The India Road

Book excerpt: This is the story of men who sailed by reading the stars, played the games of politics and war better than anyone today, and dared to risk their nations future seeking legendary wealth halfway around the world. It also explains why, and how, the small country of Portugal became a world power out of proportion to its size. The story begins with a man whose vision is not clouded by scruples. John IIbrilliant, fiery, and ruthlessascends to the throne of Portugal in 1481. His people call him the Perfect Price, knowing well that his greatness and his morals are at best nodding acquaintances. The kings dream for the future of his small kingdom extends far to the east: to the untold wealth of Indias spices. To realize his ambition, King John calls on brave, skilled, and war-hardened men to sail his caravels across unexplored oceans, and astronomers and navigators to guide them. He also enlists priests and lawyers: wily men who can win an empire with the stroke of a pen or conquer a foreign land with a well-placed clause. Building on the achievements of his great-uncle, Henry the Navigator, John sends his ships down the west coast of Africaand his spies across the Red Sea to India. This compelling novel, based on years of historical research, recounts the feats of those who risked the future of a nation on voyages as expensive, daring, and dangerous as the moon landings of our age in search of Marco Polos pot of gold, and how they catapulted a small country onto the world stage and jump-started globalization.