Quick answer
How was this voyage completed?
Cabral's thirteen ships left Lisbon for India in March 1500 and made a broad South Atlantic sweep that brought them to the coast near present-day Bahia. After about ten days and a dispatch home, the main force crossed southeast toward the Cape. A storm sank four ships; survivors continued through East Africa to Calicut and Cochin.
- Years
- 1500—1501
- Command
- Pedro Álvares Cabral, with Bartolomeu Dias and other captains
- Ships
- Thirteen ships at departure
- Objective
- Expand Portugal's trade and political position in India
- Result
- A Portuguese claim in Brazil and an arrival in India at the cost of major ship and crew losses
Itinerary
Principal route stops
Stops come from verifiable voyage records. Open-ocean segments show sequence; daily coordinates remain unknown.
- 019 March 1500
Lisbon
The India fleet departs
- 02March 1500
Cape Verde Islands
The fleet enters the South Atlantic route
- 0322 April—2 May 1500
Bahia coast, Brazil
Landfall, exchange, possession ceremonies and a dispatch home
- 04May 1500
Cape of Good Hope
A storm sinks four ships, including Dias's vessel
- 05July—August 1500
Mozambique, Kilwa and East African ports
Scattered survivors regroup and provision
- 06September—December 1500
Calicut and Cochin
Factory violence at Calicut is followed by bombardment and trade with rival ports
The western arc remains a historical question, not a solved riddle
India fleets needed to open into the South Atlantic to use favourable winds. Cabral's track went far enough west to reach South America, but the evidence cannot prove whether the Crown expected that coast or whether circumstance enlarged a planned sailing arc.
The fleet's response is clearer than its prior knowledge. It stayed briefly, staged possession, sent a report and resumed the India mission.
The Brazilian stop joined encounter to an imperial claim
Portuguese sailors and coastal Indigenous residents exchanged objects and watched one another. Caminha's letter preserves the European scene in vivid detail—and exposes hopes for conversion, labour and resources.
Mass, cross and naming spoke for the Crown. They did not secure Indigenous consent. No permanent colony was built during those ten days.
The route crossed from shipwreck into armed commerce
The Cape storm shattered the fleet and killed Dias. Survivors regrouped along East Africa before continuing into the monsoon system.
At Calicut, an attack on the Portuguese factory triggered seizure and bombardment. Cabral then dealt with Cochin and other rivals. By the end, one route had connected land claim, disaster, local alliance and naval violence.
Route reading
What is known—and what remains uncertain?
Reliable waypoints, disputed details and the voyage’s effects on trade, empire and local societies form separate parts of the record.
Brazil and India were connected by one royal expedition
The brief South American stay, dispatch home and onward passage all belong to the same India fleet.
The degree of advance planning remains unknown
Wind strategy explains the western arc, but the source record proves neither a secret discovery order nor pure accident.
The Cape divided the fleet but did not end the mission
Survivors used East African ports to regroup before carrying reduced forces into Indian commerce and conflict.
Questions
Common questions
Was the voyage supposed to go to Brazil?
Its declared main objective was India. Whether the Crown anticipated South American land on the broad Atlantic arc remains unresolved.
How long did the fleet remain in Brazil?
About ten days, from the April landfall until the main fleet continued east in early May.
How many ships were lost at the Cape?
Four ships were destroyed in the storm, with Dias among those killed.
Why did Cabral turn from Calicut to Cochin?
After deadly conflict at the Portuguese factory and retaliatory bombardment, he sought cargo and alliance from ports competing with Calicut.
Sources
Sources and further verification
The museums, archives, research institutions and international organizations below support this account.
- Pedro Álvares CabralThe Mariners’ Museum and Park
- Pedro Álvares CabralVisit Portugal
- Bartolomeu DiasThe Mariners’ Museum and Park
- Early Brazil: The ‘Discovery’ and First EncountersCambridge University Press
- Portuguese Oceanic Expansion, 1400–1800Cambridge University Press
Age of Seas editorial research records verifiable route sequence while leaving unknown daily coordinates unresolved.Editorial standards and corrections ↗