<P> However , this development was not viewed well by the upper classes . In the Cortes de Montemor - o - Novo of 1495 an opposite view was visible over the journey that John II had so painstakingly prepared . This point of view was contented with the trade with Guinea and North Africa and feared the challenges posed by the maintenance of any overseas territories , and the cost involved in the launching and maintenance of sea lanes . This position is embodied in the character of The Old Man of Restelo that appears in Os Lusíadas of the Portuguese epic poet Luís Vaz de Camões , who opposes the boarding of the armada . Os Lusíadas It is often regarded as the most important work of Portuguese literature . The work celebrates the discovery of a sea route to India by the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama . </P>
who discovered sea route to india via the cape of good hope
Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama