The Quest for and Discovery of a Sea Route to India

Background and Context: Trade Routes and Geopolitical Shifts

• After the decline of the Roman Empire in the seventh century, the Arabs had established their domination in Egypt and Persia.
• Direct contact between the Europeans and India declined, affecting easy accessibility to Indian commodities like spices, calicoes, silk, and various precious stones.
• In 1453, Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks, leading to a shift where merchandise from India reached European markets through Arab Muslim intermediaries.
• The Red Sea trade route became a state monopoly for Islamic rulers, generating tremendous revenues.
• The land routes to India were also controlled by the Arabs, prompting Europeans to seek a direct sea route to India.
• Fifteenth-century Europe, amidst the Renaissance, witnessed advancements in ship-building and navigation, fostering an eagerness for adventurous sea voyages to the East.

Economic Development and Demand: Driving the Search for New Routes

• The economic development across Europe saw an expansion of land under cultivation, introduction of an improved plough, and scientific crop management like crop rotation.
• The increased supply of meat spurred demand for spices for cooking and preservation, enhancing the demand for oriental luxury goods.
• Venice and Genoa, formerly prosperous from trade in oriental goods, were insufficient to challenge the Ottoman Turks or lead major explorations.

Portuguese Leadership and Exploration: Charting New Territories

• Portugal assumed leadership in Christendom’s resistance to Islam and embraced the spirit of exploration.
• Historians note that Prince Henry of Portugal, nicknamed the ‘Navigator’, was obsessed with finding an ocean route to India to circumvent Muslim domination and expand Christian influence.
• In 1454, Pope Nicholas V granted Prince Henry the right to navigate the sea to the distant shores of the Orient, specifically India, in efforts to combat Islamic influence and spread Christianity.

Treaty of Tordesillas and Portuguese Incursions: Dividing the World

• In 1494, under the Treaty of Tordesillas, Portugal and Spain divided the non-Christian world.
• Portugal could claim and occupy everything east of an imaginary line in the Atlantic, paving the way for Portuguese incursions into the waters around India.
• In 1487, Bartholomew Dias, a Portuguese navigator, rounded the Cape of Good Hope and confirmed the discovery of a sea route to India.
• Ten years later, in 1497, Portuguese ships embarked on an expedition to India, reaching their destination in less than eleven months.