The Portuguese in India

The Portuguese in India

The Portuguese in India

            The coming of the Europeans to India was event of very great importance in the history of our country as it ultimately led to revolutionary changes in her destiny in the future and the Portuguese were the first in this field. In 1487, Bartholomew Diaz was carried by storms past the Cape of Good Hope. He was patronized by King John II.

In 1497, Vasco da Gama started on his expedition under the patronage of King Emmanuel. To begin with, he covered the whole of the route which had been followed by Diaz and crossed the Cape of Good Hope. He reached Mozambique. He got help of an Indian pilot and set sail for India in April 1498. After a voyage of a month, he reached Calicut. He was cordially received by King Zamorin who gave him certain privileges also. Again, reaching India at the close of the fifteenth century the Portuguese found no State which could make either great or sustained efforts to prevent their establishment.

In 1501, Vasco da Gama came to India for the second time and founded a factory at Cannanore and returned to Portugal in 1503. In spite of the opposition from the Arabs, the Portuguese were able to establish their trading centres at Calicut, Cochin and Cannanore and they treated the Arabs with cruelty and oppression. After Vasco da Gama left India, the Portuguese suffered. King Zamorin attacked the Portuguese in Cochin, but was defeated. This established the supremacy of the Portuguese. The viceroys of Portuguese in India are:

Francisco De Almeida (1505-09):

In 1505, the king of Portugal appointed a governor in India for a three year term and equipped the incumbent with sufficient force to protect the Portuguese interest. Francisco De Almeida, the newly appointed governor, was asked to consolidate the position of the Portuguese in India. He was also advised to build fortresses at Anjadiva, Cochin, Cannanore and Kilwa. What Almeida, however, encountered along with the opposition of the Zamorins, was a threat from the Mameluke Sultan of Egypt.

In 1507, the Portuguese squadron was defeated in a naval battle off Diu by the combined Egyptian and Gujarat navies, and Almeida's son was killed. Next year, Almeida avenged his defeat by totally crushing the two navies. Almeida’s vision was to make the Portuguese the master of the Indian Ocean. His policy was known as the Blue Water Policy (Cartez system).    

Afonso De Albuquerque (1509-1515):  

He was the second Viceroy of the Portuguese in India. Afonso advanced the three-fold Portuguese grand scheme of combating Islam, spreading Christianity, and securing the trade of spices by establishing a Portuguese Asian empire. Among his achievements, Afonso managed to conquer the island of Goa in 1510 from the king of Bijapur and this place became The Headquarter of Portuguese in India. He was the first European of the Renaissance to raid the Persian Gulf, and he led the first voyage by a European fleet into the Red Sea. His military and administrative works are generally regarded as among the most vital to building and securing the Portuguese Empire in the Orient, the Middle East, and the spice routes of eastern Oceania.

He is termed as the real founder of the Portuguese power in the East. He secured for Portugal the strategic control of Indian Ocean by establishing bases overlooking all the entrances to the sea. An interesting feature of his rule was the abolition of the sati system.

Nino da Cunha (1529 - 1538):

             Nino da Cunha assumed office of the governor of the Portuguese interest in India in november 1529 and almost one year later shifted the headquarter of the portuguese government in India from Cochin to Goa. Bahadur Shah of Gujarat, during his conflict with the Mughal emperor Humayun, secured help from Portuguese by ceding to them in 1534 the island of Bassein with its dependencies and revenues. He also promised them a base in Diu. Da Cunha also attempted to increase Portuguese influence in Bengal by settling many Portuguese nationals there with Hooghly as their Headquarters.

Reason behind the decline of Portuguese in India:  

From the beginning of the 17th century, they began to decline. This was particularly due to the fact that in 1580 Portugal was made a part and parcel of Spain in the time of Philip II of Spain. Spain herself was not doing well at that time. She could hardly be expected to defend the interests of their possessions.

  • After the death of Albuquerque, no strong person was sent by the Portuguese Government to India. The result was that the Portuguese empire began disintegrate.
  • The Portuguese administration in India was corrupt. The salaries of the official were low and consequently they felt no hesitation in accepting bribes from any quarter.
  • The religious policy of the Portuguese was also responsible for their ruin''. The Portuguese introduced the Inquisition into India and they committed atrocities on those who were not Christians. They used all kinds of methods for the conversion of the people of India to Christianity. Their coercive method created bitterness in the minds of the people.
  • The establishment of the Mughal Empire was also partly responsible for Portuguese failure. At the beginning of the 16th century, the Portuguese did not meet any great opposition. However, after the accession of Akbar in 1556, the Mughal power to grow. The Mughals were able to bring practically the whole of India under their control. Under these circumstances there was no scope for the growth of the Portuguese power on the mainland of India.
  • Portugal is a small country. Its resources were not sufficient for the conquest of a country like India. Moreover, the resources were divided between the Portuguese possessions in India and Brazil. After some time, Portuguese started caring more for Brazil than for India.
  • In 1580, Portugal came under the control of Spain. The result was that the Spanish interest predominated and the Portuguese interests were subordinated.
  • The rise of Dutch and the English power in India created strong rivals in the country. They were more than a match for the Portuguese. The result was that by slow degrees the Portuguese empire in India failed.

 

Effect of Portuguese in India:

  • Conversion of religion.
  • Introduction of "Gothic Art".
  • Portuguese were the first one to start printing in India (1556 AD).
  • Medical plant text was published in the year 1563 for the first ever time.
  • They expanded trade towards Far East (Japan).
  • Portuguese introduced:
  • Pineapple
  • Tobacco
  • Almond
  • Cashew
  • Black Pepper
  • Lychees
  • Oranges