Case Study: Portugal 

Portuguese at Malacca

• Portuguese rip control of Malacca from Arab traders.

Portuguese trading post empire

• Instead of trying to control vast amounts of territory, the Portuguese created a series of forts to control trade.

  • The aims were to establish a monopoly over the spice trade and to license all vessels.

Portuguese Vulnerability

• Though they succeed for several decades they are a small nation

  • Few workers and ships to enforce large empire.

  • Many merchants ignored their gov’t and traded independently

  • Gov’t corruption

• Dutch and English rivals

  • Dutch capture Malacca

  • English capture India