Publication Date
2009
Categories
In relation to the State of India, the territory of Bombay was part of the Portuguese area known as the Northern Province, a vast area situated 500 km from Goa, around the cities of Bassein and Daman on the western coast of the Hindustani Peninsula. It was granted to the Portuguese in 1534 by the sultan of Gujarat, at a time of great strife between the two kingdoms. In Bombay and the rest of the Province, India maintained the territorial, administrative and military circumstances, as well as the economic and social order. The administration of the villages and lands was turned over to minor nobles belonging to the local elite and allies of Goa, according to the Prazos system (whereby these persons were to work the land and make it productive, possess horses and guns to defend the village and reside in the Bassein fort). The time period, which could be renewed, varied from three years to one or more generations, but was in fact permanent, since the lands were granted to religious orders and eminent lords. In terms of religious orders, the first were the Franciscans (from the beginning of the Portuguese presence), who constructed a school and a church circa 1547/48. The Jesuits arrived the following year and founded the Christian village of Trindade, on the island of Salsette, in 1558, the same year that the Dominicans established themselves, followed by the Augustinians in 1574.
Situated south of the district of Bassein the island of Bombay was called Mombaim by the local inhabitants, a name derived from that of the goddess Mombadevi, whose temple was located on the island. During Portuguese sovereignty, it was a geographically disconnected area for hunting and the production of crops, especially rice. It's main vocation, however, was to aid Portuguese vessels, as a naval base, fuelling station and point of departure for strategic attacks. In addition, within the complex commercial network of India, Bombay was also one of the main settlements connecting Goa and Surat. Nonetheless, just as in the time of Muslim rule, this island remained a marginal area within the Northern Province; on the one hand, its limited land resulted in reduced agricultural profits, while on the other hand, the commercial activity and handicraft production were based in Bassein and Taná, the large urban centres of the Province. At the same time, according to descriptions made by members of the East India Company (EIC), the island had a very humid climate, while living conditions were far from wholesome and healthy, with high rates of malaria, cholera, beriberi and scurvy. As a result, it was known as a "cemetery for the English" where survival only lasted two monsoon seasons. During the time of Portuguese rule, therefore, demographic growth was minimal. There were 11 Portuguese couples living there in 1634, while the population reached about ten thousand by 1665.
The island was turned over to the United Kingdom in 1661, as part of the wedding dowry of Infanta Dona Catarina de Bragança to King Charles II, according to the Treaty of 1661. Bombay was given to the British "with full rights, profits, territories and any other attributes" by the Portuguese, who were promised aid in defending their overseas territories from Holland and their homeland from Spain, at a time when the Portuguese Crown was greatly threatened by these two mighty European powers. The British, on the other hand, were assured that the EIC would be able to operate in a much sought-after territory from where it could consolidate its presence in Asia, expand its trade and increase its pressure on Portugal to hand over Bassein, at a time when the Portuguese were weakened by their struggles with Holland. At the same time, England needed to possess a fortified territory in that area, in order to ward off the advances of Holland, whose growing influence along the western coast of India threatened British commercial interests in Surat. Given their very unstable relationship with the local Mogul governor, the British were looking for other locations to operate and Bombay corresponded to their need to have free reign over local authorities. These interests were behind the attacks of the British in 1626 and attempts at occupation in 1628, 1640, 1654, 1658 and 1660. After all this, including voyages of exploration within the territory in 1660, the British Crown acquired the island in 1661.
The island was only formally ceded in February of 1665, however, with the accord established between the British governor Humphry Cook and the Portuguese viceroy António de Melo e Castro, who delayed the process so that the Portuguese would be allowed to maintain the island in their possession. Along with highlighting the formal errors in the documents drawn up by Abraham Shipman, designated the British governor of Bombay, the position defended by Melo e Castro underlined the strategic importance of the island for the Portuguese, considering it to be a port that was better than that of Lisbon, that was strategic to the defence of Goa, and that could arrest the advance of the British, which threatened the presence of the Portuguese in the Northern Province. Furthermore, after his experience travelling from Europe to India, Melo e Castro argued that Britain was not going to aid Portugal. However, due to the loss of Cochin and Cannanore to Holland and especially to the position of the King, who maintained that the strategic value of the island was not worth the loss of British support and the risk this would pose to the Kingdom (thereby nullifying the position of the viceroy), the loss of the island occurred in February of 1665. The agreement granted some advantages to Portugal, at the same time that British soldiers had been waiting since 1662 on the island of Anjediva, a position that left nearby Goa in a very precarious position. Portugal attempted to limit the concession as much as possible, however, in an attempt to preserve the social structure of the island, as well as the Catholic religion from the threat of Protestantism. Although well accepted at first, these conditions were gradually overstepped by the British. This led to constant strife between the two countries, especially in terms of religion, customs duties (applied by the Portuguese in Taná and Caranjá and by the British in Maim) and the appropriation of property and respective rental payments (by the British). Yet another cause for friction had to do with the land management on the island. The Portuguese wanted "to recuperate" the territory as they had originally found it, divided into various islands; by the middle of the 17th century, however, the area was almost all one, except for the villages of Maim, Sião and Vadalá, which were merely separated by a small stream of water. As such, the Portuguese argued that these were not covered by the agreement. Agreeing at first, Britain subsequently occupied this area, with little complaint from the Portuguese, who recognized the fragility of their argumentation.
Repossession of this territory was, from the beginning, the intention of Portugal, in the person of the viceroy and then of the Crown. The first attempts occurred at the end of 1663 and beginning of 1664, and continued during the following years. Recognizing the importance of Bombay within India, Portugal tried to remedy what it considered a strategic error. Although the British Crown appeared willing to negotiate, it demanded such a high price that Portugal, with its finances depleted by the war against Spain, was unable to pay. Due to the high cost of defending the island (which was constantly under attack by Holland and local power structures) and its conflict with the East India Company, at the end of 1668, the British Crown transferred the island to the EIC, which had been at odds with British rule in Bombay. Indeed, the EIC had been interested in controlling Bombay since the 1620s, although it had not accepted the offer made by the British Crown in 1661 and waited until 1668 for better conditions. The EIC assumed control of Bombay on 3 October 1668. Conflict with India continued and only ended with the loss of Bassein to the Marathas in 1739.
Bibliography:
AMES, Glenn, J., Renascent Empire?: the house of Braganza and the quest for stability in portuguese monsoon Asia, c. 1640-1683, Amesterdão, University Press, 2000; ANTUNES, Luís Frederico Dias, "Província do Norte" in O Império Oriental, vol. VI, tomo 2, Maria de Jesus dos Mártires Lopes (coord.) - Nova História da Expansão Portuguesa, Joel Serrão, A.H. de Oliveira Marques (dirs.), Editorial Estampa, Lisboa, 2006, pp. 209 e 228; CUNHA, J. Gerson da, The Origin of Bombay, Nova Delí, Asian Educational Services, 1993; KHAN, Shafaat Ahmad, Anglo Portuguese Negotiations Relating to Bombay (1660-1667), Londres, Humphrey Milford, 1940.
Translated by: Rosa Simas
Situated south of the district of Bassein the island of Bombay was called Mombaim by the local inhabitants, a name derived from that of the goddess Mombadevi, whose temple was located on the island. During Portuguese sovereignty, it was a geographically disconnected area for hunting and the production of crops, especially rice. It's main vocation, however, was to aid Portuguese vessels, as a naval base, fuelling station and point of departure for strategic attacks. In addition, within the complex commercial network of India, Bombay was also one of the main settlements connecting Goa and Surat. Nonetheless, just as in the time of Muslim rule, this island remained a marginal area within the Northern Province; on the one hand, its limited land resulted in reduced agricultural profits, while on the other hand, the commercial activity and handicraft production were based in Bassein and Taná, the large urban centres of the Province. At the same time, according to descriptions made by members of the East India Company (EIC), the island had a very humid climate, while living conditions were far from wholesome and healthy, with high rates of malaria, cholera, beriberi and scurvy. As a result, it was known as a "cemetery for the English" where survival only lasted two monsoon seasons. During the time of Portuguese rule, therefore, demographic growth was minimal. There were 11 Portuguese couples living there in 1634, while the population reached about ten thousand by 1665.
The island was turned over to the United Kingdom in 1661, as part of the wedding dowry of Infanta Dona Catarina de Bragança to King Charles II, according to the Treaty of 1661. Bombay was given to the British "with full rights, profits, territories and any other attributes" by the Portuguese, who were promised aid in defending their overseas territories from Holland and their homeland from Spain, at a time when the Portuguese Crown was greatly threatened by these two mighty European powers. The British, on the other hand, were assured that the EIC would be able to operate in a much sought-after territory from where it could consolidate its presence in Asia, expand its trade and increase its pressure on Portugal to hand over Bassein, at a time when the Portuguese were weakened by their struggles with Holland. At the same time, England needed to possess a fortified territory in that area, in order to ward off the advances of Holland, whose growing influence along the western coast of India threatened British commercial interests in Surat. Given their very unstable relationship with the local Mogul governor, the British were looking for other locations to operate and Bombay corresponded to their need to have free reign over local authorities. These interests were behind the attacks of the British in 1626 and attempts at occupation in 1628, 1640, 1654, 1658 and 1660. After all this, including voyages of exploration within the territory in 1660, the British Crown acquired the island in 1661.
The island was only formally ceded in February of 1665, however, with the accord established between the British governor Humphry Cook and the Portuguese viceroy António de Melo e Castro, who delayed the process so that the Portuguese would be allowed to maintain the island in their possession. Along with highlighting the formal errors in the documents drawn up by Abraham Shipman, designated the British governor of Bombay, the position defended by Melo e Castro underlined the strategic importance of the island for the Portuguese, considering it to be a port that was better than that of Lisbon, that was strategic to the defence of Goa, and that could arrest the advance of the British, which threatened the presence of the Portuguese in the Northern Province. Furthermore, after his experience travelling from Europe to India, Melo e Castro argued that Britain was not going to aid Portugal. However, due to the loss of Cochin and Cannanore to Holland and especially to the position of the King, who maintained that the strategic value of the island was not worth the loss of British support and the risk this would pose to the Kingdom (thereby nullifying the position of the viceroy), the loss of the island occurred in February of 1665. The agreement granted some advantages to Portugal, at the same time that British soldiers had been waiting since 1662 on the island of Anjediva, a position that left nearby Goa in a very precarious position. Portugal attempted to limit the concession as much as possible, however, in an attempt to preserve the social structure of the island, as well as the Catholic religion from the threat of Protestantism. Although well accepted at first, these conditions were gradually overstepped by the British. This led to constant strife between the two countries, especially in terms of religion, customs duties (applied by the Portuguese in Taná and Caranjá and by the British in Maim) and the appropriation of property and respective rental payments (by the British). Yet another cause for friction had to do with the land management on the island. The Portuguese wanted "to recuperate" the territory as they had originally found it, divided into various islands; by the middle of the 17th century, however, the area was almost all one, except for the villages of Maim, Sião and Vadalá, which were merely separated by a small stream of water. As such, the Portuguese argued that these were not covered by the agreement. Agreeing at first, Britain subsequently occupied this area, with little complaint from the Portuguese, who recognized the fragility of their argumentation.
Repossession of this territory was, from the beginning, the intention of Portugal, in the person of the viceroy and then of the Crown. The first attempts occurred at the end of 1663 and beginning of 1664, and continued during the following years. Recognizing the importance of Bombay within India, Portugal tried to remedy what it considered a strategic error. Although the British Crown appeared willing to negotiate, it demanded such a high price that Portugal, with its finances depleted by the war against Spain, was unable to pay. Due to the high cost of defending the island (which was constantly under attack by Holland and local power structures) and its conflict with the East India Company, at the end of 1668, the British Crown transferred the island to the EIC, which had been at odds with British rule in Bombay. Indeed, the EIC had been interested in controlling Bombay since the 1620s, although it had not accepted the offer made by the British Crown in 1661 and waited until 1668 for better conditions. The EIC assumed control of Bombay on 3 October 1668. Conflict with India continued and only ended with the loss of Bassein to the Marathas in 1739.
Bibliography:
AMES, Glenn, J., Renascent Empire?: the house of Braganza and the quest for stability in portuguese monsoon Asia, c. 1640-1683, Amesterdão, University Press, 2000; ANTUNES, Luís Frederico Dias, "Província do Norte" in O Império Oriental, vol. VI, tomo 2, Maria de Jesus dos Mártires Lopes (coord.) - Nova História da Expansão Portuguesa, Joel Serrão, A.H. de Oliveira Marques (dirs.), Editorial Estampa, Lisboa, 2006, pp. 209 e 228; CUNHA, J. Gerson da, The Origin of Bombay, Nova Delí, Asian Educational Services, 1993; KHAN, Shafaat Ahmad, Anglo Portuguese Negotiations Relating to Bombay (1660-1667), Londres, Humphrey Milford, 1940.
Translated by: Rosa Simas