adsense

Europeans - Portuguese



                  The Cape route was discovered from Europe to India by Vasco da Gama. He reached the port of Calicut on May 17, 1498 and was received by the Hindu ruler of Calicut (known by the title of Zamorin).


                       This led to the establishment of trading stations at Calicut, Cochin and Cannanore.

                       Cochin was the early capital of the Portuguese in India. Later Goa replaced it.

                      Francisco de Almeida was the second governor of Portuguese. Almeida (1505-09) introduced ‘the policy of Blue water’.

                     Alfonso d’ Albuquerque was the second governor of Portuguese. Albuquerque (1509-15) introduced ‘the policy of Imperialism’. He captured Goa from the ruler of Bijapur in 1510.

                     Nino da Cunha (1529-15) transferred his capital from Cochin to Goa (1530) and acquired Diu and Bassein (1534) from Bahadur Shah of Gujarat. 

                     Martin Alfonso de Souza (1542-45): The famous Jesuit Saint Fransisco Xavier arrived in India with him.

                     The Portuguese power witnessed a decline by the end of the 16th century.

                     They lost Hugli in 1631 after being driven out by Qasim khan, a Mughal noble of Shahjahan.

                      In 1661 the King of Portugal gave Bombay to Charles II of England as dowry when he married the former’s sister.

                    The Marathas captured Salsette and bassein in 1739.

                    In the end they were left only with Goa, Diu and Daman which they retained till 1961.