Dom Vasco a Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira (IPA: ['vaʃku dɐ 'gɐmɐ]) (Sines or Vidigueira, Alentejo, Portugal, ca. either 1460 or 1469 – December 24, 1524 in Kochi, India) was a Portuguese explorer, one of the most successful in the European Age of Discovery and the commander of the first ships to sail directly from Europe to India.