PORTUGUESE GOVERNORS IN INDIA

PWOnlyIAS July 22, 2023 03:26 9895 0

PORTUGUESE GOVERNORS IN INDIA

INTRODUCTION

The governors of Portuguese India, including Francisco De Almeida and Alfonso de Albuquerque, played significant roles in consolidating Portuguese power and expanding their influence in the region. Their efforts included military conquests, establishing control over trade routes, and establishing administrative centres such as Goa.

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Some important governors of Portuguese India are provided in the below table:

Portuguese Governors In India

Governors

Description

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Francisco De Almeida

(1505-1509)

  • In 1505, the King of Portugal nominated a governor for three years in India and provided the incumbent with adequate troops to preserve Portuguese interests.
  • Francisco De Almeida, the newly appointed governor, was tasked with consolidating the Portuguese position in India and destroying Muslim trade by conquering Aden, Ormuz, and Malacca.
  • Almeida, on the other hand, was met with a threat from Egypt’s Mameluke Sultan, in addition to the Zamorin’s resistance.
  • Supported by the merchants of Venice, whose profitable trade was now jeopardized owing to Portuguese intervention, the Egyptians built a navy in the Red Sea to counter the Portuguese advance.
  • The Portuguese squadron was destroyed in a naval action off the coast of Diu in 1507 by the combined Egyptian and Gujarat navies, and Almeida’s son was slain.
  • The next year, Almeida avenged his humiliation by completely destroying the two ships. Almeida’s aim was for the Portuguese to rule the Indian Ocean.
  • The Blue Water Policy (Cartaze System) was his policy.
 

 

 

 

Alfonso de Albuquerque

(1509-1515)

  • He was the real founder of Portuguese power in the East.
  • The Portuguese, led by Albuquerque, tightened their grip on the region’s key shipbuilding centres and instituted a permission system for other ships.
  • The Portuguese were also aided by the lack of available timber for shipbuilding in the Gulf and Red Sea areas.
  • Albuquerque easily won Goa from the Sultan of Bijapur in 1510; the Sultan of Bijapur’s chief port became “the first slice of Indian land to be under European control since the reign of Alexander the Great.”
  • The eradication ban on sati was an intriguing characteristic of his reign.
Lopo Soares de Albergaria

(1515-1518)

  • Established forts in Colombo (Ceylon, present-day Sri Lanka) and Kollam.
Diogo Lopes de Sequeira

(1518-1522)

  • An esteemed explorer and former designated captain of Malacca in 1509, he erected forts in Chaul, Maldives, and Pacem. Additionally, he dispatched embassies to Ethiopia, Pegu, and China before eventually returning to Portugal.
D. Duarte de Menezes

(1522-15124)

  • Former captain of Tangier, the grandson of Duarte de Menezes (Count of Viana) through the Tarouca lineage, was dismissed from their post and subsequently returned to Portugal.
 

 

 

Nino da Cunha

(1529-1538)

  • In November 1529, he was appointed administrator of Portuguese holdings in India.
  • The Portuguese government in India relocated its headquarters from Cochin to Goa.
  • During his conflict with Mughal emperor Humayun, Bahadur Shah of Gujarat enlisted the help of the Portuguese by transferring the island of Bassein to them in 1534, along with its dependents and income.
  • He also assured them of a base in Diu. But, after Humayun retreated from Gujarat in 1536, Bahadur Shah’s ties with the Portuguese soured.
  • Da Cunha also aimed to enhance Portuguese influence in Bengal by relocating numerous Portuguese nationals to Hooghly.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the governors of Portuguese India, including Francisco De Almeida and Alfonso de Albuquerque, played crucial roles in establishing and expanding Portuguese power in the region. Their efforts included military conquests, control over trade routes, and the establishment of administrative centres like Goa. Despite facing challenges and resistance, the Portuguese governors left a lasting impact on the history of Portuguese India and its colonial legacy in the Indian subcontinent.

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