In 1482, da Gama was given his first mission as a commander. The king invested heavily in the order, and Vasco da Gama’s prospects looked good. When da Gama came of age, he followed in his father’s footsteps and joined the chivalric Order of Santiago. His father was a household knight who rose through the ranks of civil service, and his mother was part of a well-connected and wealthy family. Vasco da Gama was born into minor nobility in 1460.
Vasco da Gama’s Early Life Portrait of Vasco da Gama, via
