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What happened when Vasco da Gama attacked Calicut during his second voyage?
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Vasco da Gama
Knight of the Order of Christ, detail identified as Vasco da Gama, Portuguese school, first half of the 16th century; in the National Museum of Ancient Art, Lisbon.
During his second voyage to India in 1502, Vasco da Gama attacked Calicut with the explicit intent to wreck its trade and punish the Zamorin for the favor he had shown to Muslim merchants.1
During this military action, da Gama bombarded the port and seized 38 hostages, all of whom were massacred. Following this, the Portuguese fleet sailed south to Cochin, where they formed an alliance with the local ruler, who was an enemy of the Zamorin. Although the Zamorin later attempted to entrap da Gama, the Portuguese engaged in a brief fight with Arab ships off the coast of Calicut and successfully forced them to flee.1