Examines how India was perceived by travelers returning from the East during the Renaissance.
European accounts of travels in India during the Renaissance period fueled an enormous amount of interest in further expeditions, which ultimately changed the course of history. This paper provides a review and discussion of the historical writings from the Renaissance period to provide some insight into how this mysterious continent was perceived by those in the West, followed by a summary of the research in the conclusion.
“The pardon hints that Camoes would go to India in the king’s service, but none of his wanderings for nearly 17 years there has been documented. He was certainly in India judging from references in his works which seem to reveal an intimate knowledge of the area’s social conditions. Nevertheless, Camoes certainly did not make his fortune there, since he complains often in his poetry about his bad luck and the injustices he encountered.”