Vasco da Gama was born in Sines, Portugal in 1469. He was the son of the town's governor. Because of this da Gama was educated as a nobleman and served in the court of King Joao II. He also served as a naval officer. In 1492 da Gama commanded a defense of Portuguese colonies from the west coast of Guinea. He was then given the mission to take command of the first command of the first Portuguese expedition around Africa to India. .
Vasco da Gama set out from Lisbon, Portugal, on July 8, 1497. His crew had planned and equipped four ships; the flagship Sao (Saint) Gabriel was commanded by Goncalo Alvares, da Gama's brother, Paulo commanded the Sao Rafael, and the last two ships were the Berrio and the Starship. Many of the workers on these ships were convicts. On November 22, he and his crew rounded the Cape of Good Hope and sailed North. Da Gama made many stops along the coast of Africa, such as, Mombassa, Mozambique, Malindi, Kenya, and Quilmana. .
Many conflicts arose between the Portuguese and the Muslims who had already established trading centers along the east coast. Muslims traders in Mozambique and Mombassa did not want interference in their trade centers and perceived the Portuguese as a threat and tried to seize their ships. However, the Portuguese were well received in Malindi because the ruler hoped to gain an ally against Mombassa. The rest of the way to India da Gama was accompanied by Ahmad Ibn Majid who was a famous Arab pilot. .
Vasco da Gama and his crew finally arrived in Calicut, India on May 20, 1498. Calicut was the principle market of trade for precious items such as stones, pearls, and spices. At first the Portuguese were welcomed by and accepted by the Hindu ruler. There was a great ceremony and da Gama was taken to the Hindu temple. However, the ruler then felt insulted by the gifts that the Portuguese brought because he felt they were of little to no value to him.