About the Book
Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 211. Chapters: Portuguese India Armadas, 4th Portuguese India Armada (Gama, 1502), Battle of Cochin (1504), 7th Portuguese India Armada (Almeida, 1505), 2nd Portuguese India Armada (Cabral, 1500), Pedro Alvares Cabral, Afonso de Albuquerque, Portuguese discoveries, 5th Portuguese India Armada (Albuquerque, 1503), Alvise Cadamosto, Vasco da Gama, Ferdinand Magellan, 3rd Portuguese India Armada (Nova, 1501), Vettathunad, Iberian ship development, 1400-1600, John III of Portugal, Jeronimos Monastery, History of Portugal (1415-1578), Prester John, Portuguese expedition to Sofala (Anaia, 1505), Fernao Mendes Pinto, 6th Portuguese India Armada (Albergaria, 1504), Alvaro Fernandes, Rodrigues, Antonio de Noli, Dutch-Portuguese War, Amerigo Vespucci, Henry the Navigator, Order of Saint James of the Sword, Pero de Ataide, Fernao de Loronha, John II of Portugal, Manuel I of Portugal, Vicente Sodre, Simon Fernandez, Factory (trading post), Joao de Castro, Diogo Gomes, Elmina Castle, Joao da Nova, Gomes Eanes de Zurara, History of the Order of Christ, Duarte Pacheco Pereira, Galleon, Diogo Rodrigues, Martin Behaim, Casa da India. Excerpt: The Portuguese India armadas (armadas da India) were the fleets of ships, organized by the Portuguese crown and dispatched on an annual basis from Portugal to India, principally Goa. These armadas undertook what was called the Carreira da India ("India Run"), following the sea route around the Cape of Good Hope opened up by Vasco da Gama in 1497-1499. For a long time after its discovery by Vasco da Gama in 1497-1499, the sea route to India via the Cape of Good Hope was dominated by the Portuguese India armada - the annual fleet dispatched from Portugal to India. Between 1497 and 1650, there were 1033 departures of ships at Lisbon for the Carreira da India ("India Run"). The route of Vasco da Gama's first voyage (1497-1499), what became the typical Carreira da IndiaEach leg of the voyage took approximately six months. The critical determinant of the timing was the monsoon winds of the Indian Ocean. The monsoon was a southwesterly wind (i.e. blew from East Africa to India) in the Summer (between April and September) and then abruptly reversed itself and became a northeasterly (from India to Africa) in the Winter (between October and March). The ideal timing was to catch the late summer monsoon to India, and return with the early winter monsoon, minimizing the time at sea. The India armada typically left Lisbon in the early Spring (February-April). That would bring it to the Cape of Good Hope around June-July, and to the East African middle coast by August, just in time to catch the summer monsoon winds to India. The return trip from India would typically begin in January, taking the winter monsoon across the Indian Ocean and down East Africa, double the Cape in reverse around April, and arrive in Lisbon by the Summer. Overall, the round trip took a little over a year. The critical step was ensuring the armada reached East Africa on time. Ships that failed to reach the equator latitude on the East African coast by late August would be stuck in Africa and have to wait u
