Portugal Banknotes 5000 Escudos banknote 1996 Vasco da Gama
Bank of Portugal - Banco de Portugal
Obverse: Portrait of Dom Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira (1460s – 1524) was a Portuguese explorer and navigator; Admiral of the Seas of Arabia, Persia, India and all the Orient, 2nd Viceroy of India. The symbols of Portugal at center: Military Order of Christ and Armillary sphere.
Reverse: The meeting of Vasco da Gama with Zamorin of Calicut [The Arrival of Vasco da Gama (c.1469-1524) in Calcutta, 20th May 1498 (tapestry), Flemish School, (16th century) / Banco Nacional Ultramarino, Portugal]. Vasco da Gama's caravel at right.
Watermark: Vasco da Gama.
Size: 147 x 75 mm. Author: Luis Filipe de Abreu Inv.
First Issue: 5 January 1995. Last Issue: 2 July 1998, 228 931 555 notes were issued.
Withdrawn from circulation: 28 February 2002.
Portugal banknotes - Portugal paper money
1995-2000 "Portuguese Seafarers & Explorers" Issue
500 Escudos 1000 Escudos 2000 Escudos 5000 Escudos 10000 Escudos
Vasco da Gama
Dom Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira (c. 1460s – 23 December 1524) was a Portuguese explorer. He was the first European to reach India by sea, linking Europe and Asia for the first time by ocean route, as well as the Atlantic and the Indian oceans entirely and definitively, and in this way, the West and the Orient. This was accomplished on his first voyage to India (1497 – 1499).
Da Gama's discovery was significant and opened the way for an age of global imperialism and for the Portuguese to establish a long-lasting colonial empire in Asia. The route meant that the Portuguese would not need to cross the highly disputed Mediterranean nor the dangerous Arabian Peninsula, and that the whole voyage would be made by sea. The sum of the distances covered in the outward and return voyages made this expedition the longest ocean voyage ever made until then, far longer than a full voyage around the world by way of the Equator.
One century after the discovery, European powers such as England, the Netherlands and France were finally able to challenge and break Portugal's monopoly and naval supremacy in the Cape Route around Africa, the Indian ocean and in the Far East, opening a new era of European imperialism in the East.
After decades of sailors trying to reach the Indies with thousands of lives and dozens of vessels lost in shipwrecks and attacks, da Gama landed in Calicut on 20 May 1498. Reaching the legendary Indian spice routes unopposed helped the Portuguese Empire improve its economy that, until da Gama's discovery, was based mainly on trading along northern and coastal West Africa. The spices obtained were mostly pepper and cinnamon at first, but soon included other products, all new to Europe and leading to a commercial monopoly for several decades.
Da Gama led two of the armadas destined for India, the first and the fourth, which was the largest and made only four years after his return from the first one. For his contributions he was appointed the Governor of India in 1524, under the title of Viceroy, and given the newly created County of Vidigueira in 1519. Vasco da Gama remains a leading figure in the history of exploration to this day. Numerous homages have been made worldwide to celebrate his explorations and accomplishments. The Portuguese national epic, Os Lusíadas, was written in his honour. His first trip to India is widely considered a milestone in world history as it marked the beginning of the first wave of global multiculturalism.
Armillary sphere
The armillary sphere was initially the personal badge of the future king Manuel I of Portugal, still when he was duke of Beja and great master of the Order of Christ. It became a national symbol when Manuel I become king of Portugal, being associated with the Portuguese Discoveries and specially used to represent the Portuguese Empire. The coat of arms of Portugal adopted in 1911 have the armillary sphere as one of its main elements.
Cross of the Order of Christ
The cross of the Order of Christ has been a national emblem since the reign of Manuel I, former great master of the Order. The cross of the Order of Christ was used in the sails of the ships of the Portuguese Discoveries and is still used today in the sails of the Portuguese Navy's school ship NRP Sagres and in the Portuguese Air Force's aircraft.
The Military Order of Christ (Ordem Militar de Cristo) previously the Order of the Knights of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Ordem dos Cavaleiros de Nosso Senhor Jesus Cristo) was the former Knights Templar order in Portugal, after the suppression of the Templars in 1312, by direct order of the Pope Clement V. It was founded in 1318, with the protection of the Portuguese King Dinis I, who refused to pursue and persecute the former knights as had occurred in all the other sovereign states under the Catholic Church influence.
Under heavy influence from Philip IV of France, Pope Clement V had the Knights Templar annihilated throughout France and most of Europe on charges of heresy, but King Denis of Portugal re-instituted the Templars of Tomar as the Order of Christ, largely for their aid during the Reconquista and in the reconstruction of Portugal after the wars. King Denis negotiated with Pope Clement's successor John XXII for the new order's recognition and right to inherit the Templar assets and property.
Zamorin of Calicut
Samoothiri (Zamorin;Portuguese: Samorim, Dutch: Samorijn) of Kozhikode is the hereditary royal title used by the Hindu Nair rulers of the medieval Kingdom of Kozhikode on Malabar Coast (present day Kerala). The Samoodiris ruled for almost six centuries, between c. 12th and 18th century AD based at the city of Kozhikode, one of the more important trading centres in southern India.
The Portuguese trader and navigator Vasco da Gama visited Kozhikode in 1498, opening the sailing route directly from Europe to India.