Vasco da Gama

Vasco da Gama was a Portuguese explorer and the first European to reach India by sea. His 14971499 voyage linked Europe and Asia for the first time by an ocean route, bypassing the dangerous and expensive Mediterranean trade routes controlled by the Ottoman Empire. This discovery opened the way for the Portuguese Empire to establish a global trade network and dominate the spice trade for decades. Da Gama's success was a pivotal moment in the history of global commerce, shifting the economic center of gravity toward the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.