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Saturday, May 19, 2012

Vasco da Gama Day May 18

Vasco da Gama, commissioned by the king of Portugal, sighted India on May 18, 1498. He commanded the first European ships to make that voyage. Their purpose was to out flank the Moslem powers that had had cut off Europe from the East. At the time there was no land or sea route between Europe and India (or China for that matter) that was not controlled by Arab traders. Spices had become so popular and expensive in Europe that a significant amount of European gold went to the Arab middlemen. This was as politically unpopular as spending on Middle Eastern oil is today. The Egyptian and Turkish empires had recaptured Jerusalem, driven the crusaders out of the Holy Land, and in 1453 had captured Constantinople, thus ending the Eastern Roman Empire. The road to further conquests to the West was open to the Moslem powers. The power of Christian nations was at a low point. Da Gama's mission was seen as an extension of the Crusades. By opening a trade route around Africa and across the Indian Ocean to India, where the spice markets were, the West would avoid financing the Moslems. Unlike Columbus, who had a similar goal in mind, Vasco da Gama succeeded. The Portuguese had recently developed into a seafaring nation through their explorations down the West African coast. Portugal, like Spain, had recently ended the Moorish rule in the Iberian Peninsula. While the rest of Europe had grown weary of the crusading spirit, the Portuguese were just adopting it. The eventual goal of a sea route to the east was to regain the Holy Land by an invasion from the rear. Many times during Vasco da Gama’s first Indian voyage, and latter in several naval battles, the Portuguese felt that they were protected and aided by God. Indeed their feats were remarkable. However, their luck seemed to run out. With the success of its eastern trade, Portugal lost its crusading ardor and instead, in the next hundred years, ruthlessly built a commercial empire extending to the East Indies, where the spices grew, and as far as to China. Then as the secrets of their sailing routes became known, Portuguese power in the East gradually declined. Moslem power also declined as European nations slowly began to dominate world trade. The story of Vasco da Gama and how he brought about the shift of power to Europe, is told in a new book, Holy War, published last year. This brings to mind a book published this year, American Covenant by Timothy Ballard. This is the story that starts with Columbus’ voyages and explains how his crusader goals were eventually accomplished through the birth of the United States, when it was instrumental in re-establishing a Jewish state in Israel. Who was the chief agent of God’s purposes in bringing all that about? According to the Mr. Ballard it was George Washington. Annuit coeptis.

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