Between 1400 and 1500, Portugal could not claim to be a major power; rather, it looked enviously at rich naval powers like Venice, whose wealth also came from the spice trade from India through caravan routes. To increase its weight on the international chessboard, Portugal sought an equally lucrative trade, starting with the exploration of the West African coast, eventually rounding the Cape of Good Hope. In 1498, the Portuguese reached the wealthy Indian city of Calicut, thanks to Vasco de Gama's expedition, discovering the maritime route to India. Of course, this was just the beginning; now they had to establish trade between Lisbon and Indian cities that already traded with Muslim merchants, who sailed along the coast and played a vital role in the India-Mediterranean traffic. The turning point came with the second Portuguese expedition led by Pedro Álvares Cabral in 1500, asking the Hindu raja of Calicut to expel all Muslim merchants but was refused. The Muslims did not take well to the newcomers' arrogance and attacked them during their stay in Calicut. The Portuguese believed the raja was responsible and changed their approach by bombarding ships and coastal cities. During that war experience, they realized the vulnerability of Asian ships and that no local force could hinder them. The third expedition, led by Vasco De Gama, arrived much more formidable with the mission to establish a permanent fleet in the area and dominate the entire Indian western coast. During that campaign, they initially succeeded but only partially diverted spice trade permanently while requiring anyone wishing to trade in those waters thereafter to purchase a license from them (cartazes). Some historians believe that Europeans managed to assert themselves in the world due to the high competitiveness in their seas, which led them to develop new naval military technologies for attack and defense.