The advent of the Portuguese in India began with Vasco-da-Gama. the discoveries Very soon, the Portuguese, instead of confining themselves to the boundaries of legitimate trade, became unduly ambitious to establish their supremacy in the Eastern seas by force. Vasco-da-Gama who belonged to Lisbon, discovered a new sea route from Europe to Asia via the Cape of Good Hope. He was helped by an Arabian navigator Ibn Majid. He landed at Calicut on 21st May 1498. Calicut, then under the Zamorin, enjoyed a high degree of prosperity. The Zamorin was kind to all the classes of merchants, who came to his kingdom, tolerated all the creeds, and allowed complete freedom to all in commercial affairs.
He gave the newcomers a friendly reception. Vasco-da-Gama returned to Portugal in 1499 AD. The arrival of Pedro Alvares Cabral in 1500 and the second trip of Vasco-da-Gama in 1502, led to the establishment of Portuguese trading. stations at Calicut, Cannanore, and Cochin. On Gama’s departure, the Arab merchants and Zamorin attacked the Raja of Cochin, who faced them bravely till the arrival of the next Portuguese fleet in 1503 AD. The next Portuguese expedition under Lopo- Soares destroyed all the ports, that were influenced by Arabs. They prevented all the ships from using the Cochin Port.
THE OBJECTIVES OF PORTUGUESE
The Portuguese maritime empire acquired the name Estado da India. Besides controlling the Indian export to Europe, the Portuguese monopolized the port-to-port trade on the Malabar coast and trade from the Indian to the Persian coast on one side and to the Malacca on the other.
Portugal’s initial objective was to seize the spice trade, but after Cabral’s voyage, it decided to divert all the trade of the East with Europe to itself.
It was now realized by the Portuguese, that a command over the Eastern trade could not be established by sending an annual fleet and establishing a few isolated factories. Therefore, a new policy was adopted in 1505, according to which, a Governor was decided to be appointed on a three years term.
PORTUGUESE GOVERNORS
- FRANCISCO DE ALMEIDA (1505-09 AD)
He was the first Portuguese Governor of India. He built Fort Anjediva and Fort Manuel of Cochin. As the Portuguese tried to break the Arab monopoly on Indian Ocean trade, it negatively impacted the interests of Egypt and Turkey. Sultans of Bijapur and Gujarat were also apprehensive of the expansion of Portuguese control of ports, which led to an alliance with Egypt. Turkey and Gujarat against the Portuguese invaders. The Portuguese were defeated for the time but in the next year in 1509, the Portuguese claimed naval supremacy in Asia.
- ALFONSO DE ALBUQUERQUE (1509-15 AD)
The second Portuguese Governor of India was Alfonso de Albuquerque (1509-15 AD), who controlled the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea; established headquarters on the Western coast of India, and destroyed the Arab trade in the Malay Peninsula. He gave a territorial base to the Portuguese in India. maintained friendly relations with Vijayanagara and prepared trained troops of Indians.
To recover the paucity of manpower in Portugal, he encouraged the lower class of Portuguese settlers to marry Indian women. In 1535 AD, a Portuguese Governor called Nino da Cunha got possession of Diu and Bassein from the Bahadur Shah of Gujarat. By 1571 AD, the Asiatic empire of Portugal was divided into three independent commands, namely
- A Governorship in Mozambique controlled the settlements on the African coast.
- A Viceroyalty at Goa, in charge of the Indian and Persian territories.
- A Governorship at Malacca, to control the trade of Java and the Spice Archipelago.
Gradually, almost all their territories were lost to the Marathas (Salsette and Bassein in 1739 AD), the Dutch, and the English. Only Goa, Daman, and Diu remained with them until 1961 AD.
FACTUAL ASPECTS ASSOCIATED WITH PORTUGUESE CONTROL
Tobacco cultivation was brought to India by the Portuguese. The first printing press in India was set up by the Portuguese at Goa in 1556 AD. The first scientific work on Indian medicinal plants by a European writer was also printed at Goa in 1563 AD. Francisco Xavier, a famous saint came to India in the period of Martin Alfonso de Souza to spread Christianity in India and Asia. He converted the fisherman tribe on the Coromandel coast (Paravars) and on the Malabar coast (Mukkuvas) to Christianity.
The Portuguese established their trading stations at Calicut, Cochin, Cannanore, Daman, Salsette, Chaul, Bombay, and San Thome near Madras, and Hoogli in Bengal. Cochin was the early capital of the Portuguese in India. Later, the capital was transferred to Goa by Nino da Cunha. In 1661 AD the king of Portugal gave Bombay to Charles II of England as dowry when Charles II married Catherine. The first European settlement in India was established at Cochin in 1503 AD by the Portuguese.
- THE PORTUGUESE IN BENGAL
In 1632, the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan completely destroyed the Portuguese settlements at Hoogli and carried away more than a thousand Portuguese inhabitants as prisoners. The Portuguese and half-caste pirates, who had established themselves at Chittagong and raided the coasts of Bengal and Arakan, were easily defeated by the King of Arakan. The descendants of those pirates, known as the firingis, who infested the Eastern Bengal coast, were completely swept away in about 1665, by the Mughal Viceroy of Bengal.
- CONQUEST OF GOA
The conquest of Goa by the Adilshahi Sultan of Bijapur was Albuquerque’s first and most important achievement (February 1510). But as the city was quickly recaptured by the Sultan of Bijapur, he had to undertake a second expedition. He recaptured the place and fortified it against any immediate attack. The conquest of Goa put a seal the Portuguese naval supremacy along the South-West coast.