The Portuguese in India

Vasco-da-Gama discovers new sea route to India

 Many sailors from different countries of Europe set sail to discover a new sea route to India. Many voyages were undertaken during the last decade of the fifteenth century. In 1492, Columbus, an Italian sailor, set out from Spain to reach India and discovered America. However Vasco-da-Gama, a Portuguese sailor, succeeded in the effort. He rounded South Africa and finally landed at the famous port of Calicut on May 17, 1498. The ruler of Calicut bearing the hereditary title of Zamorin welcomed him cordially.

 Vasco-da-Gama carried spices from India to Portuguese and made very heavy profits. So the Portuguese sent other expeditions to India and they established trade centres at Calicut, Cochin and Cannanore. The sea route went round the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa and so was called the "Cape Route to India".

Portuguese Possession in India

 Franciso-de-Almedia was the first Governor of the Portuguese possession in India. He maintained supreme power of the Portuguese on the sea and confined their activity to trade and commerce. It was Alfanso-de-Albuquerque who laid the real foundation of Portuguese power in India. He first came to India in 1503 as the commander of a squadron and in 1509 was appointed as the Governor of Portuguese affairs in India.

In November 1510, he captured Goa, then belonging to the Bijapur Sultanate, and made it the capital of Portuguese territories in India. He was very kind to Hindus but was very cruel to Muslim and treated them as his enemies. He also passed an order abolishing the practice of Sati. Alfanso died in 1515 when the Portuguese were left as the strongest naval power in India.

Decline of Portuguese

After Alfanso, his successors continued to expand their territories. They added Diu, Daman, Salsette, Bassein, Chaul and Bombay in Western India, San Thome near Madras and Hooghly in Bengal to their possessions. However, they were not as capable as Alfanso.

Several causes led to the decline of the Portuguese in India:

1. Religious interference: the Portuguese were very cruel to Indians, and they also tried to force people to embrace Christianity.

2. Their desire to earn quick profits and so they plundered the Arab ships.

3. The discovery of Brazil drew the colonising activities of Portugal to the West.

4. They failed to compete successfully with the other European Companies, who had come in their wake.

They started losing all their territories except Diu, Daman and Goa which were retained until 1961.