Who was the first Portuguese explorer to reach India and back, effectively establishing a new trade route?

Vasco da Gama was the first Portuguese explorer to successfully reach India by sea and return to Portugal, thereby establishing a new trade route that significantly influenced global trade dynamics in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. His voyage, which took place from 1497 to 1499, was groundbreaking as it interconnected Europe with Asia, enabling the Portuguese to dominate the spice trade and establish a vast maritime empire.

Da Gama's successful navigation around the Cape of Good Hope and his arrival in Calicut marked a crucial turning point in the Age of Exploration. This achievement not only demonstrated the viability of maritime trade routes but also led to other explorations and the eventual European colonization of various regions along the Indian Ocean.

While Bartholomew Diaz was the first to round the Cape of Good Hope, opening up the sea route to the Indian Ocean, he did not sail to India itself and return. Pedro Cabral also played a key role in Portuguese exploration and is often noted for claiming Brazil, but it was Vasco da Gama who was the first to complete the journey directly to India and back. Christopher Columbus, on the other hand, is known for his voyages across the Atlantic and his exploration of the Caribbean, rather than establishing