people returning from Mecca to Calicut. Vasco da Gama had
beentrying for days to attack Muslim pilgrims passing by and had a
bloodthirstyplan for those on board this vessel: «while some of our ships were
traveling insearch of those coming from Mecca, the S. Gabriel came across one
of Calicut,who was returning from there with two hundred and forty men, not to
mention thewomen and children, of whom there were quite a few, and who were all
returningfrom that pilgrimage: he immediately hunted them down, and fired a few
bombshots, before surrendering».[1] ]
[1] Thomé Lopes, Navegação às Índias Orientais,capítulo VIII.
Thepassengers were defenseless and soon asked for mercy, offering all the
richesthey had on board and even more, to survive: «The Admiral saw what
washappening through a hatch, and some women took their little children in
theirarms and lifted them into the air, persuading so that he would have mercy
onthose innocent people; the men also nodded that they wanted to
rescuethemselves at all costs; and it is certain that with the wealth that was
onthat ship, as many Christians as prisoners in the Kingdom of Fez could be
takenout of captivity, and there would still be a lot left for El Rei N.S.».[2]
[2] Thomé Lopes, Navegação às Índias Orientais,capítulo VIII.
Vasco daGama didn't just want the pilgrims' goods, he tried to set the boat on
fire andordered more cannon shots. The women and men resisted bravely with the
fewweapons and stones they had. But, after days of pursuit and attacks, the
vesselwas finally captured and looted. On October 3, 1502 - and here accounts
vary -women, children and men were either locked in the cellar; or tied to the
ship;or they were prevented from leaving at the behest of Vasco da Gama, who
orderedall those people to be burned alive and then ordered the boat to be
sunk: «hemade the Admiral set fire to that ship, which burned with as many
people aswere inside, with a lot of cruelty and without any pity”.[3]
[3] Thomé Lopes, Navegação às Índias Orientais,capítulo IX.
The scribe Thomé Lopes, who recorded the words was an eyewitness to
whathappened, left us the longest and most detailed account of these events.
Deeplyaffected by the massacre, he wrote the following: “I will remember it all
mylife”. | 4|
[4] Thomé Lopes, Navegação às Índias Orientais,capítulos IX.
ChroniclerGaspar Correa, who was not part of this trip, narrates a different,
but alsoviolent, ending. After Vasco da Gama refused the desperate proposal of
thepilgrims to fill the Portuguese boats with spices in Calicut, he said “you
mustbe burned alive”, “he ordered the ship to be set on fire” and “the Moors
wereleft swimming, the boats were launched. ». He also mentions that the
otherPortuguese captains tried to persuade Vasco da Gama not to massacre
people,advising him to accept the offers that the pilgrims made to them.
FernãoLopes de Castanheda, another chronicler from the 16th century who lived
inIndia, says that the pilgrims numbered three hundred “apart from women
andchildren” and “the fire caught in such a way that half the ship burned and
partof the Moors drowned in it, and part were dead in the sea where they will
liedown, and so they were all killed».[5]. In this narrative, probably
toalleviate the brutality of the Portuguese, Castanheda states that the
childrenwere removed from the boat to be converted to Christianity.
[5] Fernão Lopes de Castanheda, História do descobrimentoe conquista da India
pelos portugueses, livro I, Tomo II, capítulo XLV.
On Sunday, May 19, 2024 at 09:10:22 AM GMT+1, John de Figueiredo
<johnde...@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
I believe I stated this before. Vasco da Gama was not a pirate. Also, during
his brief tenure as Viceroy of India (brief due to his untimely death), he
proved himself to be a great and just leader because he punished fellow
Europeans who were stealing from the crown and restored law, order, and decency
in the government of Goa. Like his predecessor Afonso de Albuquerque, he
applied the norms of justice equally and fairly, irrespective of race or
national origin. (In the case of Albuquerque he went overboard to punish a
fellow European for a relatively minor violation of one of his orders.)Let us
not allow current political views to cloud the interpretation of well
documented events that took place in the 16th century.John M. de Figueiredo
Sent from my iPhone
On May 18, 2024, at 4:25 PM, albert...@sapo.pt wrote:
Did it take 27 years? Demonstration of the “lie” lobby that does not want to
know real facts. I was in Goa once and Mr. Sinari, owner of a record store,
expressed his anger against, in his own words, the pirate Vasco da Gama. He
remembered the Hindu temples that were destroyed by the Portuguese and the
arrest of a family member by the PIDE.
Regards
----- Mensagem de 'Nuno Cardoso da Silva' via Goa-Research-Net
<goa-research-net@googlegroups.com> ---------
Data: Thu, 16 May 2024 12:24:31 +0200
De: 'Nuno Cardoso da Silva' via Goa-Research-Net
<goa-research-net@googlegroups.com>
Assunto: Re: [GRN] Finally the book V. Gama by S. Subramanyam in Portugal
Para: goa-research-net@googlegroups.com
Historical figures are never wholly good nor wholly bad. Therefore, in order to
have a more realistic view of such figures, it is good that some writers focus
exclusively on the better or worse aspects of their lives. In that way, we may
be able to see such historical figures as human beings and not as angels or
devils. I have no way to know how good or how bad Vasco da Gama was, and
neither has Sanjay Subrahmanyam. But even if he is unfair in respect of Vasco
da Gama it is good he has given us the opportunity to bring him down to earth.
In that way we may focus on his positive achievements without forgetting his
more dubious ones. Whatever Sanjay Subrahmanyam may say, Vasco da Gama will
remain an important figure for Portugal, for India and for the World at large.
But he will also become a bit more human, and that's good.
Nuno Cardoso da Silva
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