Spices were always considered the gold of the Indies.
Map of the supposed kingdom of Preste João ( Prester John), shown as set in the region of Ethiopia. The Portuguese were then able to make an immense profit by using their own ships to retrieve the spices. He declared it possible to travel to India by going around Africa. One of the sailors, Bartolomeu Dias passed the southernmost point of Africa known as the Cape of Good Hope in 1488. Dias helped in the construction of the São Gabriel and its sister ship, the São Rafael that were used by Vasco da Gama to sail past the Cape of Good Hope and continue to India. King João II appointed Bartolomeu Dias, on October 10, 1486, to head an expedition to sail around the southern tip of Africa in the hope of finding a trade route to India. João II of Portugal established a plan for ships to explore the coast of Africa to see if India was navigable via around the cape, and through the Indian Ocean. For example, it was dangerous and time consuming to travel by land from Europe to India. Portuguese were after spices, but they were very expensive because it was an inconvenience to trade. According to the original plan, John II had appointed his father, Stephen da Gama, to head the armada but by the time of implementing the plan, both were deceased. João II plan, he went ahead to equip the ships and chose Vasco da Gama as the leader of this expedition and the captain of the armada. The work celebrates the discovery of a sea route to India by the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama. Os Lusíadas It is often regarded as the most important work of Portuguese literature.
This position is embodied in the character of The Old Man of Restelo that appears in Os Lusíadas of the Portuguese epic poet Luís Vaz de Camões, who opposes the boarding of the armada.
This point of view was contented with the trade with Guinea and North Africa and feared the challenges posed by the maintenance of any overseas territories, and the cost involved in the launching and maintenance of sea lanes. In the Cortes de Montemor-o-Novo of 1495, an opposite view was visible over the journey that John II had so painstakingly prepared. However, this development was not viewed well by the upper classes. It was his successor, King Manuel I, who designated Vasco da Gama for this expedition, while maintaining the original plan. However, the project was not realized during his reign. Adding to the increasingly influential Portuguese maritime presence, John II craved for trade routes and for the expansion of the kingdom of Portugal which had already been transformed into an Empire. The plan for working on the Cape Route to India was charted by Portuguese King John II as a cost saving measure in the trade with Asia and also an attempt to monopolize the spice trade.
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