What were the main aims of of Portuguese
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The main Portuguese goal was trade, not colonization or conquest. Soon its ships were bringing into the European market highly valued gold, ivory, pepper, cotton, sugar, and slaves.
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Vasai-Virar: Portuguese fort
Vasai-Virar: Portuguese fort
Main entrance to the Portuguese fort at Vasai-Virar, Maharashtra, India.
Himanshu Sarpotdar
The Age Of “Golden Goa”
The voyages of Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama (1497–99, 1502–03, 1524) opened the sea route from western Europe to Asia by way of the Cape of Good Hope. For almost a century (1500–1600), the Portuguese held a monopoly on European exploration and trade in the Indian Ocean. Portuguese interests on the west coast of India were largely determined by sailing conditions, and in Goa they found a defensible island site with excellent harbour facilities on either side.
Goa was Portugal’s first territorial possession in Asia, captured by Afonso de Albuquerque in 1510, and it served as the main Portuguese base in the East for four and a half centuries. Albuquerque had intended Goa to be a colony and a naval base, as distinct from the fortified factories which had been established in certain Indian seaports. He encouraged his men to marry indigenous women and to settle in Goa as farmers, retail traders, or artisans. These men and their descendants soon became a privileged caste, and Goa acquired a large Eurasian population. Albuquerque and later colonial administrators left almost untouched the customs and constitutions of the 30 village communities on the island; only the rite of suttee was abolished. A register of these customs, Alfonso Mexia’s Foral dos usos e costumes (1526; “Charter of Usages and Customs”), is a historical document of much value.
Afonso de Albuquerque, from an English engraving of 1792
Afonso de Albuquerque, from an English engraving of 1792
The Granger Collection, New York
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As the capital of Portugal’s eastern empire, Goa was granted the same civic privileges as Lisbon. Its senate, or municipal chamber, maintained direct communications with the king and paid a special representative to attend to its interests at court. In 1563 the governor even proposed to make Goa the seat of a parliament, in which all parts of the Portuguese East were to be represented; this was vetoed by the king. In 1542 St. Francis Xavier noted the architectural splendour of the city, which reached the climax of its prosperity between 1575 and 1625. The splendour of Goa Dourada (“Golden Goa”) inspired the Portuguese proverb, “He who has seen Goa need not see Lisbon.” Merchandise from all parts of the Portuguese empire was displayed in Goa’s bazaar, and separate streets were set aside for the sale of different classes of goods: pearls and coral from Bahrain, Chinese porcelain and silk, Portuguese velvet and finished textiles, and medicines and spices from the Malay Archipelago. In the main street, slaves from Portugal’s African colonies were sold at auction
Goa, India: Roman Catholic Basilica of Bom Jesus
The Roman Catholic Basilica of Bom Jesus, 16th century, Goa, India.
Frederick M. Asher
The social life of Goa reflected its status as the headquarters of the viceregal court, the arm