Vasco Da Gama made three trips to Malabar. The value of his discovery was immense to Europe, but it also created immense turbulence in Malabar. The tight grip of the Zamorins of Calicut on Malabar was weakened, the importance of Cochin increased, and a wedge was slowly inserted in the balanced relationship between the Nairs and the Moplahs of Malabar and many other social economic changes were initiated. Malabar came to know about new things and new practices, but they were also to see a new enemy in cavalcades after the arrival of the feared Parangi. Yes, the people who followed from the west like the Dutch and the Englishmen capitalized on the turmoil created by the Portuguese, but the people of Malabar eventually benefitted over time from the sale of the produce of the land namely the famed spices of Malabar that grew and ripened in the Malabar sun and rain, prophetically attributed to the famous saying of a Zamorin – you can take away our pepper but not our sun and rain (surely a legend as I answered a readers question earlier). Many died in the battle for pepper control and the Zamorins lost their control after hanging on to them for some six centuries.
Vasco was always a hunted man after his arrival in Malabar. One of the first attempts on his life was after his landing at Kappad/Pantalayani, by the moors. He did not really have to fear then, for he had some experienced convicts in his entourage. This was not clear to me until I read an article by Jose Calico. He explains ‘Vasco da Gama personally recruited the crew (that was) to accompany him on this maiden voyage. It was not very easy to find recruits for this journey. Many promised to join the mission but few actually dared to show up. The voyage to India was seen as being fraught with immense dangers. Many were keen but few were willing. Eventually an assortment of individuals was put together for this voyage. Among the crew were 10 convicted killers whose sentences had been specially commuted. They were to be used for the suicidal dangerous missions anticipated en route’.
When a threat was uncovered against the Gama's life it upset the Portuguese, for they had believed that the Zamorin was a Christian of some kind. The antagonistic atmosphere in Calicut left little sense in their remaining at Calicut, and on top of that disease and accidents had taken a heavy toll of his men by now. There were more rumors of plots against his life, and so Gama sailed away from Calicut at the end of August 1498. These stories were covered in earlier posts.
Anyway this is not an attempt to trace all of his life but only to cover the final days of his life. Time had moved on and the final voyage was on the charts. The 64 year old man thus started out on his last voyage to Goa, by then the headquarters of the Portuguese colony in India. The weary old man, who had finally became a fidalgo after intense negotiations, was now titled Count or Earl Vasco Da Gama, travelled to Goa in 1524. Eduardo Duarte Menezes in Cochin was a disaster in the eyes of the Portuguese superiors and had to be replaced. Vasco arrived in Goa, in stately fashion, to take care of that mission.
Vasco was destined for Cochin, some eight weeks later, and was by then very sick. It became clear that he was dreadfully ill, and rumors swirled around the Portuguese bureaucracy. Questions like who would take over and what their responsibilities were going to be, bounced back and forth. The interesting question was what his ailment was all about. Some said it was malaria and some said nothing. But later studies point out that he had contracted anthrax.
Trade was one of the fastest carriers for intercontinental diseases. Many diseases moved from one place to another, from places where people had immunity to places where they did not, thereby creating havoc. The Bubonic plague was one of them; influenza was another as microbes piggybacked carriers over the oceans. There was one more and that was Anthrax, something that afflicted meat eaters or those who drank milk from these afflicted animals.
Gama moved to Cochin for two purposes, one to check the continuous attacks by the paros of Kunjali and secondly to arrest Duarte De Menzes. By then the Portuguese establishment had become very corrupt and people were happily enriching themselves. Duarte had amassed wealth and fearing the arrival of Gama went onto bury it (that is an interesting story for Duarte sailed to Lisbon with it but lost it again at the beaches of Farao and I am not sure if it has been found as yet).
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| St Francis church Cochin Photo byThoufeek Zakriya |
Correa explains - The boils were very hard, and they would not ripen for all the remedies that were applied, for nothing availed, and they gave him such great torment that they did not allow him to turn his face in any direction. At this the Viceroy was subject to great fits of irritation, with the heavy cares which he felt on account of the many things which he had got to do, so that his illness was doubled, and went on getting worse until he altogether took to his bed, and from thence gave all the necessary orders, with great travail of spirit, which caused him to be overtaken by mortal illness, with such pains as deprived him of speech.
The Viceroy, feeling that he was ill, spoke secretly at night to the guardian of St. Antony, who was his confessor, with whom he consulted; and at this conjuncture there arrived at Cochym the ships and vessel from Ceylon with the cinnamon, which was transferred from them into the ships bound for the kingdom, which were now almost laden, and the Viceroy hurried this on. He dispatched at once the vessel to the kingdom with his letters; Francisco de Mendonca went as captain of it, and he sailed on the first of December.
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| Gama was first buried here - Photo by JK - Varnam |
How did the Gama die? Did he die of Malaria as it was said or Anthrax? Was he poisoned? It is now believed that due to the cumulative effects of the arduous journeys and what is perhaps consistent with anthrax bacillary infection, Vasco da Gama died in Cochin on December 25, 1524, a sad and painful death. Possibly he regretted his violent actions in those final days, probably he did not, for he and he alone was his judge.
References
Three voyages – Gaspar Correa
Vasco Da Gama – Career & legend – Sanjay Subrahmanyam
Additional Notes 07/18/2024
Cause of death – While many
sources opine that the cause could be due to Anthrax, it is also likely that he
died post Diabetes complications. Some mentions can be found that it was due to
an inflamed carbuncle, and potential sepsis. Anthrax incidentally is a name
given in French language to two distinct infectious diseases. One corresponds
to carbuncle which is a collection of boils. The other one corresponds to the
English term anthrax.
Burial location – I could reconstruct the story, generally as follows - The Catholic church which existed in Fort Cochin of the Portuguese was known as the Franciscan Bartholomew Church, built in wood circa 1503. This was rebuilt in stone/masonry and dedicated to St Anthony, in 1516, by Francesco Almeida. Vasco Da Gama died in Dec 1524 and was buried at its principal chapel (Castanheda, Correa).
St Francis came to India after the event and preached in these parts and Ma’abar during the 1530-43 years. Pedroda Silva da Gama, Vasco’s son, according to his father’s wishes, moved his father’s remains to Lisbon in 1538. A larger Church was built in 1557 in the locality, this was potentially the St Francis Church.
During the Dutch invasion in 1663, the old Church building became a storehouse, and apparently the Dutch reformed Protestant Church, built adjoining it, was used by them between1664-1804. In 1795, the entire area passed to English hands, and during the 1806 period, fearing a Dutch invasion, the English blew up the older storehouse section and the fort Emmanuel walls. After that, only the ruins of the ancient Santa Cruz/Anthony’s church could be seen for some years around the Municipal Gardens.
It is said that the Protestant Church was also meant to be blown up and charges were laid, but the officer in command had a change of heart at the last moment, leaving it standing. I am not sure if the Dutch or the English continued to call it the St Francis church. Between 1806-1947, it continued as an Anglican Church. Logan however mentions that all the blame laid on the British is unfair, and an example of their care for antiquary can be found in this still standing St Francis church.
Also to be noted is that one of the tombstones (With the word Vasco engraved) pointed out as Vasco da Gama’s and previously venerated, is not actually his, as the coat of arms does not correspond to his.
Gama’s last wish to forgive the flogged women – Flogging in this instance means whipping. The women who accompanied the fleet, as stowaways or were secreted abroad, were locked up in Mozambique, and publicly flogged at Goa (200 lashes each), and the record mentions that Vasco sent them dowers from his death bed. Dowers in this instance means dowry. On his death, Dom Vasco da Gama left 100,000 reis to each of these women, and with this money as a dowry they had no difficulty in obtaining husbands. They were accordingly married, and became, it is said, honest women.