In 1487, Covilhã set off on a journey in the company of the traveler and diplomat Afonso de Paiva and, under the guise of a merchant, arrived in Cairo, from where he sailed to India. He travelled to Kannur, Calicut and Goa. Then, rounding the Arabian Peninsula from the south, he reached Mozambique on an Arab ship, after which he returned to Cairo.
In 1497-1499, Vasco da Gama led an expedition to explore the Indian sea route. The opening of this route was one of the most significant events in the history of world trade. “Reaching the legendary Indian spice routes unopposed helped the Portuguese improve their economy that, until Gama, was mainly based on trades along Northern and coastal West Africa” (Boundless World History). Having received the key to eastern navigation, Portugal became the most potent maritime power in the 16th century, monopolizing trade with South and East Asia.
In 1500, a flotilla of thirteen ships under the command of Don Pedro Álvares Cabral set off from Lisbon to India along the route that Vasco da Gama had previously paved. “…Cabral made landfall on the Brazilian coast. This was probably an accident, but it has been speculated that the Portuguese knew of Brazil’s existence” (Boundless World History). On the way to the East Indies, he had to endure many storms, during which half of the ships and crew perished.
It was essential for the Portuguese to pave the way through the Indian Ocean to create monopoly trade routes for spices. The Ottomans at that time were busy with many other wars, so they had no time to drive off the Portuguese. In addition, they lacked experience in shipbuilding and could not quickly build a reliable fleet to defeat the Portuguese. “A second Battle of Diu in 1538 ended Ottoman ambitions in India and confirmed Portuguese hegemony in the Indian Ocean” (Boundless World History). Due to these reasons, the Ottomans lost several battles in this region, thus giving it to Portugal.
References
Boundless World History. Web.