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Introduction to Portuguese Influence in India

• Friendly initial reception by local rulers, particularly towards Vasco Da Gama.

  • Arab traders were apprehensive about Portuguese dominance in trade along the Malabar coast.

Traditional Trading System in the Indian Ocean

• Participants of the trade:

  • Indians, Arabs, Africans (east coast), Chinese, Javanese.

• Conduct of trade:

  • Operated on tacit rules without seeking overwhelming dominance.

  • All participants motivated by profit, sharing lucrative trading opportunities.

Portuguese Objectives

• Goal:

  • To monopolize eastern trade and exclude competitors, especially Arab traders.

• Impact of Vasco Da Gama's Voyage:

  • He returned to Portugal with a rich cargo after three months in India.

  • Demonstrated how direct access to the pepper trade could drastically reduce costs for Europeans.

  • European traders previously had to buy from Muslim middlemen at exorbitant prices (up to ten times more).

Subsequent Expeditions and Conflicts

• Pedro Alvarez Cabral's Voyage (1500):

  • Journey aimed at establishing a foothold in spice trade; created a factory in Calicut.

  • Encountered conflict with locals; attack on Portuguese factory led to significant casualties.

  • Retaliation included seizing Arab merchant ships, leading to hundreds of deaths and destruction of cargo.

  • Cabral bombarded Calicut in retaliation.

• Treaties Established:

  • Successfully negotiated advantageous treaties with rulers of Cochin and Cannanore.

Further Developments with Vasco Da Gama (1501)

• Vasco Da Gama's return in 1501 met with local resistance:

  • The Zamorin of Calicut refused to expel Arab merchants in favor of the Portuguese.

  • Vasco Da Gama resorted to aggressive tactics, combining greed with violence against Arab shipping.