portuguese

Portuguese in India: Master Fact Sheet

I. The Age of Discovery & Early Factories

Vasco da Gama (1st Voyage)

1498

Arrival: Landed at Calicut (Kozhikode) on May 20, 1498.
Route: Via Cape of Good Hope (South Africa).
Pilot: Guided by Gujarati pilot Abdul Majid (picked up from Malindi, East Africa).
Reception: Welcomed by the Zamorin (Hindu Ruler).
Economic Outcome: Returned with cargo worth 60 times the expedition cost.
Diplomatic Outcome: Failed to sign a treaty due to hostility from Arab merchants and poor gifts (cheap cloth/sugar).

Pedro Álvares Cabral

1500

Action: Established the First Factory at Calicut.
Conflict: The factory was burnt down by Arabs in the same year.
Retaliation: Cabral bombed Calicut and seized Arab ships before leaving.

Gama’s 2nd Voyage (Domination)

1502

Title: Arrived as “Admiral of the Indian Seas”.
Hostility: Demanded Zamorin expel all Muslims (Refused).
Violence:
- Bombarded the port of Calicut.
- Pilgrim Ship Incident: Looted and burnt a ship returning from Mecca, killing hundreds (Act of Terror).
Settlements:
- Set up factory at Cochin (strengthened alliance with Raja of Cochin, enemy of Zamorin).
- Set up factory at Cannanore.

First Fort in Asia

1503

Name: Fort Emmanuel.
Location: Cochin.
Builder: Alfonso de Albuquerque (before he was Governor).
Significance: Became the Portuguese HQ until 1530.

II. Francisco de Almeida (1st Governor)

Term: 1505 – 1509

The Blue Water Policy

Core Policy: “Master of the Sea, not the Land.” Avoided building too many forts inland.
Cartaz System: A naval licensing system. Any ship without a Cartaz (pass) was liable to seizure.
Monopoly: Controlled Spices, Arms, and Horses.
Fortification: Built Fort Angelo at Cannanore (1505).
Capital: Made Cochin the official capital.

Battle of Diu (Naval Supremacy)

1509

Opponents: Combined fleet of Egypt (Mamluks) + Gujarat Sultan + Zamorin.
Outcome: Almeida crushed the alliance.
Impact: Portuguese naval dominance in the Indian Ocean was secured for over 100 years.

III. Afonso de Albuquerque

Term: 1509 – 1515 (The Real Founder)

Territorial Conquests

1510 (The Big One): Captured GOA from Yusuf Adil Shah (Sultan of Bijapur).
*First bit of Indian territory to be under direct European rule since Alexander.
1510: Captured Bhatkal from Krishna Deva Raya (Vijayanagar).
1511: Captured Malacca (SE Asia choke point).
1515: Captured Hormuz (Persian Gulf choke point).

Social & Administration Reforms

Sati: Abolished the practice of Sati in Portuguese territories.
Marriage Strategy: Encouraged Portuguese men to marry local Indian women to create a loyal “Luso-Indian” population.
Agriculture: Introduced new crops (Tobacco, Cashew) and Alphonso Mango grafting.
Recruitment: Employed local soldiers in the army.

IV. Vasco da Gama (3rd Voyage)

Year: 1524.
Role: Arrived as Viceroy to end corruption.
Death: Died of malaria in Cochin (Dec 24, 1524).
Burial: St. Francis Church, Cochin (remains later moved to Lisbon).

V. Nuno da Cunha

Term: 1529 – 1538

Capital Shift & Northern Expansion

1530

Capital Transfer: Moved HQ from Cochin ➔ GOA (1530).
Treaty of Bassein (1534):
- Signed with Bahadur Shah of Gujarat.
- Bahadur Shah needed help against Mughal Emperor Humayun.
- Gains: Portuguese got Salsette, Bassein, and Bombay.
Annexations:
- Diu: Acquired in 1535.
- Daman: Annexed in 1559.

VI. Other Factories & Losses

Location	Year	Details & Outcome
Satgaon / Hooghly (Bengal)	1534	Known as Porto Piqueno (Little Port). Captured/Destroyed by Shah Jahan (Mughals) in 1632 due to piracy/slave trade.
Chittagong (Bengal)	1534	Known as Porto Grande (Grand Port). Suppressed under Aurangzeb.
Nagapattinam (Coromandel)	1642	Taken by the Dutch in 1658.
Surat (Gujarat)	16th C.	Lost to the English (Captain Best) in the Battle of Swally (1612).
Bombay	1661	Given as Dowry to King Charles II (England) for marrying Catherine of Braganza.

VII. The End (1961)

Operation Vijay (1961): Indian military action liberated Goa, Daman, and Diu.
Status: Portuguese were the first Europeans to enter India (1498) and the last to leave (1961).

Portuguese India: Culture & Decline

🏛️ Evolution of Headquarters

COCHIN 1503 – 1530

➜

GOA 1530 – 1843 (Old Goa)

➜

PANJIM 1843 – 1961 (New Capital)

✝️ Religion & Jesuit Missions

Francis Xavier (1542): Jesuit missionary. Arrived in Goa. Led large-scale propagation.
Relic enshrined at Basilica of Bom Jesus.

Jesuit Missions to Akbar’s Court

Goal: Convert Akbar. Result: Rejected, but encouraged theological exchange.

Mission	Year	Leaders (Key Names)
1st	1580	Rodolfo Aquaviva & Antonio Monserrate
2nd	1591	Edward Leitao & Christopher de Vega
3rd	1595	Jerome Xavier & Emanuel Pinheiro

🏰 Architecture & Intellectual Contribution

Church of St. Francis (Kochi) (1503)
Oldest European church in India. Vasco da Gama originally buried here.
Basilica of Bom Jesus (Goa) (1605)
UNESCO site. Baroque Style. Contains relics of St. Francis Xavier.

🌱 Agriculture & Technology

New Crops (16th-17th C.)

Introduced via Brazil-Goa network.

Tobacco (1605)

Potato

Cashew

Tomato

Chili

Pineapple

Tapioca

Guava

Groundnut

Maize

Innovation

Printing Press (1556)
First in India (St. Paul’s College, Goa).
First Book: Catecismo da Doutrina Cristã (1557).
Gunpowder
Refined military use (though originally brought by Mongols/Babur).

📉 Decline of Power

Religious Intolerance
Forced conversions, destruction of temples/mosques.

Piracy & Slavery
Raided ships in Arabian Sea/Bay of Bengal. Slave trade of children.

Cartaz System
Rigid monopoly alienated local merchants.

European Rivals
Entry of Dutch (VOC) and English (EIC).

Timeline of Defeats

1612 Battle of Surat (Swally): Defeated by English. Ended Western monopoly.
1632 Siege of Hooghly: Shah Jahan expelled Portuguese for piracy/slavery.
1663 Loss of Cochin: Captured by the Dutch. (Ended Malabar dominance).
1739 Maratha Invasion: Marathas seized Salsette and Bassein. Confined Portuguese to Goa.
1961 Operation Vijay: India liberated Goa, Daman, and Diu.
(Goa Statehood granted in 1987)

PORTUGUESE IN INDIA