&apter $$$

O'$G$) A)D G'O4TH O5 L*SO6$)D$A) &OMM*)$TY

Ie have seen that *fonso de *lbuBuerBue could establish a favourable
atmosphere at 4alabar for the 'ortuguese people for their trade as well as to settle
themselves peacefully after marrying native women. <e could sign treaties not only with the
7a#a of /ochin , with whom the 'ortuguese maintained friendly relations always, but with
the rulers of Duilon , Kolothunadu and other local /hieftans and even with the Ramorin of
/alicut. The 'ortuguese forts at /annanore, /alicut, /ochin and atDuilon and their
settlements at these places become flourishing trade centres . *t /ochin, the first
headBuarters of the 'ortuguese in ndia, their town of Santa Cru@ and at /alicut the fort
and the chapel of 6irgin 4ary of mmaculate /onception
1
became centres of their religious
operations also.
*s shown earlier , *lbuBuerBue sponsored the mixed marriages of 'ortuguese men
with ndian women with an intention of creating a community of people faithful to the
'ortuguese to carry on the trade as well as to maintain the Estado da India &ortugesa . t
was also to be noted that *lbuBuerBue wanted to raise a Auso+ndian ethnic group with a
view to relieve the heavy drain of men from his small country. t was in these circumstances,
*lbuBuerBue introduced his policy of &o#itica dos Casamentos , with the consent of the
King of 'ortugal.
'ortugal, a small country could not afford to send women to ndia for coloni@ation in
those days. "irst, the difficulty of the dangerous travel by sea which took 6 to ; months to
reach ndia in the most unfavourable situation in ships. Especially, when we consider the fact
that in 16%1 of the twelve sail which left Aisbon, only one ship reached its destination, the
other being forced back by contrary winds and weather .
%
This being the situation in the
seventeenth century,
000000000000000000000000
1. $asper /orreia, :endas da India I, Aisboa, 1;3;+6:, pp.&%2+&=
;8
%. /.7. !oxer, Mary and Misogyny, 6omen in I%erian E7pansion O5erseas, '8'($'9'(, ,
(uckworth, 1283, p.6&

one can very well imagine the travel in the beginning of the 16
th
century through *frican
coasts, facing the dangers of the new sea+route. The most daring and adventurous of
'ortuguese men were the first travelers to ndia and their admirable courage only made it
possible to establish trade relations with ndians. The Buestion of bringing women folk to
ndia , to be more specific, to Kerala, where the 'ortuguese first landed and established
themselves, was near to impossible in the early years of the sixteenth century.
'ortuguese records throw light to the number of 'ortuguese women that emigrated to
the East.
&
*ccording to $ermano /orreia that the 'ortuguese crown tended to discourage
women from going out to the *sian and *frican ZconBuestsZ -ConIuistas, as the colonies were
most commonly termed for centuries.. t never passed legislation ordering husbands to
cohabit with their wives on one or the other side of the ocean.. t seems that the expenses
and the dangers of the long six to eight months voyage from Aisbon to ndia had reasoned it .
The average male emigrant to the East could not have afforded to take his wife or daughter to
ndia without a monetary grant -a-uda de custa. from the crown. The impecunious
'ortuguese monarchs neither would nor could grant these on a lavish scale.. t has been a
tradition in 'ortugal that the man usually emigrates alone, even to places as relatively close
as !ra@il
.:
n any account, whatever the reasons the number of 'ortuguese women emigrating to the
East was very low in comparison with that of the men, despite (r.da 9ilva /orreiZs claims to
the contrary.
000000000000000000000
&. $ermano da 9ilva /orreia, !ist>ria do Co#onai@a<ao &ortuguesa na Cndia, 6ol ,
Aisboa 126=, p.%8.5/.7. !oxer , opBcit n %, !oxer observes that (r.da 9ilva /orreiaZs
findings are erroneous regarding the number of 'ortuguese women actually landed in
ndia , by Buoting the number of ships actually reached ndia.
;;
:. /.7. !oxer, I%id.,p.63
t was beyond doubt and reasoning that during the first 1= years at least practically no
'ortuguese women could reach ndia. Especially, in the first phase of the 'ortuguese
encounter with the ndian people and more specifically with the people of 4alabar, Auso+
berian damsels could not have accompanied their husbands or fathers.
Ihatever be the ideas and aspirations of the 'ortuguese in their first steps of trading
with the 4alabar coasts, the development of their initial settlements came more as a national
phenomena resulted out of necessity. Ihen the procurement of pepper and other spices were
from the area belonged to the 7a#a of /ochin, naturally the 'ortuguese found the port of
/ochin the most convenient place to settle and no wonder /ochin became the first
headBuarters of the 'ortuguese 9tate of ndia - Estado da Cndia &ortuguesa .. The settlement
, fort and trading posts at /ochin, the hexagonal fort at 'alliport -6ypin., the 9t.Thomas fort at
Kottapuram -near to /rangannore., the fort and settlement at /alicut, fort -9t.*ngelo. and
settlement at /annanore and down south at Duilon, the fort -9t.Thomas. and settlement
-Thankasserry. were the earlier enclaves of the 'ortuguese.
Each 'ortuguese enclave with the various ranks of officers to fight and protect the
place, intermediaries to negotiate trade matters, persons of lower ranks to look after the
maintenance of the fort , priests to look after the religious needs and for evangeli@ation of the
people etc. slowly began to develop into large settlements accommodating Buite a number of
people.
9oldiers and artisans married after reaching ndia were allowed to leave the royal
service and settle down as citi@ens or traders, being them termed Casados or married
settlers.
;2
6ery few 'ortuguese women came to ndia comparing to men. There would seldom be more
than a do@en or so women in a ship which might carry hundreds of males. 4oreover, if the
evidences of several contemporary chroniclers are to be trusted, few of those whiter women
who reached nda proved fecund in childbearing.
3
Approac of te Portuguese to7ards non6Europeans
The background of the people of 'ortugal towards racial purity was something
strange or to some extend ZliberalZ. "or historic reasons or perhaps the circumstances and
past experiences the 'ortuguese people had gone through , shaped their liberal approach
towards mixing with other ethnic groups. The 'ortuguese were under the domination of
9paniards and 4oors for several centuries and con#ugal blood admixture was common.
,f all the peoples of Europe the 'ortuguese were the least affected by ideas of )racial
purity>. To some degree this may have been due to the fact that they had no hesitation for
assimilating the various invaders who, over the early /hristian centuries, swept through the
berian peninsula+the 6andals and 6isigoths before the beginning of the eighth century and
the 4uslim *rabs of the <ammayad dynasty thereafter. t was not till 1%:2, only, two
hundred and fifty years before da $ama landed in ndia, that the most southerly province of
'ortugal, the *lgarve, was cleared of 4oors.
6
*s the 4oorish conBuerors were driven south,
immigrants had to be brought in to populate the devastated areas, and, because of the
'ortuguese royal family>s !urgundian origins, it is not surprising to find a steady influx of
"lemings.

4ore pertinent to our present study was the ready acceptance by the 'ortuguese of the
policy initiated by 'rince <enry the ?avigator of promoting marriages between the
000000000000000000000
3. /.7. !oxer, ace e#ations in the &ortuguese Co#onia# empire, '8'( * '9G(, /larendon
'ress, ,xford 126&, p.3;.
6.. /.7. !oxer, 0our Centuries of &ortuguese E7pansion '8'($'9G( Cohansburg, 1261, p.&,
*ccording to !oxer ZThe long 4oorish domination in the 'eninsula had accustomed
many of the /hristian inhabitants to regardW..the brown 4oorish women as enviable
type of beauty and sexual attractivenessZ
2=
?egro captives brought home from west *frica and native 'ortuguese. *s Ihiteway
remarks, )The 'ortuguese have shown an alacrity not found in other European nations to
mix their race with others differing entirely in status from themselves>
8

The !ra@ilian historian, $ilberto "reyre,
;
has developed a most interesting theory of
what he calls a ZAuso+TropicalZ culture L a synthesis of 'ortuguese with native ndian culture
of !ra@il. *lthough "reyrZs main thesis is concerned with !ra@il, many of his arguments are
eBually applicable to tropical countries in other parts of the world. <e explains the approach
of the 'ortuguese for warm climates in the following passageF Jn the hot lands overseas the
'ortuguese found, exaggerated or intensified, colours, forms of womanhood and countryside,
tastes, that they already knew, in a less intense manner, less vivid, less cruel in the 'ortuguese
regions marked by the presence of the 4oorsK.
2
<e goes on to deduce from this certain
conclusions which are worthy of considerationF JThis is the explanation why the 'ortuguese,
who at the end of the fifteenth century, had become a tropicalist, has never been a European
perverted by false notions of ZalbinsmeZ by the tendency to associate the idea of white people
with a )superior> culture and black, dark or brown people with the idea of an )inferior>
cultureK
1=

!oxer is inclined to Buestion the complete validity of the 'ortuguese claim to freedom
from colour>consciousness, although he admits that it was the continuous policy of the
/rown. <e Buotes Ainschoten on the Jfilthy pride and presumptuousnessK of the
'ortuguese in $oa
.11
, but himself elsewhere relates how "rancisco Aopes /arrasco, a
00000000000000000000000000000000
8. 7.9.whiteway, The ise of &ortuguese &oDer in India '8EF $'(() , ?ew Sork, 1262,
reprint ,p.18 5 /.?owell, A !istory of &ortuga#, ?ew Sork, 123%, p.12, states that in
133= negro slaves constituted ten per cent of the population of Aisbon.
;. $."reyre, :e &ortugais et :es TropiIues , Aisbon, 1261.
2. I%id., p.38
1=. I%idB
11 /.7..!oxer, )The 'ortuguese in the East 13==+1;==>, &ortuga# and Bra@i#: An Interaction,
ed.<.6. Aivsmore , ,xford, p.%=&
21
$oanese of Eurasian origin, was appointed /aptain and Jou5idorK -i.e. /hief Custice. of
4acau in 16%%.
1%
9imilarly , he refers particularly to the colour pre#udice of the /hurch
1&
,
yet "r.(ominingo $odines de Eredia, brother of (om 4anuel $odinho de Eradia *Buaviva
-whose account of 4alacca is one of the most valuable contemporary accounts of life in the
'ortuguese colony at the beginning of the seventeenth century.
1:
was 4aster of the 9chool
attached to the 9ee of 4alacca. Their father Cuan de Eredia, was a nobleman who incurred
the grave displeasure of the King of 'ortugal for smuggling his !ugis bride aboard ship
when it sailed for home. t is significant that the displeasure was not occasioned by the brideZs
native origin, but by the wrath of her princely parent -whom the 'ortuguese did not want to
offend. at her kidnapping.
The answer seems to be that there were individual 'ortuguese who were more colour+
conscious than others, but this does not detract them to accept and absorb substantial portions
of the culture of the lands in which they settled. The result was that the 'ortuguese abroad
never tried to insulate himself from the society around him, as for example, the English,
"rench , (utch, and the 9paniard, did. There was no stigma of Jletting the side downK if the
dusky maidens of the new land were willing to share his couch. <e sampled the cuisine of the
country, and providing it pleased his palate, adopted it. Even in the matter of clothing, he was
perfectly willing to hang his shirt outside his breeches if this could be proved more suitable
climate. *lthough he was as proud as the "rench man of his country , he had no desire to
JAusitaniseK the natives as the "rench felt obliged to $allicise their colonies. The only part
of the local culture which he was not prepared to sample or accept was religion, but , even
here, although the 'ortuguese liked to look upon their overseas expansions as a crusade
000000000000000000000000000
1%. !oxer, 0ida#gos in the 0ar East '(()$'(F), !ague,'E89, p..66
1&. !oxer, opBcit. n.11, p.%=:
1:. 4anuel $odinho de Eredia,. . ErediaWs ;escription of Ma#acca, Meridiona# India and
Cathay , translated and edited by C.6. 4ills, in Hourna# of the oya# Asiatic Society
Ma#aya., 6ol. E. 'art %, *pril 12&=., pp.1 +%;;.
2%
against slam, they were not forceful proselyti@ers5 in 4alacca, for example, missionary work
was practically non+existent before the arrival of 9t."rancis Eavier 1n 13:3, and even then it
was only half+heartedly supported by the authorities, much to the disgust of the
missionaries.
13

,n the sub#ect of colour contemporary accounts provide some very interesting
comments. Eredia, for example, in his ;escription of Ma#acca, Meridiona# India and Cathay,
says Jn 4eridional ndia we find the same variety of races, white, brown and black, as is
found in Europe, *sia and *frica. The white people resemble the 9apaniards5 they wear red
tunicsK
16
Eredia was, of course, himself descended from a !ugis princess, so perhaps he
may be credited with /atholic tasks as to colour. TomP 'ires, however, was pure 'ortuguese,
and in his Suma Orienta# we find this description of the 'ersians5 J-They. are men of our
colour form and feature. There is no doubt that those who wear the red cap -i.e. of 9heik
smail. are more like the 'ortuguese than like people from anywhere elseK.
18
*bout the
people of the (eccan he remarks5 JThis kingdom contains many white peopleK
1;
and later
JThe man who has the most white men in his kingdom is the most powerfulK
12
TomP 'ires was 'ortugalZs first *mbassador to /hina, and he reported5 JThe people of
/hina are white, as white as we are....They are rather like $ermans -The Suma would
undoubtedly not have been <itlerZs favourite reading. ..They wear very well+made "rench
shoes with sBuare toes. The women look like 9panish womenWthey are so made up that
9eville has no advantage over themWThey are as white as we are, and some of them have
small eyes and others large, and noses as they must beK.
%=

00000000000000000000000000
13. /.7.!oxer, opBcitB, nB'', pp.%==+%=1.
16. Eredia, opBcit.,p.63.
18. Tom 'ires, Suma Orienta of Tom &ires, An Account of the East from the ed Sea to
Hapan 6rittenin Ma#aca and India in '('G$'('(, trans. Q ed. *rmando /oretsOo,
Aondon, 12::, , !ook , p.%&.
'9B I%idB, pB89B
12. I%id., p.3%
2&
(uarte !arbosa visited most of the 9pice slands. ,f the Cavanese he reported5 JThe ladies
are white and very pretty in figure and and of pleasing countenances though rather long5 they
sing well, are polished in manner, and are very industrious workwomenK
%=
. !arbosa describes
the /hinese as Jwhite men, tall, well+made and gentlemen5 and so likewise are the
womenWWThey are very smartly dressedW..They have a language of their own, and the tone
of it is like that of the $ermans. K
%1

t would be unwise, however, to surmise that beauty varied in 'ortuguese eyes in
proportion to the colour of the skin. !arbosa says of the 4aluBuese that Jthey are very
wretched, and worth little. They are very beastly, and of a brutal mode of living5 they do not
differ from animals in their customs but only in possessing the human face. They are Dhiter
than other races of these islandsWK
%%

*s regards the 4alays he has this to say5 JThey are well set+up men and go bare from
the waist up but are clad in cotton garments belowWW.Their women are Ztawny+colouredZ,
clad in very fine silk garments and short shirts -decorated with gold and #ewels.. They are
very comely, always well+atired, and having very fine hairW.K , and at a later stage he
addsFKThey are polished and well+bred, fond of music and given to loveK
%:
.
The 'ortuguese could not be described as cold+blooded either, and *lbuBuerBue was
very much in favour of establishing a permanent colony, with ties that would bind the
soldiers and the artisans to the newly+acBuired possession. The garrisoning of this far flung
000000000000000000000000
%=. I%id.,p.116.
%1. !(!, p.12;.
%%. I%id., p.%=3.
%&. I%id.,p.%%8.
%:. I%id ,pB'F+
2:
outpost was beyond 'ortugalZs resources5 the settlement of colonies of 'ortuguese families
would not only have been impracticable, but perhaps unwise, for the exile who feels himself
an expatriate seldom fits happily into a foreign environment. *lbuBuerBue>s dream was not
merely of a chain of 'ortuguese forts, but of an infusion of 'ortuguese blood in each of the
colonies, which would raise up a generation loyal to the 4other /ountry and proud of its
glory, but bound by bonds of kinship and affection to their land of adoption. t was the plan he
had implemented in /ochin and $oa against the opposition of some fida#gos and church
men5 it was the plan he was determined to encourage in 4alacca.
The sexual interaction and 'ortuguese tolerance had created a uniBuely harmonious
situation, a Auso+ndian culture. This situation deriving from 4uslim+/hristian interaction
and interbreeding in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, and continued by 'rince <enry.
/ertainly there was mixing during the centuries of 4uslim rule , and indeed after the re+
conBuest. Ie would expect to find this most in *lgarve, the southern and most 4uslim+
influenced area of 'ortugal, and indeed it seems that many 'ortuguese who went to ndia were
from here and so probably had some 4uslim )blood>
%3
. !ulk of the 'ortuguese who
arrived in ndia , being urban poor or peasants, and thus much less firmly grounded in
'ortuguese high culture, would be more flexible, tolerant and open when confronted with
fellow peasants, who happened to be ndian, and with whom a 'ortuguese peasant could feel
some bonds of commonality on both social and class criteria
%6
.
9lave trade was one of the important factors of 'ortuguese trade with *sian countries.
!esides, the /ape route made it necessary for the 'ortuguese to embark in 4osambiBue ,
collect food and water and also the man+power in the form of ?egro salves L both men and
women. There was a diaspora of slaves all over the various 'ortuguese pockets in ndia, vi@
0000000000000000000
%3. 4.?.'earson, The &ortuguese in India, /ambridge, 12;8 , p.1=:
%6. I%idB, p.1=:.
23
!assein, !engal, /annanore, /ochin, (aman, (iu and $oa
%8
. Even the Santa Casa da
Misericordia bought slaves for the institution
%;
. These slaves were engaged in the houses
of the 'ortuguese chieftains and slave girls were freely used for the sexual exploitation even
though the /hurch authorities were against this practice. Even the fida#gos were indulged
in finding pleasure with slave girls
%2
. n the background of passion for *frican women for
the 'ortuguese, the approach of many 'ortuguese men towards *frican slave girls have to
be evaluated. ?evertheless, the 'ortuguese stressed fairness of skin as an important part of
female beauty.
*lbuBuerBue encouraged his soldiers to marry )fair> 4uslim women of $oa.
9t."rancis Eavier while urging the casados to marry their local concubines, drew the
firmest of colour lines
&=
. Ihen the concubine was dark in colour and ugly featured , he
employed all his eloBuence to separate his host from her. <e was even ready , if necessary,
to find for him a more suitable mate
&1
. *lbuBuerBue was famous for his encouragement of
marriage between his troops with local women, but we should remember that this did not
include marriage to local 4alabari women, whom he considered to be )black> , and neither
chaste or comely. <e meant marriage to 4uslim women, who were )white and virtuous>
&%
.
!ut in practice his instructions were ignored after his short spell in power in the 'ortuguese
ndia.
The 'ortuguese men who came to ndia , basically had the choice between celibacy
and a relationship with a local women5 they overwhelmingly chose the latter. The 6iceroys,
captains and some 'ortuguese merchants who prospered in *sia returned to 'ortugal. !ut the
vast ma#ority, the casados , married locally and either through choice or
0000000000000000000
%8. Ceanette 'into, S#a5ery in &ortuguese India '(')$'98G, !ombay, 122:, p.&&.
%;. I%idB, p.:3
%2. I%id.,p.6;
&=. 4.?. 'earson, opBcit., p.1=1
&1. $ 9churhammer, 0rancis Pa5ier, !is :ife, !is Times, 6ol , 13:1+:3, 7ome,
1288, p.%%;
&%. Ceanette 'into, opBcit.p.1=3
26
lack of means never returned to 'ortugal
&&.
They have settled first near to the 'ortuguese
forts in coastal towns. n later periods these casados engaged in trade, many became
prosperous merchants. Their progenies continued their tradition. Iith the establishment of
churches near 'ortuguese settlements, the casados and their children became part of the
parish attached to the settlement. Their descendants carried their trade and this community
established well in the coastal towns. There is a clear contrast here with the later (utch and
!ritish, who saw themselves only as so#ourners in ndia or *sia
&:
.

n finding out the reasons for the persisting 'ortuguese influence even today in the
erstwhile 'ortuguese colonies ,/.7. !oxer finds the following answerF JThe 'ortuguese,
with all their faults, had struck deeper roots as colonists, and so they could not, as a rule , be
removed from the scene simply by a naval or by a military defeat, or even by a series of such
defeats
K &3
Albu2ur2ue8s Polic! of Mi/ed Marriages
*s mentioned earlier , *lbuBuerBue could foresee the limitations of 'ortugal to
maintain the trade centres and the chain of forts in ndian coasts, 4alacca and other places.
'ortugal could not have afforded the heavy drain of people on his small country and it is in
these background he introduced the policy of &o#itica dos Casamentos. t was described as
the shrewd diplomacy *lbuBuerBue shown through the marriage alliances of 'ortuguese men
with native women . t is also to be noted that the 'ortuguese men at the coastal trade
centres in ndia and elsewhere were having affairs with native women and ?egro slave
girls, out of wed+lock, which was a matter of concern for the 'ortuguese $overnor in ndia.
*lbuBuerBue had informed the 'ortuguese king about the situation of 'ortuguese
0000000000000000000000000
&&. 4.?. 'earson, opBcit., p.1=3.
&:. I%idB, p.1=:.
&3. /.7. !oxer, opBcitB nB +, ,pB(8B
28
soldiers in /ochin and $oa and the necessity of legitimate marriage bonds between the
'ortuguese men with native women.
&6


*lbuBuerBue>s policy of coloni@ation is uniBue in the history of the Europeans in ndia5
it has been far reaching in its results and has profoundly influenced the present condition of
their ndiani@ed descendants. <is notion of an Eastern Empire differed entirely from that
taken in subseBuent centuries by the English.
<e had no horror of mixed marriages, no apathy towards half+castes. ,n the contrary,
he was enthusiastic to create an ethnic group of mesticesB Ihen $oa was taken for the
second time he tried to induce as many 'ortuguese as possible to marry native women, and
especially the wives and daughters of the 4ohammedans who were killed. <e presided at
these marriages himself, and gave dowries to couples married as he desired. The class he
particularly encouraged were the soldiers and artisans, who had been sent out from 'ortugal
as ship+builders, rope makers and workmen in the arsenals and dockyards. <e was also keen
in inducing his gunners to marry native women.
<is aim in this policy was to form a population which should be at once loyal to
'ortugal and satisfied to remain in ndia for life . ,fficers indeed might expect to return to the
fatherland, but the 'ortuguese of inferior ranks were too valuable to the Estado be allowed to
escape. n all it is estimated that about :3= 'ortuguese were married to native women before
*lbuBuerBue left for 4alacca
. &8
000000000000000000000000000000
&6. Cartas , p.%6+%2, Aetter of *lbuBuerBue dated %%
nd
(ecember 131= , from $oa, GE5
letter dated &
rd
(ecember 131& - about /ochin and /annanore. -published I%id, I, 1;1+
12;45 letter dated :
th
(ecember 131: -from $oa. -published I%id, I, &&8+&&;..
&8B <. 4orse 9tephens, The u#ers of India, A#%uIurIue, ,xford, 1;28, reprint, ?ew (elhi,
%===, pp.13%+13:.
2;
* Buaint account of *lbuBuerBue>s coloni@ing policy is given in the Commentaries:$

WThose who desired to marry were so numerous that *fonso de *lbuBuerBue could
hardly grant their reBuests, for he did not give permission except for men of proved
character, to marry. !ut in order to favour this work, as it was entirely of his own
idea, and also because they were men of good character and had deserved by their
good services that this privilege should be granted to them, he extended the
permission to marry far beyond the powers which had been assigned by King
Emmanuel, for the women with whom they married were the daughters of the
principal men of the land. *nd he granted this favour, among other reasons, in order
that when the <indus observed what he did for their daughters and nieces and sisters
they might with better willingness turn /hristians5 and for this reason he would not
suffer any of the women to be enslaved, but ordered that they should be all taken
away from the masters who had possession of them5 and he divided among the
married ones the lands, houses and cattle and everything else that there was , to give
them a start in life5 and if the women whom he thus gave in marriage asked for the
house which had been in possession of their fathers on their husbands, he ordered
that these should be so given, and therein they found many #ewels and gold pieces
which had been hidden underground and abandoned when the city was capturedZ.
&;
J The marriages of 'ortuguese men to native women had already been sanctioned by
(on 4anuel but this privilege was only to be conceded to men of proved character who had
rendered good services. *lbuBuerBue , however, extended the permission to many far beyond
what he was authori@ed to do, and he took care that the women so married were the daughters
of the principal men of the land. This he did in the hope of inducing them to become
/hristians. To those who were married *lbuBuerBue allotted lands, houses and cattle so as to
give them a start in life.K
&2
0000000000000000000000000000000000
&;.. I%idB, pp.:1+:%
&2. Edger Thurston, Castes and Tri%es of Southern India, 6ol L / to C, *E9 ?ew (elhi,
12;8, p.%&:.
22
t has been claimed that the 7a#a of /ochin arranged the marriage of a 'ortuguese
officer with a ?amboothiri lady.
:=
Even in /rangannore, there were living , a hundred
casados
B :1
towards the close of sixteenth century.
t has also been pointed out that when *fonso de *lbuBuerBue returned victorious after
capturing 4alacca, he brought from there :== women converts whom he had destined to be
spouses of his soldiers and that he founded 'ublic 9chools for educating and sheltering those
4alaccan women. Those 4ongolian features among the descendants of the 'ortuguese have
to be presumed to have been born out of such inter+marriages.
:%
ncidentally, still in the
interior villages of Kerala, and also in the suburban islands of /ochin where the 'ortuguese
descendants were forced to flee and settle down soon after the (utch invasion in 166&, we
can see Auso+ndian women in /e%aya -a 4alaccan dress for women. even today. . 4any
of them still are with lots of 4ongolian features.
There are evidences regarding the marriage of 'ortuguese men to ndian women at
/ochin, /annanore , $oa etc. The documents also show the number of children born out of
these marriages, the number of these children studied in the 'ortuguese esco#a at /ochin etc.
(ocument ?o.1=8 --dated %8
th
?ovember 131:, /ochin. shows the names of the children
with the names of their 'ortuguese fathers.
:&
, (ocument ?o.11= -dated %=
th
(ecember
131:, /ochin. gives the names of women and their 'ortuguese husbands .
::

0000000000000000000000000000
:=. 9tephen 'adua, * 'eep nto <istory, Ang#o$Indian Association Sou5enir ,/ochin,
1283.p.665 *lso his article )*nglo+ndians>, in /era#a Charithram, edB '.9. 6elayudhan,
-4al.. 6ol. , /hapter &1, /ochin, 128&, pp.118=+112%
:1. I%id., p.665 also !?A, "$, 3&6, ff 1+%2, "oticias do ayno do Ma#a%ar, ndia ,ffice
Aibrary, 4ss, "oticias da India, 6ol., p.%%3B
:%. I%id., p.665 9T6(*, %&, /entro (e Estudos <istNricos 1ltramarinos 'ortugal, *bril
126;, Aisboa, pp.;=+;3.
:&. *ntNnio da 9ilva 7[go , ;ocumentac=o para !ist>ria das Miss?es do &adroado do
Oriete,India, Aisboa, 12:8+3;, 6ol.1 , p.%%%. -hereafter 97(.
::B I%id., p.%&%.
1==
(ocument ?o.111 -%=
th
(ecember 131: -1. , /annanore4 metions about the 'ortuguese
Casados at /annanore , their ndian wives and children .
:3
, (ocument ?o.11& -%8
th
(ecember 131:, /annanore. shows the report of the 'ortuguese Casados, their wives and
children residing at the settlement of /annanore.
:6
, (ocument ?o.1&& - %3
th
9eptember
1316, Duilon . throw light to the 'ortuguese settlement and /hurch of 9t.Thomas at
Duilon.
:8
, (ocument ?o.3 -6ol %. 1=
th
,ctober 13%&, /annanore. contains mention of
the 'ortuguese settled at /annanore fort and their children.
:;
(ocument ?o.6 -6ol. %. 1=
th
,ctober 13%&, /annanore. gives information about the 'ortuguese Casados at /annanore
and of their native wives and children.
:2
, (ocument ?o.8 -6ol.%. %;
th
(ecember 13%&,
/ochin . also contains mention of the 'ortuguese Casados and their native wives stayed at
/ochin.
3=
, (ocument ?o.3 -6ol. 6+%. %=
th
Canuary 13:;, /ochin. 9t."rancis Eavier
mentions about the 'ortuguese, their wives and children.
31
"rom the above , it is clear that , by the first Buarter of sixteenth century, the formation
and existence of a community emerged out of the mixed marriages of the 'ortuguese men
with ndian women. They are otherwise called Auso+ndians by other European colonists.
Santa Casa da Misericordia and te Orpan Girls from Lisbon
*fonso de *lbuBuerBue had founded an institution named J9odality of ,ur Aady,
4other of $od, 6irgin 4ary of 4ercyK -Irmandade de "ossa Senhora Madre de ;eus,
0000000000000000000000
:3B I%id, opB cit., p.%:=.
:6B I%id., p.%3:
:8B I%id.,p.%;:
:;. I%id, 6ol .%., pp.11+1&
:2B I%id.., p.1:+18
3=. %id., p.1;+%:
31B I%id.pp.16+%%
1=1
Airgem Maria de Misericordia4 This institution was founded on the line of the <oly <ouse
of 4ercy of Aisbon established in 1:2;. t was aimed at helping the poor, aged and disabled
soldiers including the widows and daughters of the dead soldiers. The statute of the sodality
was drawn on the lines of that of Aisbon.
3%
. The Misericordia played an important role in
the social and religious life of the /hristians in /ochin especially of Auso+ndians. This
sodality was later named Santa Casa da Misericordia de CochinB The functions of the
Misericordia at /ochin is well+defined in (ocument ?o.3% dated 1:
th
(ecember 13%8,
/ochin
3&
ts membership was open only to 'ortuguese men. ts functions included -a.
$iving food to the hungry -b. $iving drink to the thirsty -c. /lothing the naked -d. 6isiting
the sick and the prisoners -e. $iving shelter to the weary -f. 7ansoming the captives and
-g. !urying the dead. These services were meant essentially to the members of the
/hristian community, including the converts.
3:
The Misericordia had its own fund to carry
out these pious works.
4arried 'ortuguese men were the members of this institution. t had a governing board
consisting of elected officials for a term of one year. The president was expected to be a man
of repute, virtue, prudence and authority. !ishops, #udgers and other state officials become its
presidents. The membership went on increasing from time to time
. 33
00000000000000000000000000
3%. *. Aourdinho 7odrigues, JThe Mercy !ouse of GoaT, , Bo#etim do Institututo Mene@es
Bragan<a ,?o.26, 1281,pp.&+:.
3&. 97(, 6ol.%, pp.111L 113.
3:. $. <avers . trans. The Tra5e#s of &ietro ;e##a Aa##e in India, , Aondon, <aklut 9ociety,
1;2%, pp.&;%+&.
33. !.9. 9hastry , Studies in Indo$&ortuguese !istory, !angalore, , 12;1, pp.62+8=.
1=%
The <oly <ouse of 4ercy began to play a vital role in the social life of /ochin. King
CoOo brought the <ouse of 4ercy under the royal patronage and ordered it to take up the
burdon of the orphan girls - Orf=as de# ei. sent from time to time from the orphanages
of Aisbon, ,porto and /oimbra. They were provided with dowries in the form of minor
government posts or small grants of lands for the men who would marry them in the
'ortuguese colonies
. 36
The first batch of these orphan girls came to ndia by 13:3 and the
subseBuent batches continued to come more or less regularly upto 136= after which the
dispatch of orphans was irregular and in some years no orphan girl was sent.
38
The
responsibility of maintaining , sheltering and looking after the orphans fell upon the Santa
Casa da Misericordia . They arranged the stay of the orphans with some honourable families
in the city, giving them grant for maintenance till they were married.
3;
*t $oa also this was
the arrangement made. n 136= we find that the Misericordia distributed dowries among
fifteen orphan girls whose fathers were in the service of the King in ndia and had died in
war.
32
!y a letter of %3
th
"ebruary 13;& the King of 'ortugal confirmed some captaincies of
forts and clerical #obs in the conBuered territories as dowries. *nd by another order dated
%=
th
4arch 1332, he had ordered the use of 1\ of the revenue deposited in the treasury for
pious works which included distribution of maintenance money to widows and orphans of
those who died in his service .
6=

000000000000000000000000
36. <istorical *rchices $oa -hereafter <*$., Mon<oes de eino, 4ss in the (**4,
/odex ?o.%;, fl.&32 , /.7.!oxer., opBcit. n %, p.66
38. *lberto /arlos $ermano (a 9ilva /orreia, !ist>ria da Co#oni@a<=o &ortuguesa na
Cndia, 6, Aisboa, *gencia $eral do 1ltramar , 1231,p.:%5 !oxer, opBcit n G., pB++B
3;. 'ropercia /orreia *fonso da "igureido, A Mu#her na Cndia &ortuguesa, ?ova $oa,
Tipografia !raganMa, 12&&,p.3=,
32B I%id.,3=+ 31
6=. I%id.,:.
1=&
The *rchbishop of $oa, (. "rei *leixo de 4ene@es, wished to create an independent
establishment for the widows and orphans. n a letter of 13
th
4arch 1328 the King asked the
6iceroy to consider the reBuest of the *rchbishop for a <ouse of 7ecluse -eco#himento4 for
the damsels and married women who were abandoned by their husbands as well as for
widows and old women. The King also opined in his letter that the 7ecluse <ouses were
better than the convents for women.
61
n fact there were reBuests from *rchbishop and the
religious to open convents for women in 'ortuguese settlements.
The orphan girls were given religious education. !esides, some useful crafts such as
weaving , stitching, embroidery, tailoring etc. were taught. *t the time of their marriage each
girl was given as dowry of a maximum of :=,=== reis in cash or government posts for their
would be husbands.
6%
r was imperative that the orphans were married to reinos -pure
'ortuguese man.. n a letter dated %1
st
4arch 1618 the king wrote to 6iceroy /onde do
7edondo not to take orphan girls and women from disreputable families into the 7ecluse
<ouse and the convent. The moratorium on low L bred girls was again repeated in 16&:. <e
expressed his displeasure at boarding the women who were not from good families. <e had
expressed that the privilege to be entertained at these institutions were for the daughters of
fida#gos or the daughters of Ca5#aeiros -knights. who died in war. *nd the dowry of
offices were meant for them .
6&
The flow of orphan girls from 'ortugal began to decline after the 1st Buarter of the 18
th
century due to the (utch+'ortuguese and *nglo+'ortuguese rivalry. n 1618 only three orphan
girls, namely (ona 4aria /abreira, (ona /herubina 9ampaio and (ona *ntonio de /astro
came to ndia. n 16%& the (utch attacked a fleet of the 'ortuguese and carried .
000000000000000000000000000000000
61. <*$, Mon<?es do eino, 499 in the (**4, /odex ?o.%!, fl.&63.
6%. * Aourdinho 7odrigues, opBcit.,pp.6+;.
6&. <*$, Men<?es do eino, in the (**4 /odex ?o. 12 !, fls.:%%+&.


1=:
away three orphan girls to 9urat where one of them named (ona Aucia was married to a
wealthy (utch merchant.
6:
* wealthy widowed lady of /ochin, (ona Auisa da 9ilva , with
an enormous slave+household, was famous for the charity with which she relieved the
passengers and crews of outward+bound ndiamen when they arrived at that port suffering
from scurvy and malnutrition.
63
Hospitals
t was in 13:% that the Santa Casa da Misericordia took the responsibility of running
the hospital which till then depended on the 'ortuguese factory -feitoria4 as well as the
church. The 'ortuguese had opened hospitals and introduced colonial medicine in almost all
their settlements. There were hospitals in /ochin, /annanore, /haul, 4oMambiBue and so
on .
66
4ost of these early hospitals were run under the "ranciscans. ?o women or slave or
servant was admitted to these hospitals. The King through a letter of 1323 appreciated the
work of the "ranciscans and the Cesuits at the hospitals and advised the 6iceroy to render
necessary help to them and to take special care of the soldiers who were admitted there.
68
00000000000000000000000000000
6:. $. <avers , opBcitB, p.%3.
63. "ernOo de Dueiro@, 9.C., ConIuista Esperitua# e Tempora# de I#ha de Cei#=o, 16;8
/olombo, 1216, p.:&&5 *lberto /arlos $ermano da 9ilva /oreia, opBcit., vol.6,p.:&&.
66B <*$, Man<?es de eino, 499 in the (**4, /odex %!, fls.:&%, :&% 6, /odex &V,
fl.%3;, /odex &!, fl.:6:6.
68. <*$, Mon<oes do eino, 499 in the (**4, /odex :6*, fl.;35 *lso see $.,4. 4oraes,
A !istory of Christianity in India,I , !ombay, , 126:, p.%3%

1=3
Te Port of &ocin and te &it! of Santa Cruz
The /ochin 'ort was formed only as late as 1&:1, when as a result of the heavy flood in
the 'eriyar river , the mouth of the /ranganore port got silted and the pressure of the flood
pushed the narrow strip of land to the sea and the new port of /ochin was emerged. Ihen
'edro *lvares /abral reached /ochin in 13==, and had his alliance with the 7a#a of /ochin,
the 'ortuguese received , the area ad#acent to the sea for the establishment of the
'ortuguese factory from the ruler of /ochin . The 7a#a granted the permission and also
undertook the work at his own expense.
6;
4any natives and the 'ortuguese, including *fonso
de *lbuBuerBue and his cousin "rancisco de *lbuBuerBue participated in the construction
work
. 62
n /ochin, there was no facilities to get stone, so a stronghold was constructed of
large palisades and palm+trees, filled in with earth in the shape of a sBuare , with flanking
bastions at the corners, each mounted with ordnance pointing towards the sea to protect the
fleet.
8=
The fort was inaugurated on 1
st
?ovember 13=& and named 4anuel "ort, in honour
of King 4anuel of 'ortugal.
81
The first 'ortuguese 6iceroy "rancisco de *lmeida who
arrived in ndia in 13=3 strengthened the fort with masonry walls and also eBuipped with
powerful cannons
8%
This part of /ochin was made the seat of the 'ortuguese 6iceroy by
"rancisco de *lmeida.
'ortuguese /ochin or the city of 9antha /ru@ of /ochin which evolved around the
4anuel "ort continued to be the political capital of the Estado da India until it was
transferred in 13&= to $oa.
8&
Even after the transfer of the political establishments ,
000000000000000000000
6;. *ntonio $alvOo , Tratado dos ;esco%rimentos, 'orto, 128%,p.2;
62. I%id., pp.28+2.
8=. $asper /orreia, :endas da India, Aisboa, 1;3; +6: tom../ap.6,pp.&2&+3.
81. I%idB
8%B I%id., /ap.E6,pp.6%3+&&5 cap .E6 , pp.6&&+8.
8&. 6itorino 4agalhOes $odinho, Os ;esco%rimentos e a Economica Mundia#, 6ol.,
Aisboa, 12;%,p.&:.

1=6
/ochin continued to be the commercial headBuarters of the 'ortuguese in ndia. Iith
the addition of many political and ecclesiastical institutions, it became an important urban
centre in the East. Eventually, a significant portion of the newly developed urban parts of
'ortuguese /ochin was also fortified.
8:
The port of /ochin was outside the 'ortuguese city and was located in the territory of
the king of /ochin by virtue of which he levied customs duties from the 'ortuguese traders
. 83
The port was situated in the area between the present 4attancherry and /alvathy. The
mouth of /alvathy river was a busy trade centre, and it was Buite navigable for ships and
&atemares -big wooden boats ..
86
There was a very extensive and diverse network of water
routes, which linked the port of /ochin with the socio+economic and human environment of
the hinterland and with the exchange systems of other 4alabar ports, as well as of the
overseas ports. Eventhough it was mentioned a river, /alvathy was actually not a river but
only a canal . The wide river which opens to the sea brings a large volume of water of
the river 'eriyar, divided /ochin and 6aipein and connected the deep sea and the inland
backwaters, served the purpose of a good harbour. This water passage gave good anchorage
and safe shelter to the ships and vessels that came thither.
88


The 'ortuguese and the Auso+ndians settled at /ochin were engaged in flourishing
trade of spices after the establishment of the 4anuel "ort. * mini port was existed at
'ortuguese /ochin and a #etty was constructed in 132= for facilitating movements
0000000000000000000000000000
8:. 7.*. de !ulhOo 'ato , ;ocumentos emetidos da Cndia ou :I5ro das Mon<oes, 6ol 6,
Aisboa, 12&3, doc. 1=8%, pp.113+18M doc.1162,pp.&=;+2.
83. K.9 4athew and *f@al *hamad, Emergence of Cochin,'ondicherry, 122=
doc.3&,pp.8&>;%
86. K..A. !ernard, !istory of Cochin, /ochin, 1221, pp.+3+2.
88. "rancois 'yrard Aaval, The 5oyages of 0rancois &yrard of :a5a# to the East Indies, the
Ma#di5es, the Mo#ucas and Bra@i#, trans. *lbert $ray, Aondon, 1;;8,p.:&3.
1=8
in the port for the use of the 'ortuguese.
8;
4any parts of the water front which were not
fortified utili@ed by the Casados to dispatch their vessels for their private trade. *s reported
by /onde de 6idigueira in 1322, the Casados were strongly against the fortification of
waterfront of 'ortuguese /ochin.
82

&ocin de &ima and te &it! of Santa &ru9 or &ocin de .ai/o
The areas occupied by the King of /ochin as his seat together with the 'a@hayannor
temple , the settlement of the local people as well the paradesi merchants with a market of
their own , was known as Cochin de Cima.
;=
-1pper /ochin..

t formed the present day
4attanchery area:

n Cochin de Cima, a fort was constructed to commemorate the victories
of (uarte 'acheco over the Ramorin , and it came to be known as Caste#o de Cima de
Cochin
;1
: ?ext to this fort was the church of

eis Magos , where the people who went for
military service were given opportunities for worship and confession.
;%
4any Cews and
Crist=os no5os or new /hristians lived in Cochin de Cima.
;&
*s a unit reinforcing the city
of /ochin, the fort of native /ochin was always under able leadership. !ecause of the strategic
importance of the fort, located near the royal residence of the native king, nobles and bale
000000000000000000000000000
8;. K.9.4athew and *f@al *hamad, opBcit., doc.36,p.;8.
82. !iblioteca ?acional Aisboa, -<ereafter !?A. 0undo Gera#, /od.1286, Aetter of the
/onde de 6idigueira sent to 'hilip in 1322, fols.13;+2.
;=. *.4. 4undadan, ZTown of /ochin and the 'ortugueeZ, in Seminario Intenaciona# da
!istoria Indo portuguesa, Actas, Aisboa, 12;;,p.8=3.
;1. *ntonio !ocarro, 0orta#e@as, Cidades, po5oa<Xes do Estado da India Orienta# , vol.,
Aisboa, 122%, p.%=&.
;%. $asper /orreia, opBcit, tom.6, cap.E6,p.8=3.
;&. *?TT, InIuisition de :is%oa, 'roc.no.1%2% de Auis 7odrigues de 1338, fols.;=+3 and
'roc.no.6&62 de 4aria ?unes de 1338, fols.33+6 and 6%+3.
1=;
men like TristOo de 9ousa,
;:
, 4anuel 'ereira /amelo,
;3
and *ntonio 7ebelo
;6
were
appointed captains of the /astelo of the native /ochin.
The 'ortuguese city of 9anta /ru@ of /ochin lay on a triangular tongue of land
that extended from the mouth of the /alvathy canal westward up to the seashore southwards
along the coast for about a mile and a half in length and one mile in breadth
. ;8
t formed the
present day "ort /ochin. :i5ro das Cidadas written in 13;% mentions that this city with the
fortress was situated along the banks of the river and was called Cochin de Bai7o.
;;
-Aower
/ochin.. The maps and plans of the city of /ochin of the sixteenth and seventeenth
centuries show that a small narrow river called rio de estreito - which could be /alvathy
canal . flowed outside the city wall in a south+east direction to the outlet of the lagoons,
separating the 'ortuguese /ochin from the native /ochin.
,n the eastern side of the city of 9anta /ru@ or Cochin de Bai7o was located the
weighing place of pepper, probably because of its proximity to the port. *d#acent to it, stood
the monastery of 9t.*ugustine.
;2
"rom east to north+west, along the water side up to the
seashore were located the important establishments in the city such as the church of
9t.9ebastian, the fortress, the cathedral, the bishop>s house, the hospital the
0000000000000000000000
;:. *?TT,Chance#aria de ;BHo=o III, #i5B8G, fo#B(+BW Capitania de Caste#o de Cima de
Cochin. Carta L Trist=o de SousaW Aisboa, 3 de 4arMo de 13&=
;3. *?TT, /hancelaria de CoOo , liv.2B,fol.%3,Z/arta ] 4anuel 'ereira /amelo,'almelaF 8
de 4arMo de 13&1.
;6. *?TT, Chance#aria de ;BSe%asti=o e ;B !enriIue, liv. 18, fol.:2 )/apitania do /astelo
de /ima de /ochinF /arta ] *ntonio 7ebeloZ , Aisboa, 3 de 4arMo de 1366.
;8. K.'. 'admanabha 4enon, !istory of /era#a, 6ol., ?ew (elhi, 12;%, p.168.
;;. "rancisco 4endes da Au@, Aivro das /idades e "ortele@as Bue nelas h] e da mportancia
dellesZ, in Bo#etim da Bi%#ioteca da Jni5ersadiade de Coim%ra, Ao#BPPI, Coim%ra, 'E(,,
ppBF)$'B
;2. see the plans of /ochin given in Auis da 9ilveira ed. , Ensaio de Iconografia das
Cidades, 6ol., pp.:1&+16.
1=2
church of 9t.!erthelomew -used by the $erman mercenaries., Misericordia and the 4unicipal
/ouncil <all
. 2=

'lans of the city show that there was on the eastern side over the rio de estreito
-/alvathy /anal. a bridge connecting the fortified city of Cochin de Bai7o with upper
/ochin. 4any 'ortuguese settlers, establishments, including churches of "ossa Senhora de
Gra<a, 9t.Thomas and the leprosy centre 9t.Aa@aros etc, grew up in the area outside the city
walls. 4eanwhile, on the northern side across the river, 'ortuguese settlers began to occupy
.21
the southern tip of 6aipin island . t was soon incorporated into the intermediate @one of the
urban 'ortuguese culture and had a good number of 'ortuguese settlers, a church and
!ishop>s residence
. 2%
*s a result, the fortified city of 9anta /ru@ of /ochin together with the
southern tip of 6ypin and the north+western tip of land across io de Estreito developed as a
unit of urban environment which was entirely different and distinct from the native /ochin.
'o!al &arter on te Santa &ru9 &it! of &ocin
The 'ortuguese enclave as well as of Auso+ndian settlement of /ochin, was raised to
the #uridical status of a city by the King of 'ortugal Cohn , by a royal charter issued on 1%
4arch 13%8. t being the abode of many 'ortuguese citi@ens and their families, was brought
on par with the 'ortuguese city of Evora and was given privileges and rights attached to a
city
. 2&
Ihen it was raised to the status of a city, 'ortuguese /ochin was given a new and
uniBue status in the structure of the Estado da India and was to be administered not only by a
captain, but by a council of aldermen elected from among the citi@ens.
2:
9eeing that the city
of /ochin was an effective means of linking the exchange
000000000000000
E)B I%id., pp.:1:+16.
21. I%id., The !ishop>s house situated on the beach side of 6ypeen was taken away by the sea
at a later period.
2%. I%id.,"rancois 'yrard de Aeval, opBcit.,p.:%8.
2&. K.9.4athew and *f@al *hamad, opBcit., doc.1,pp.1+&.
2:. 9an#ay 9ubrahmanyam, The &o#itica# Economy of Commerce ,/ambridge, 122=, , p.1:%.

11=
system of Aisbon with that of /ochin port, all the rights and privileges granted to it were
confirmed and re+confirmed successively by the later kings and viceroys. Even though the
political establishments of the Estado da India were shifted from /ochin to $oa in 13&=, the
original rights and privileges en#oyed by the city were retained and confirmed by (om
9ebastian, (om 'hilip and by all the later viceroys as well.
23
The 'ortuguese authorities saw
to it that the various privileges and rights of the city were sufficiently safeguarded and
protected on the outbreak of any disturbance due to administrative deadlock. n 1331, the
viceroy (. *fonso de ?oronha asked the captains and other officials to respect the autonomy
of the city of /ochin and not to encroach upon its privileges.
26
Portuguese and te Casados at &ocin
Aa@arus ?urenburger who visited /ochin in 1318 wrote that in /ochin there were about
&== 'ortuguese houses
.28
'adre 9ebastiOo 'ires, the vicar of the church at /ochin had
mentioned that there were about 1=,=== to 13,=== /hristians in /ochin in 131;.
2;
The
presence of non+/hristian elements was also considerable. *s early as 131=, there were
about &=== ?airs in the city, employed as daily wage workers in the service of the
'ortuguese. n 13%3, there were %,%%= men in /ochin in the military service.
22
,n 1% Culy
13%8, Auis 4artins from 'ortugal wrote that there were only 1=== men in /ochin and the
number of married people were only 16=.
1==
Aater, when the number of people arrived
000000000000000000000
23. K.9. 4athew and *f@al *hamad, opBcit.doc.6, p.1; F doc.%:,p.&;5doc.:&,p.6=5
doc.8=p.1=:5 doc.;1,p.1%=5 doc.;%,p.1%%.
26B I%id.,doc.2,p.%%.
28. 4iloslasv Krasa, Coseph 'olisenesky and 'eter 7atos ed. European E7pansion '8E8$
'('E: The Aoyages of ;isco5ery in the Bratis#a5a Manuscript, Ayc.313X;, 'rague,
12;6,p.1=6.
2;. 97(., 6ol., '.&:=.
22. 7odrigo CosP de Aima "elner, ed., ZAambranMas de /ousas da ndiaZ -AambranMas
dZalgumas cousas Bue sam passadas em 4alaBua e assy outras partes da mdeaZ., in
Su%sidios para a !istoria da India &ortuguesa,. , Aisboa, 1;6;, pp.1=+11.
1==. *?TT, $avetas, 13, 4aMo 18, doc.12.
111
from 'ortugal were increased, the number of married people living in /ochin increased
considerably. !y 13:%, there were all together 13,=== /hristians in the /ochin area of whom
more than &== were Casados , married and settled down in the city of 9anta /ru@ of /ochin
.
1=1
!y 13:6, there were about 38= 'ortuguese residents in /ochin, out of whom &:& were
married settlers.
1=%
The number of married 'ortuguese settlers rose to 3== by 1331
. 1=&
The
large increase in the number of orphans and church institutions indirectly hints that /ochin
experienced a very high demographic growth during middle of the sixteenth century. Thus,
we find that in 13;:, the /hristians in /ochin numbered about 13,===, of whom 1=,=== were
natives and the remaining 3=== 'ortuguese.
1=:
!ut the population of the Casados began to
decrease considerably after 1611, when a good number of them shifted their base of activities
from /ochin to the /oromandel ports and elsewhere, because of the tensions in the
hinterland which caused a decrease in the flow of commodities from the hinterland to the port
of /ochin. <owever, the mestices or mixed population emerged as a result of Auso+ndian
marriages in and around /ochin in large numbers.
The population of the city was reduced to one Lthird by the end of the second
decade of the seventeenth century.
1=3
!y the 16&=s, the number of Casados in /ochin was
about five hundredF three hundred whites and the rest natives.
1=6
*t the time of
00000000000000000000
1=1. 4athias 4undadan, !istory of Christianity in India , vol., !angalore, 12;:, p.&32.
1=%. Elaine 9anceau, Co#ec<=o de S=o :ouren<o, vol,p.&%1.
1=&. The letter of the viceroy written to the king dated 16 Canuary 1331, in *?TT, Corpo
Crono#ogico, , 4aMo %:%, doc.::.
1=:. 4.?.'earson, Coasta# 6estern India Studies from the &ortuguese ecords, ?ew (elhi,
12;1,p.36.
1=3. *rBuivo <istorico 1ltramarina Aisboa -hereafter *<1. , Cai7as da India, /aixa %,
doc.1=8. The letter of the city council of cochin sent to 'hilip of 'ortugal giving an
account of the economic condition of /ochin dated %1 (ecember 161&, <*$, :i5ro
das Mon<?es, no.1% -161&+18., fols. %3:+;=, dated 4arch 1618.
1=6. *ntonio !ocarro, opBcit.,p.122.
11%
(utch conBuest it was estimated that thee were 2== old houses in the 'ortuguese Buarter,
though only 18& were actually inhabited.
1=8
*fter the defeat of the 'ortuguese by the (utch
and the 'ortuguese people were sent out of /ochin, the population in the city was about
;=== including :=== topassesB
1=;
-the (utch called the descendants of the 'ortuguese as
Topasses.. There were many other European traders and trade agents in this city such as the
talians and $ermans. The $erman presence in /ochin, who came to this city as soldiers and
traders, was good enough to form a separate church for them.
1=2
The city administration at
/ochin was entrusted to a popular body called the Senado da Camara or the 4unicipal
/ouncil.
11=
The married 'ortuguese male citi@ens and Casados could vote for and sit in the
4unicipal /ouncil.
111
/ochin being the first settlement of the 'ortuguese in ndia, commercial operations of
the 'ortuguese, formation of municipal administration , with its various ob#ects could be
traced at this place. The role of the 7a#a of /ochin was very significant in the growth of
Auso+ndians. The social set+up of the community emerged out of the mixed marriages ,
were Buite evident in the colourful life of /ochin city. "rom 13== to 166& , the 16& years
long ZpresenceZ, rather than ZoccupationZ of the 'ortuguese and their descendants at /ochin
and its suburban areas, left its indelible marks. *nd even today, the presence of the Auso+
ndian community in and around /ochin is very significant.
Te Social Strata of te Portuguese Settlement
*fonso de *lbuBuerBue wished the marriage of the 'ortuguese to be limited to women
of high breed. <e stressed that he did not want his men to marry the dark+skinned
000000000000000000000000000
1=8. <.K. Cacob ed. ;e "eder#anders in /era#a,166&+18=1. <ague, 1286,pp.ii, iii.
1=;. 9an#ay 9ubrhamaniam, Z/ochin in (eclineW 16==+163=F 4yth and 4anipulation in the
Estado da ndia> , in &ortuguese Asia: Aspects in !istory and Economic !istory
3Si7teenth and Se5enteeth Centuries., ed., 7oderich 'tak, 9tuttgart, 12;8 , p.;:.
1=2. 97(, doc.1=3,p.%18.
11=. 4.?. 'earson, opBcit. n 1=:, p.3%.
111B I%id.,3%+&.
11&
women of 4alabar.
11%
!ut it is interesting to note that the 'ortuguese had no hesitation to
cohabit and marry ?egro slaves brought to /ochin from 4o@ambiBue and other *frican coasts
in spite of the preferences stipulated by *lbuBuerBue. The progenies of Casado settlers
married converts from various <indu castes. t is suggested that in the city of /ochin, the
ma#ority of women whom the 'ortuguese married seem to have been converts from slam.
11&
This suggestion may be accepted during the short span of *lbuBuerBue>s governorship. t is
also a fact that most of the 4uslim population deserted /ochin to the territories of Ramorin as
early as 13%1. *part from this, there is no evidence for large scale 4uslim settlements in
/ochin. /onversion to /hristianity was presented as a condition for the native women to get
married to 'ortuguese men. 4any women, as a result, sought baptism with a view to
marrying 'ortuguese soldiers. n 131:, in the city of /ochin, about one hundred women
including those of 4uslim, ?air, E@hava, /anarese, $u#arati and !rhamin origin, were
converted to /hristianity
11:
and married to the 'ortuguese adding to the Auso+ndian
population.
t is interesting to note here that 'adre *lexander 6alignano, the celebrated reorgani@er
of the Cesuit 4ission in *sia, classified the population of the 'ortuguese+ndia -in the
narrowest sense of term. as divisible into the following categoriesF+ firstly, the European born
'ortuguese Reinos, -The white 'ortuguese nobility45 these blue blooded 'ortuguese nationals
occupied high positions such as $overnors and 6iceroys, *rchbishop, !ishops , /aptains,
Cudges and so on, they returned to 'ortugal after their term of office.
11:
9econdly , the
Portuguese born in $ndia , of pure European parentage who were very few and far between5
thirdly those born of a European father and native mother who were termed as Castices ,
fourthly, the progenies of Auso+ndian and native woman or Mestices, fifth and last, the native
pure breed $ndian and those with hardly a drop of European blood in their veins.
113
There
00000000000000000000
11%. 97(. 6ol , opBcit., doc.1=6,pp.%%+%%1.
11&. 'ius 4alekandathil, &ortuguese Cochin and Maritime Trade of India, ?ew (elhi,
%==&, p.;:.
11:. 97(,6ol , doc.11=.pp. %&%+2.
113. $arcia Cose gnacia *branches de, Archi5a da e#acao de Goa, 'art , ?ova $oa, 1;8%,
(ecree 3;2, dated ;th 4arch 16&:, p.::;, (ecree 6=%, dated %:th "eb, 16&3.
11:
were also the Mulatos , of 'ortuguese and *frican parentage. The Mestices -from the
'ortuguese word ZMesticeW means mixed. or Auso+ndians were the ma#ority inhabitants in a
'ortuguese settlement during the sixteenth century. The Auso+ndians became integral part of
the 'ortuguese ndia as planned by *fonso de *lbuBuerBue and they played a very
prominent role in trade and in all other walks of life.
Economic Progress of Luso6$ndians
The Auso+ndian community of /ochin en#oyed special freedom to carry on their
private trade. !ecause of the 'ortuguese origin and the connections through their Kerala
wives , they had the facility and access to the locality and convenience for maintaining trade
at /ochin and the near and far areas. The community of Casados conseBuently extended
their influence both politically and commercially for setting up a trade syndicate for their
own interests.
116
They exercised freedom in conducting trade with all *sian regions and
on all commodities except the items reserved for royal monopoly. !ut they were also engaged
in the trade of pepper, cloves and other spices all over *sia, which they conducted on most
cases , with due permission and licenses. The maritime space between coastal ndia and
9outh East *sia was the active area of their operation. They even had minor trade
operations with 7ed 9ea ports.
Even from 131= onwards , *fonso de *lbuBurBue, who introduced the policy of
mixed+marriage , encouraged the married men -Casados4 to take up local trade as a means of
livelihood.
118
The profit earned from this trade attracted the Casados to widen their sphere of
activities and they organi@ed themselves to protect their interest in the form of a syndicate
known as Zthe /ochin $roupZ, for the purpose of opposing state intervention
. 11;
The king of
0000000000000000000000000000
116. 9an#ay 9ubrhamanyam, ZThe Tail Iags the (og or some *spects of the External
7elations of the Estado da ndia, 138=+16==Z, in Moyen Orient R Ocean Indien, E6e+
EEe. 9.,no. 3, 'aris, 12;;.
118. 7.9. Ihiteway, opBcit., pp.186+8.
11;. 6itor Auis $asper 7odrigues, Z, $roupo de /ochim e a ,posiMOo ] *fonso de
*lbuBurBue, St5dia, 31, Aisboa, 122%, pp.112>>::.
113
/ochin as well as Aopo 9oares de *lbergaria, the successor to *fonso de *lbuBuerBue
allowed the Casados to continue their private trade. This new $overnor demarcated a space
east of /ape /omorin which was relatively free from state interference , for the trade of
CasadosB
The voyage of "ernOo 'eres de *ndrade in 1313 to explore the possibilities of
discovering !ay of !engal and /hina
112
and other eastern part of ndian ocean along with
4alacca, further favoured the Casados for widening their trade of 'epper and other
commodities. The goods for trade were taken from /ochin to !engal and other ports of the
$angetic delta in exchange of sugar, rice and textiles.
1%=
n 131;, (.CoOo de 9ilveira sailed
from /ochin to !engal to explore commercial prospects in the $angetic delta.
1%1
n 13%%+&,
(iogo 'ereira, who was greately associated with the private trade of /ochin, was moving
about in !engal and 'egu trying to open doors for the commerce of pepper from /ochin and
procuring wares in exchange.
1%%
(iogo 'ereira, once took from /ochin pepper along with
copper and silk to /ambay and /haul and he was paid 16=== pardaos in gold after sale.
1%&
n return diverse types of cloth, indigo, sealing wax and gold were taken to /ochin.
1%:
The white cloth of /ambay was in high demand for exchange for pepper, timber , areca and
000000000000000000000000000
112. Auciano 7ibeiro, (ocument dated %6 4arch 1313 summarised in , egisto da Casa
da India, vol., p.&.
1%=. 9an#ay 9ubrhamnyam, Z?otes on the 9ixteenth /entury !engal TradeZ, in E9<7, %:X&,
12;8, pp.%66+;2.
1%1. $enevieve !ouchon and Auis 'ilipe Thoma@ eds., Aoyage dans #es ;e#tas du Gange et
de IWIrraouaddy, 'aris, 12;;, pp.36+6=.
1%%. Auis "ilipe Thoma@, Z(iogo 'ereira, o 4alabarZ in Mare :i%erum, 122&, pp.3=+6:.
1%&. Cartas , p.1285 Auis "ilipe Thoma@, A Aiagem de Antonio Correia a &egu em '('E,
Aisboa, 1283, p.&6.
1%:. *delino de *lmeida /alado, :i5ro Iue trata das Cousas da India e do Hap=o,
/oimbra, 1238, p.32.
116
other spices.
1%3
9ome of this rice was again taken to the 4aldives in exchange for coir and
cowries.
1%6

<orses were imported from ,rmu@ to /ochin by the Casados, though $oa was the
main port of import for the horses from *rabia -%=== horses per year..
1%8
n 13&&, (. CoOo da
/ru@ with the due permission imported horses to /ochin to be taken to the fishery coast,
Travancore and to the kingdoms of /hymbechenaBue -Tumbhichi ?ayak. and !etepermal
-6ettam 'erumal. .
1%;
n 13:6, <enriBue de 9ousa /hichorro says that the horses taken to
/ape /omorin from ,rmu@ via /ochin did not yield much profit. 9o he asked permission to
take suger, rice and lac from 9atgOo -&orto &eIueno of !engal4 to /ochin.
1%2
n 13:8 , it
was noted that the Ou5idor of /ochin remarking that many Casados of the city were taking
horses to /ape /omorin from /ochin for trade
. 1&=
!y 136; the number of horses imported to
/ochin from ,rmu@ for distribution in the kingdoms of south ndia created alarming
situations in $oa, as it adversely affected the revenue of the latter.
1&1
n the circumstances the
private trade was increased, the need for timber to build more ships increased in proportion.
Auso+ndians of /ochin had begun to make use of large amount timber for the construction
of their ships. n 13%&, it was reported that wood for shipbuilding was scarce in
/ochin as it was being purchased by the 'ortuguese who had planned to settle in ndia, live
by their own trade and die here.
1&%
!y the 13:=s we find a lot of ships being
000000000000000000
1%3. 9an#ay 9ubrhamanyam, opBcitB, n 1=;, p.6&.
1%6. $asper /orreia, :endas, tom.,pp. 1%2+&=.
1%8. *?TT, Corpo Crono#ogico, I , 4aMo ;8, doc.%.
1%;B I%id.,4aMo 3%, doc.%3. Chym%echenaIue and Betepermal were identified as the rulers
of southern territories of the present Tamilandu.
1%2. Elaine 9anceau, Co#e<=o de S=o :ouren<o, vol., Aisboa, 128&+;& pp.&:8, &;=, &21.
1&=B I%id.,p.&21.
1&1. C.<.da /unha 7ivara, Archi5o &ortugue@ Orienta#, "asciculo &, ?ew (elhi, 122%,p.1:.
118
built in /ochin in the shipbuilding centres. The demand for more ships necesseciated for
the wars to rescue of (iu. 4ostly , the 0ida#gos participated in the wars while the
construction of ships were entrusted with the Auso+ndians B
1&&
They wanted permission to
build ships which was restricted because of the shortage of timber experienced in the royal
shipbuilding centre
. 1&:
*bout more than twenty different Casados were allowed in 13:6+:8
to construct ships in 4alabar as a reward for their services to defend (iu.
1&3
Iith the
possession of a large number of private ships at their disposal, the Casados extended their
commercial operations to diverse fields.
6arious reasons are identified for the emergence of the Auso+ndians in intra+*sian
trade. The freBuent attacks of 4uslim vessesls and the confiscation of their cargo by the
'ortuguese in the name of the carta@es -licence from the 'ortuguese after remitting the
reBuired fee. forced the 4uslim traders considerabily withdrawing from trade through
the ndian ocean . This created a vacuum and the Auso+ndians traders could enter the
place from where the 4uslim traders withdrew.
1&6
t is to be noted that , during the early days
of 'ortuguese establishment the 4uslim merchants of /ochin especially 4arakkars were their
greatest allies and suppliers5 this continued till the death of *fonso de *lbuBurBue.
1&8
The
shifting of commercial operations of the Kutti *li and Kun#ali 4arakkars to /alicut in
13%: and their subseBuent fight against the 'ortuguese are part of the history.
1&;

000000000000000000000000000
1&%. 4.?.'earson, Merchants and u#ers in Gu-rat, Aondon , 1286, , ppB,F$EB
1&&. *ntonio !aiOo, !istoria Vuinhentista 3inedita4 do segundo cerco de ;io, Coim%ra,
12%8, , pp.%26 +&&&.
1&:. 4.?.'earson, opBcit., n. 1&%, pp.&8+2.
1&3. *ntonio !aiOo, opBcit., pp.%26+&&&.
1&6. 7.*. de !ulhOo 'ato, opBcitB, tom. . '.&=6.
1&8. K.9.4athew, &ortuguese Trade Dith India ,?ew (elhi , 12;&, pp.1==+6.
1&;. 9hayak Raynuddin, opBcit., p.665 see also "aria y 9ousa, opBcit.,6ol..p.%;:.
*lso see , K.C. Cohn JThe 'ortuguese and Kun#ali 4arakkars5 4yth and 7ealityK, in
6inds of Spices, eds., K.9.4athew, Coy 6arkey, Tellicherry, %==6, pp.1=&+116
11;
The royal monopoly over the spice trade in 4alacca and the 4oluccas ceased to exist in
13&& and 13&8.
1&2
This facilitated the Auso+ndians to earn huge profits by actively
involving themselves in the !engal+4alacca, /oromandal+4alacca and /ochin+4alacca
routes.
1:=
Though one part of the commodities traded went to /hina and Capan, from
4alacca a strong stream moved through the Auso+ndians to /ochin, from where some were
taken to 'ortugal and the rest to /ambay and ,rmu@ for distribution in west *sia.
1:1
*fter
the establishment of 4acao in 1338, merchandise from /hina, especially finished goods such
as porcelain, silk, lac, #ewellery and minted brass began to be taken to /ochin and other
4alabar ports with the help of the Auso+ndiansB
1:%

ndian textiles were taken in large volume for exchange in the 4alay *rchipelago, as
the spices from 9outh+East *sia were to be paid in textiles rather than in money.
1:&
The
Auso+ndians took from /ochin pepper, ginger, coir, coconuts and various kinds of wares
from /hina and 4alacca to (iu, 9urat and /haul in exchange for raw cotton and textiles. The
Casados who used to take pepper from /ochin to !engal played a crucial role in the textile
trade. Though some commodities were taken to 4alacca, /ochin was the ma#or outlet for
the textiles of !engal that came through the ports of 'ipli, /hittagong, 9atagon and (ianga.
1::
!y the 13:=s , !engal turned out to be the chief destination of the Auso+ndians who
conducted licenced trade in pepper from /ochin.
1:3
000000000000000000000000
1&2. Auis "ilipe Thoma@, WThe 'ortuguese in the 9eas of the *rchipelago in the 16
th
centuryZ
in Archipe', l;, 12;: , p.86.
1:=B I%id.,pp. 8;+;&5 9an#ay 9ubrhamnyam, opBcit., n 1=;, ,p.6&.
1:1. I%id.,pp.;%+& .
1:%. Auis 'hilipe Thoma@, opBcit. n. 1&2 ,p.;&.
1:&. !asilio de 9], ;ocumenta<=o para a !istoria das Miss?es do padroado &ortuguUs do
Oriente1Insu#india, 5o#B I, Aisboa, 123:, doc,%=,p.1&%. 9ee the letter of the captain of
Ternate, *ntonio de !rito, to the king dated 11 "ebruary 13%&,
1::. *?TT, "uc#eo Antigo, no.;=;, fols.3+6.
1:3. *?TT, Corpoo Crono#ogico,, 4aMo %:=, doc.6=.
112
The low customs duty collected by the native king from the Auso+ndians of /ochin also
influenced in the increasing role of these people in trade . The dispute between the
'ortuguese officials at /ochin and the /ochin 7a#a regarding the collection of duty, was
finally ended up by the decision of King Cohn on %: "ebruary 13&= in favour of the
7a#a , after considering the fact that the 7a#a of /ochin was the owner of the port of
/ochin.
1:6
7a#a of /ochin, favoured the Auso+ndians by reducing the duty to &\ instead
of 6\, to attract more trade. !esides, while all other merchants had to go first to $oa and
pay 6\ duty there and come to /ochin, the Auso+ndians were allowed to bring
commodities directly to /ochin. The other merchants trickily evaded $oa by entering into
side+deals with the casados , who used to bring their goods through the customs house,
claiming ownership.
1:8
4aking use of the economic freedom given to the Auso+ndians ,
some of them like C]come de ,livares and his brother Lin+law (iogo 6a@ used to conduct
trade in south East *sian commodities in 4alacca, in exchange for cloth taken from /ochin.
1:;
Auis 7odrigues, another merchant from this group , had 4alacca, !engal, /oromandel and
/eylon as the ma#or destinations of his commercial transactions.
1:2
Eventhough , the Auso+ndians were always been a source of support and defense
both economically and politically to the 'ortuguese administration in 4alabar, there arose a
conflict between the Auso+ndians and the fida#gos, whom the crown preferred, while
distributing concessions and public offices.
13=
The Auso+ndians and ecclesiastical dignitaries
like (om Corge Temudo, the first bishop of /ochin, strongly opposed the mass
00000000000000000000000000000
1:6. K.9.4athew and *f@al *hamad eds. opBcit., doc.3&,pp.8&+6.
1:8. 4.?.'earson , opBcitB, n. 1=:, p.33 5
1:;. *?TT, InIuisi<=o de :is%oa, 'roc.:316, fol.11=M'roc.:636, fol.11=M'roc.3%63, fols.:3,
33, 88.
1:2. *?TT, InIuisi<=o de :is%oa, 'roc.1%%2%, fols.:, 18+%%,&&,&6+;, :%+&, 8%, 88+2,;%.
13=. Auis "ilipe Thoma@, J* /rise de 1363+1383 na <istoria do Estado da ndiaK, in Mare
:i%erum, Aisboa, 2 Culy, 1223, pp.3=&+;.2
1%=
reservation given to the fida#gosB The bishop wrote that ndia needed only two do@ens of
good fida#gos to be appointed as the governors and the captains. The rest , the Auso+ndians
could manage themselves.
131
-This comment was made when he was the *rchbishop of $oa
in 1362. The crown felt it necessary to appease the Auso+ndians and made attempts to
protect their trade from competition as well as to reserve some lines for their regional trade.
13%

!y 138= the Auso+ndians of /ochin had already become a powerful mercantile group
with considerable capital resources and vast commercial network. The crisis which the
Estado experienced during the years between 1363 and 138= as well as the liberal policy
which the crown followed during the contract+trade period -138= L 28 . had prepared a
favourable atmosphere for the Auso+ndians . (uring the period between 138= L 16== , they
virtually turned /ochin into one of the biggest entreports of *sia. The important
commodities taken from /ochin to the trade centres , situated on the eastern areas of ndian
,cean were, pepper , textiles, wild+cinnamon, flour, wine oliver oil, gun powder, almonds
and dried grapes
. 13&
"rom !engal the Auso+ndians of /ochin brought to this port large
Buantities of sugar, rice, textiles, long pepper, wheat, saltpeter etc.
13:
7ice and other food
materials during this period were in high demand not only in /ochin but in all other places in
Kerala. ,n 18
th
4ay the casados brought to the city of 9anta /ru@ 2== candis of rice from
!engal and 3== candis from 'egu.
133
This transaction in rice was
00000000000000000000000000
131. Coseph Iicki, J(uas 7elaMUes sobre a situaMOo da ndia 'ortuguesa nos anos de 136; e
1362K in St5dia, no.;, Aisboa, 1261, pp.%==+1.
13%. Auis "ilipe Thoma@, J'ortuguerse /ontrol on the *trabian 9ea and the !ay of !engal L
* /omparative 9tudyK, * paper presented in the /onference on !ay of !engal, ?ew
(elhi, (ecember 122:, p.%8.
13&. 'ius 4alekandathil, opBcit., p.%=85 *lso see, e#a<=o das &#antas R ;e@crips?es de
todos as 0orta#e@as , Cidade e &o5oa<oes Iue os &ortugue@es tem no Estado da India,
:is%on, CMPPPAI,pB,EB
13:. I%id.,pp.&;+2.
133. !?A, 0undo Gera#, 12;=, ZAivro das (espe@as de hum 'orcentoZ, fol.%3.
1%1
conducted in exchange for the pepper taken from /ochin. This barter proved to be more
profitable and rice was freBuently brought to /ochin from these distant ports of !engal and
'egu, as testified by the trade records of 132% and 1328
. 136

The freBuency of cargo ships that plied between /ochin and !engal became
considerably diminished in the seventeenth century due to the short supply of pepper from
the hinterlands of Kerala. This was caused because of the tensions and troubles between
the 'ortuguese and the cultivators and the threat from the (utch that obstructed the routine
trade. <owever, we find that customs revenue from ships of !engal trade was relatively
significant.
138

The Auso+ndians continued their trade with the ports of the /oromandel coast during
the last three decades of the sixteenth century especially to collect textiles and food materials.
The shifting of the base of operation by them from /ochin to /oromandel coasts had a
disastrous impact on the commercial activities and the urban life of /ochin, causing the fall
of its population drastically. <owever, it seems that the Auso+ndians continued to
maintain their trade with less freBuency even during this period with the ports on
/oromandel coasts. n 16:: they handled large Buantity of cotton cloth , both white and
coloured , to the various parts of the Estado including /ochin.
13;

Iith the liberali@ation of the spice trade in 138=, 4alacca was proclaimed a free port
and it was decreed that spice bought there should not pay duties or fees on being taken to
$oa and /ochin.
132
The Auso+ndians of /ochin took advantage of this situation and the
import of copper from Europe stopped by the end of the sixteenth century, the
000000000000000000000000
136B I%id.,fols.1%5:=.
138. *<1, Cai7as da India, /aixa &V, doc.16%, dated %& (ec.1613.
13;. I%id.,/aixa 16, doc.&:, fol.%1, dated 1%.%.16::.
132. "rancisco '. 4endes da Au@, O Conse#ho da India , :is%oa, 123%, pp.8&+:
1%%
casados entered in this trade, brought copper from /hina , which was used not only for the
minting of coins and the manufacturing of weaponries, but also for the manufacturing of
household utensils for the aristocratic families in south ndia , particularly in Kerala.
16=
*s they conducted freBuent commercial trips to 4alacca and in 13;; for example , through
their trade tactics, they controlled the price of the market to their advantage.
161
The role
played by 4alacca in the commercial life of the Auso+ndians of /ochin was so significant ,
that the city of 9anta /ru@ sent every possible help to defend the former, which was under
threat. n 13;2, the food supplies sent to 4alacca by the city of /ochin with a view to
defending its fortress was worth 16,8== pardoasB The Auso+ndians paid this amount,
entirely, though not directly from their own pockets, but from the one percent which the city
levied on the commodities that reached /ochin.
16%
4alacca was so dear to the settlers of
/ochin that besides food supplies, a lot of money was collected from its traders to be sent to
the rescue of the former. *bout 1&36 7erafins were collected in cash from the Auso+ndians
traders of /ochin, by way of one percent taxation, to help 4alacca during the period between
13;8 and 132;.
16&

/hina, into which penetration was made possible after 136=, via 4acao and 4alacca
16:
was always a prospective market for the casadosB * large volume of silk and porcelain was
brought to /ochin from /hinese production centers by the casadosB
163

000000000000000000000000
16=. 'ius 4alekandathil, opBcit.p,%1=
161. C.<.da /unha 7ivara, opBcitB, n.1&1, p.1%&.
16%. I%id., pp.%%=, %3=.
16&. !?A, 0undo Gera#, cod.no.12;=, Aivro das (espe@as -Taboada., fol.18.
16:. 6itorino 4agalhOes $odinho, Ensaios, 6ol., 9obre <istoria 1niveral, Aisboa, 126;,
p.%&&.
163. 'ius 4alekandathil,opBcit.p.%1= 5 *lso see 7ichard <akluyt, The &rincipa# "a5igations ,
Aoyages, TrafiIuDes and ;isco5eries of the Eng#ish "ations, ,6ol.6, <akluyt 9ociety,
$lasgow, 12=3+8, '.&2&

1%&
,ne of the important and interesting features of this period -138= + 166&. was that the
armada of the south, instituted initially to prevent the diversion of the spices , began to be
used increasingly for protecting the private trade of the Auso+ndians whose commercial
empire stretched into the eastern space of ndian ,cean. t was because of the constant threat
from the corsairs that the ships of the Auso+ndians were given fleet protection from /ape
/omorin to /ochin. The duty of conducting the coastal patrolling up to /omorin fell upon
the shoulders of the city of /ochin and to maintain this armada , the city extracted Zone
percent Z duty from every trader of this port. 9ubstantial amounts were spent by the city of
/ochin, during the period from 13;8 to 132;, to render protection to the casado traders
coming from eastern part of ndian ,cean.
166

The Auso+ndians brought to /ochin, coir which was in high demand for the various
purposes of the private ships as well as those of the carreira, and cowries, which were
again taken from /ochin as a monetary medium for buying slaves from western *frican
ports, indigo and textiles from $u#rat, food materials and clothes from !engal, 'egu and
/oromandel.
168
The king of 4aldives, who had fled to /ochin in 133% and had become a
/hristian, was residing in the city of 9anta /ru@, during this period, under the name of (om
4anuel. The 'ortuguese forces conBuered the 4aldive islands in 133:, and defeating the
new king <assan, they built a fortress in 4ale and compelled the islands to pay annual tribute
to their old sovereign, then a resident of /ochin.
16;
0000000000000000000000000000
166. 'ius 4alekandathil, I%id, pp.%11.
168B I%idB p.%1%., *lso see, CoOo 4anuel de *lmeida Teles e /unha , Economia de um
ImperioY Economia &o#itica so 6estado da India em Torno do Mar Ara%ico e Go#fo
&ersico E#ementos Con-untuaris: '(E( $'+,(, 4estrado (isertation submitted to the
1niversidade of ?ova de Aisboa, 1223, pp.&28+:==
16;. CoOo 4anuel de *lmeida Teles e /unha, I%id.,p.&2;
The casados continued their trade with /eylon in cinnamon and precious stones , both for
European trade as well as for intra+*sian commerce used to be brought to /ochin by the
settlers of /ochin.
162
The trade with $oa by the casados was comparatively small when
1%:
compared with other commercial routes. <owever, in 1613, (om (iogo /outinho observed
that the commodities which the settlers of the city of 9anta /ru@ were taking from /ochin to
$oa , were valued at &=,=== to :=,=== 7erafins
B18=

The ports of $u#rat, from where commodities were taken to 'ersia, *rabia, East *frica
and Europe via Iest *sia , were the leading and long+standing commercial targets of the
Auso+ndians of /ochin. Though the old 9ultanate of $u#arat was incorporated into the
4ughal territory in 138&, the settlers of /ochin procured the wares through 'ortuguese bases
in /haul, !acaim, (aman and (iu. They used to take $u#arat spices from /ochin, wares
from china and 4alacca, coir and cowries from 4aldives, in exchange for textiles, indigo as
well as opium. /oconuts also turned out to be a ma#or commodity sent to the ports of
/ambary from /ochin and other 4alabar ports as observed by Thomas !est in 161&.
181


/ommodities were brought to /ochin by the partners of casados from various parts of
the country and with a view to avoid the 'ortuguese customs duty at $oa - where the customs
duty rate was 6 \. and at the same time casados were reBuired to pay only &.3 \. The
other merchants were reBuired to pay 6\ at /ochin plus the 1\ tax on the city. *s
mentioned earlier , the native partners of the Auso+ndians were bringing commodities into
/ochin and by paying a concessional rate to the native king under the label of the settlers of
the city of 9anta /ru@, thus evading the 'ortuguese customs rate.
18%
To check this illegal
partnership of the merchants and to increase the revenue , as early as 13;&, the 'ortuguese
0000000000000000000000000
162. *<1 , Cai7as da India, & *, doc.182 fols. 1, 8, dated &= (ec. 1613.
18=. I%id., /aixa &, doc.%2, dated %3 Can. 1613.
181. Iilliam "oster, The Aoyages of Thomas Bes to the East Indies,t, Aondon, 12&:, pp.1:;+
2, 1;;.
18%. 'ius 4alekandathil, opBcit.,p.%1:
authorities had made secret negotiations with the king of /ochin to to eBuali@e the customs
rate of /ochin with that of $oa, by raising the rate of Auso+ndian settlers to six percent which
was to be paid to the native king and by imposing on all, the compulsory exit tax to the
1%3
'ortuguese treasury.
18&
This must have also been a strategy to centrali@e trade in $oa and to
minimi@e the commercial importance of /ochin. <owever, this action provoked the Auso+
ndians and other settlers at cochin and a crowd of around 13,=== men -it is said that 1=,===
of them were local /hristians and 3=== 'ortuguese and casados. marched into the church of
9t.Cohn in cochin to defend their privileges. The crowd even attacked the /aptain of the fort,
who took refuge in the palace of the King.
18:
The authorities were compelled to reconsider this
legislation. *ccording to the agreement , made by the newly arrived 6iceroy (om (uarte de
4ene@es on 1%
th
(ecember 13;:, -a. the Auso+ndians were reBuired to pay only &.3 percent
to the king of cochin and no export duties, -b. the unmarried 'ortuguese citi@ens of the city had
to pay 6 percent to the 'ortuguese treasury at cochin, -c. all non+'ortuguese including the
4uslims, Cews, 6enetians, *rmenians, local /hristians and those /hristians residing south of
/ochin, were to pay the usual 6 percent duties to the king, and -d. all Auso+ndians not
resident in /ochin had to pay 6 percent on the entry and exit to the 'ortuguese customs
officials
. 183
. The socio+economic position of all the Auso+ndians were not always the same. The
period between 138= and 16==, which showed flourishing trade enabled many Auso+ndians
to accumulate wealth from trade. There were few very rich ones, the upper+middle class
who were engaged in trade as well as associated with administrative responsibilities, there
were also middle class and lower middle class. ,f course , like in any other society there were
poor , aged and sick people at 9anta /ru@ among the Auso+ndian community. *s a vital link
in the world economy, /ochin emerged as the most important trade emporium on the 4alabar
coast in the 16
th
century relegating /alicut to the
000000000000000000000
18&. (iogo (e couto, ;a Asia , ;ecada E, part , liv.6, cap.E, Aisboa, 188;+;;.
pp.:8%+;=.5 *lso see K.C. Cohn, Jnternational Trade in /ochin in the 16th /enturyK, A
Carreira ;a India e as Totas dos Estreitos , eds.*rtur Teodoro de 4atos e Auis
"ilipe 7eis Thoma@., *ngro do <eroismo, 122;, pp.%23 +&=;.
18:. I%id.,
183. K.9. 4athew, and *f@al *hamad, opBcit., doc. 3&, pp.88+;&.
background. t became an inevitable link of East Iest trade axis round the /ape route in
1%6
/onnection with the flow of goods and men with the increase of trade activities in the
'ort of /ochin
. 186
The chain of forts from /annanore to Duilon + 0ort StB Ange#o at /annanore, "orts at
/alicut, 0ort Emmanue# at /ochin, "ort 9t.Thomas at -Kottapuram. /rangannore, "ort at
'alliport -Aatta /otta 4 and 0ort StBThomas at Duilon and the settlements of the
'ortuguese and the casado settlers , formed the centers of Auso+ndians+ the mixed+race
of the 'ortuguese with ndians. <ow far they supported the Estado da India portuguesa , is
well+defined in the above mentioned incidents. The role of the casados in the carreira da
India , as mentioned above was very prominent. The cara5e#as of the 'ortuguese , with
the spices from ndies sailed in the sub+continent and west L*sia with the active support of
the casados . /ommodities from silks to diamonds ,. /loths and food+grains were
exchanged throughout the ndian sub+continent and even to Europe.
The origin of the Auso+ndian community through the mixed marriages, their
settlement in the 'ort cities where the 'ortuguese had their presence and the prosperity of
the Auso+ndian community through the extensive commercial operations, also called ,
give us the picture of these daring and adventurous people , who could assimilate the
talents of their Ausitanian fathers with their ndian mothers who possessed fine Bualities
with a rich heritage.
The Auso+ndian settlements at &ocin, &annanore, ;uilon and &alicut were slowly
got urbani@ed and developed into townships. /hurches
188
, hospitals
18;
, schools
182
and
0000000000000000000000000000
186. K.C. Cohn, , opBcit, n. 18&. p.&=1.
188. <. 9arkar, Monumnents of /era#a, ?ew (elhi, 128&, p.36.
18;. $.4. 4oraes, opBcitB, p.%3%.
182. <*$ , Monc?es do eino, Aivro 1;= *, fls.16;+162 65 9ilva 7ego,!istoria, opBcit.,
6ol., p.1:2., letter of *lbuBurBue dated , /ochin, 1st *pril 131%.
Santa Casa de Misericordia
1;=
have been catering to the various needs of the Auso+ndians.
*t the city of Santa Cru@ at /ochin, the 4unicipal administration or camara 4unicipal on
the European lines was developed for the first time as a forerunner of local administration.
1%8
Te $talians and Germans
7ight from the pioneering voyages of the 'ortuguese to ndia in the sixteenth century,
the talians and $ermans were associated with the trade of the 'ortuguese as financiers as
well as the part of the fighting force. n the initial stage itself to constitute an efficient
fighting force the 'ortuguese found it necessary to incorporate many $ermans and talians as
soldiers and %om%ardeiros B The 'ortuguese crown had also felt it necessary to involve the
wealthy entrepreneurs of 'ortugal, taly and $ermany in the ndian trade. *s the demand for
copper was very high in 4alabar, for using this metal in making household utensils , the
$erman and talian merchants also came into the scene as copper dealers.
1;1
Even in 13=1,
out of the four ships sent to ndia , two were dispatched by the Ztalian /onsortiumZ and these
ships were put under the captaincy of the "lorentine, 4esser "ernam 6ineti.
1;%
The $erman %om%ardieros who established the !rotherhood of 9t.!erthalomew in
Aisbon, were associated with the sending of men to 'ortuguese ships. Ie see that the
first $ermans who have came to ndia were soldiers from this !rotherhood of !artholomew.
They seemed to have formed an important part of the artillery men who accompanied every
'ortuguese ship to /ochin. The largest number of $ermen soldiers seems to have reached
/ochin in 13=%, along with 6asco da $ama.
1;&
The $ermans and talians settled in Kerala
also married Auso+ndian women and sometimes native women.
00000000000000000000000000
1;=. $asper /orreia, opBcitB, tomo ,p.;&= 5 9ee also /.7. !oxer, 0ida#gos in the 0ar East,
<ague, 12:;, p.%18.
1;1. 'ious 4alekandathil, opBcit., p.161,16%.
1;%. E.$ 7avenstein, A Hourna# of the 0irst Aoyage of Aaso da Gama, Aondon, 1;2;,
p.112.
1;&. 'ius 4alekandathil, The Germans, the &ortuguese and India ,4unster, 1222,
pp.&1+&.

The decline of trade after 16== , the arrival of (utch and the English in the trade
scenario, the threats of these powers and finally the defeat of the 'ortuguese by the (utch
on 8 Canuary 166& at /ochin
1;:
, resulted far reaching changes in the Auso+ndian
community. The attack on the city of /ochin by the (utch had failed in 1661. The (utch
1%;
again attacked /ochin in 166& with the help of the Ramorin of /alicut and were successful,
thus bringing the rule of the 'ortuguese in /ochin to an end. n the terms of surrender in
166&, special provisions were included for the protection of the Auso+ndians at /ochin.
1;3
Terms of Surrender $mposed on te Portuguese at &ocin b! te Dutc in <==>
1. The town of cochin shall be surrendered with all its #urisdictions, old
privileges, revenues, lands with the documents and papers relating thereto,
and whatever else is held in the name of the King of 'ortugal, all rights and
titles thereto being ceded to the (utch $eneral or IorshipZs
representatives.
%.. *ll artillery, ammunition, merchandise, victuals, movable and immovable
property, slaves and whatever else may be , shall be handed over, as above.
&.. *ll free persons who have borne arms shall swear not to serve against
?etherlands in ndia for two years.
3. *ll the soldiers and others belonging to the army shall march past with flying
colours, drum beating, fuses light, bullets in their mouths and two guns, to a
convenient place outside the town, and lay down their arms beneath the
standard of the $eneral.
6. *ll true born unmarried 'ortuguese shall be conveyed to Europe.
000000000000000000000000
1;:. T.. 'oonen, The ;utch !egemony in Ma#a%ar, Trivandrum, 128;, p.%2
1;3. (. "erroli, The Hesuits in Ma#a%ar, 6ol. , !angalore, 1232, pp.%=+%1
8. *ll married 'ortuguese an d Mestices shall proceed to $oa and may take
their bed and bedding and such other articles as the $eneral and his /ouncil
may permit.
;. *ll free Topasses -semi+assimilated half+castes. and /anarins shall remain
at the disposal of the $eneral.
1%2
2. The clergy may take with them the images and the /hurch ornaments except
those of gold and silver.
1=. *ll free persons and all persons belonging to the church now wandering in
the country, if they be sub#ects to the King of 'ortugal , be comprehended in
this treaty.
1;6
Iith the defeat of the 'ortuguese, the Auso+ndians were forced to flee to the
interior villages in different parts of Kerala and to be protected themselves from the (utch.
The terms of surrender stipulated that the 'ortuguese settlers had to leave /ochin either to
$oa or any other 'ortuguese settlement. The (utch who were 'rotestants destroyed and
burnt the churches, library, 'ortuguese establishments, the houses of the 'ortuguese and the
Auso+ndians. The enmity , vengeance and religious fanatism of the (utch could be seen in
the narrations of "erroli about the incident F
JW.the !lessed 9acrament was removed from the churches5 they were
robbed of all ornaments. ,n the sBuare in front of each they lit a big fire,
and burnt the ornaments therein+statues, crucifixes, holy pictures, missals
and everything pertaining to the sacred worship. The sight of it caused that
poor, miserable people to moan and cry. The next day the keys of the city
were delivered. 7ickloff took possession of itW <e gave leave to the
000000000000000000000000000000000000
1;6. "or details see Bata5ia ;ay egister for '++,, ed., C.*. 6an der /hi#s,
!atavia, <ague, 1;;8+12&1.
soldiers to plunder the city for three days. t is not possible to imagine the
cruelty of the soldiers, the ways some women were treated, Those who, a
short time before , owned fine houses and plenty of money had become
destitute, naked, with not even a hut where to take shelterW.K
1;8
E. "rancisco $omes 9ermento, /aptian of a /ompany of nfantry, 4arco de 'inho,
!urger of /ochin, delegate of gnatio 9ermento /arvalho, /aptain $eral of the Town of
1&=
/ochin on behalf of <is 4a#esty the king of 'ortugal and 4r.Cacob <ustaert, /ouncilor
Extraordinary of ndia, representative of the $eneral 7i#cklof 6an $oens, ordinary /ouncilor
of ndia were parties to the above mentioned deed of surrender.
The 'ortuguese who were /atholics were treated in an inhuman way at the hands of the
(utch. This was one of the deplorable acts recorded in the history of /ochin. The city of
/ochin renowned throughout the world as one of the important trading centers with
prestigious educational institutions and library with thousands of books and rare manuscripts
were burnt by the (utch. *ll the priests and friars were expelled.
1;;
6ery soon /ochin became
a town of Zempty houses and deserted streetsZ. 9eeing this the (utch changed their policy to
some extend to draw the Auso+ndians back to their enclave. 4any of them returned and
started acting as translators. Iithout them it was not possible for the (utch to carry on the
day to day administration. Those days the Auso+ndians were named )Topasse1. They served
as interpreters which was esteemed a honourable profession. 4any of them also served as
:ascorins in the (utch *rmada. (uring the reign of the (utch at /ochin and other parts of
Kerala, there were marriages between the (utch and the Auso+ndians and became a part of
Auso+ndian household.
Ihen the !ritish defeated the (utch at /ochin on 12 ,ctober 1823, special protections
00000000000000000000000000000000000000
1;8. (. "erroli, Hesuits in Ma#a%ar, !angalore, 12&2+3, pp. %1+%%
1;;. Coseph Thekedath, !istory of Christianity in India 6ol , !angalore, %==1 p.112.
for the Auso+ndians and other ethnic groups were provided in *rticle 1& of the (utch deed of
9urrender.
1;2
*ccordingly, they were allowed to retain their property as well as privileges
and protections which they always en#oyed from the (utch.
ntermarriages between the English and Auso+ndians have taken place during this
period. These mestices in Kerala were for a long time known by the popular term JEurasianK.
This term was first used by the 4arBuis of <astings who considered it more euphemistic and
1&1
more precise. *ctually, after the (utch advent of /ochin, the Auso+ndian community
slowly started mixing with other Europeans who came to ndia, like the (utch, "rench,
!ritish etc. !ut , 2=\ of the )Eurasians> in Kerala even now are the descendents of the
'ortuguese who can be classified as )Auso+ndians>. They are now settled mainly at
/annanore, /alicut, Iayanadu, Trichur Ernakulam, *lleppey, Duilon and Trivandrum
districts of Kerala.
The Auso+ndians are identified from their 'ortuguese surnames
-Ape#idoZA#cunha. . The popular surnames in Kerala areF+ A#meida, A%rao, A##Dyen, Aru-a,
Bi5eira, Coutinho, Car5a#ho, Ca%ra#, Coe#ho, Correia, de Costa, de Coutho, de Cunha, de
Cru@, de Me##o, de oss, de Si#5a, ;ias, ;urom, 0ereira, 0aria, 0ernande@, 0igureido,
0urtado, 0urta#, Gome@, Gonsa#5es, :ope@, :ui@, :i5ero, Mende@, "etto, "une@, "oronha,
O#i5eira, &ai5a, &adua, &ereira, &inheiro, &into, odrigues, o@ario, e%eiro, e%e##o,
Sai@a, Sousa, Se5erence , SeIuira, Surrao, and SimenthiB
The Auso+ndian community in ndia especially Kerala , had the fate of encountering
with other European nationals. Ihen we evaluate the struggle for power and commercial
dominance the competition of European powers for the Iest+*sian trade suptrmacy , the
people of 4alabar coast were forced to witness the calamities of war , in the coastal
settlements. *s a result, the history of Europe in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries ,
was mostly the narration of the wars for the trade supremacy.
000000000000000000000000000
1;2. K.4.'anikkar, Ma#a%ar and the ;utch, !ombay, 12&1, pp.188 L 1;:.
The 'ortuguese were in 4alabar from 13== to 166&. <olland - !o#andes in
'ortuguese and :antha in the vernacular. , another European power had started their
commercial operations in the ndian ,cean
12=
in the 18
th
century. The 'ortuguese had their
commercial operations in the later part of sixteenth century not only in 4alabar coasts but
1&%
in 4alacca , 4acao, /eylon, 9umatra , 9pice slands and in other ndian ports like (iu and
/hittagong etc. 9lowly , when the 'ortuguese became weakened mainly by the invasion
of 9pain of 'ortugal and on account of so many other reasons, the (utch people started
invading and dominating the 'ortuguese centers one by one. The conBuest of the 'ortuguese
settlements by the (utch and the )contract> of the (utch with the king of /ochin, are now
part of history.
121
The (utch were called ):antha>
12%
or ):anthakkar> in Kerala.
Iith the incorporation of the English East ndiaa /ompany, the !ritish also started
their commercial activities in the ndian sub+continent during the second half of the
seventeenth century. Their encounter with the (utch and other European powers like the
"rench ultimately ended in the ouster of the (utch from the ndian coasts.
The "rench had very limited trade operations in 4alabar. They had 4ahe -near
Telicherry. as their main settlement. *s mentioned earlier , the talians and $ermans who
came in the early years along with the 'ortuguese, had settled in 4alabar, especially at
/ochin. *ll the above mentioned Europeans had marital relations with each other and as
the first settlers, the descendents of the 'ortuguese , formed as the Auso+ndian community.
The progenies of these mestices were named )Eurasians1 to distinguish them from the
native ndians.
000000000000000000000000
12=. T.. 'oonen, opBcitB, p.16.
121. I%id., pp.&:,&3. !y this contract agreed with King of /ochin by 6an $oens , on
%=
th
4arch 166& , both parties promised each other for peace and friendship.
12%. I%id., preface.
The !ritish rule in ndia lasted till 12:8. *s the last European power in ndia, who exercised
complete political control over the vast country , the !ritish started calling their progenies
in Eurasian or ndian mothers as )Anglo6$ndians1 t was at the formation of the *nglo+
ndian (efense *ssociation in 1;;% that the term )Ang#o$Indian1 was for the first time
introduced as the official description of the Eurasian communities. "inally, the present
1&&
definition was accepted in the /onstitution of ndia in 123= as per *rticle &66 -%..
*ccordingly, an *nglo+ndian meansF
J * person whose father or any of whose other male progenitors in the
male line is or was of Europen descent but who is domiciled within the
territory of ndia and is or was born within such territory of parents
habitually resident therein and not established before there for temporary
purposes onlyK
12&.
*ccording to the above definition, all the progenies of Europeans or their descendants
in ndia , come under the term )*nglo+ndian>, eventhough there was no relevance for
other European descendants with this term. The 3== year old Auso+ndian community
was also forced to be called Anglo6$ndian as per the /onstitution:
*s explained earlier in Kerala the 'ortuguese and their descendants L the Auso+
ndians were called )0eringi>
12:
. The /hamberZs Twentieth /entury (ictionary defines the
word 20eringee1 as a <indu word for foreigner. The ,xford English (ictionary defines
)0eringee> as ndian trerm for European, especially ndian born 'ortuguese>. This word in the
vernacular slowly changed to )&arangi> which is still in use.
00000000000000000000
12&. /onstitution of ndia , *rticle &66 -%..
12:. The word )0eringi> was derived from the *rab word )0rank> -foreignor.. The *rabs
called the "rench /ru@aders by this word. Ihen the 'ortuguese arrived at the
4alabar coasts, the *rab merchants called them )0rank> , which later slowly
changed to )"eringi> and then to )&arangiT.
Luso6$ndian Organi9ations
The Auso+ndians and other descendants of Europeans in ndia , in the beginning of
%=
th
century started experiencing the conflicts of interests between the various communities
in ndia. That was the time big hue and cry started from ndians to free themselves from the
yoke of administration of the !ritish . The Eurasian community in ndia also sensed that
1&:
unless they unite and form their own organi@ations , their interests will be affected. 6arious
organi@ations for Auso+ndians and other Eurasians were established during this period.
/oncerning Kerala , on 11
th
4arch 12%%, /hev./. 'aul Aui@ convened a meeting of
Eurasians at 'erumanoor at /ochin and formed the first *ssociation for Eurasians with
himself as 'resident and 'rof. 9.". ?une@ as 9ecretary. 4r.Cohn (>silva initiated to form an
*ssociation for Auso+ndians at 4ulavukadu on 1
st
Canuary 12&:. 4r.!.*. "ernande@ from
4ulavukadu organi@ed the 9outh 4alabar *nglo+ndian *ssociation at 6allarpadam with
4r./.C. Aui@ as its (irector and 4r.Aeander Aopes as its $eneral 9ecretary. n 12&6 9ir
<enry $idney visited cochin and established branches of the *ll ndia *nglo+ndian
*ssociation at Ernaklulam with /hev./.C. Aui@ as 'resident and at "ort /ochin with
4rs.A.$. !ernard as 'resident. ,n 3
th
?ovember 12&2 4r.C<oseph 'inheiro re+named the
9outh 4alabar *nglo+ndian *ssociation to "ederated *nglo+ndian *ssociation with himself
as 'resident and 4r.9tephen 'adua as $eneral 9ecretary. n 12:: 4r."rank *nthony,
'resident of the *ll+ndian *nglo+ndian *ssociation, visited Ernakulam. n 12:3 ,
4r.9tanley Aui@ succeeded 4r./.C. Aui@ as 'resident of the *ll ndia *nglo+ndian
*ssociation, Ernakulam. n 12:6 , the "ederated *nglo+indian *ssociation with 1: branches
was amalgamated with the *ll+ndian *nglo+ndian *ssociation, ?ew (elhi. /ircle
*ssociations of the *nglo+ndian and (omiciled European *ssociations of 9outh ndia were
functioning at 4unnar, *lleppey and "ort /ochin during this period
123
. Ihen ndia
00000000000000000000000000000
123. Go#den Hu%i#ee Sou5enir, of The 1nion of *nglo+ndian *ssociations, Kerala 9tate,
/ochin, %==&, p.1:
became independent from the !ritish rule in 12:8 and the community is recogni@ed in the
/onstitution of ndia in the label of )*nlo+ndian>, the leaders of these *ssociations felt the
need for a strong *ssociation to fight for the interests of the Eurasian community in ndia .
t was in these circumstances, on 1:
th
,ctober 1231 , at a /onvention of various *nglo+ndian
organi@ations held at 'erumanoor, /ochin resolved to form the 1nion of *nglo+ndian
1&3
*ssociations with 4r.9tanley Aui@ as 'resident+in+/hief and 4r.E.". ?igli as $eneral
9ecretary. ,n 1
st
9eptember 123& 4r.*.*.(. Aui@ took inititive and drafted the constitution
for this organi@ation and got it registered as ?o.2X3& under the Aiterary 9cientific and
/haritable 9ocieties *ct.
126
. ?ow, at &8 places *nglo+ndian *ssociations are functioning in
Kerala, who are affiliated as 4ember *ssociations to the 1nion of *nglo+ndian
*ssociations.
n 12:3, the erstwhile $overnment of /ochin while the 4ahara#a at the /ochin 9tate
was reigning, gave sanction to start a do@en of *nglo+ndian schools in the 9tate. The
schools so established were developed and their present position at the following places
areF+
1. /hev./.'. Aui@ 4emorial *nglo+ndian <igh 9chool, 'erumanoor
%. Aoretto *nglo+ndian <igh 9chool, 9aude
&. Aui@ *nglo+ndian 1.'. 9chool, Kadukutty -Trichur (istrict.
:. <oly "amily Eurasian 1.'. 9chool, 6aduthala
3. 'auline 6ictoria 4ende@ 4emorial 1.'. 9chool, Edacochin
6. 9t. "rancis *nglo+ndian A.'.9chool, !olgatty
8. 9t.*ntony>s *nglo+ndian A.'. 9chool, 6allarpadam
;. European 'rimary 9chool, Elamkunnapu@ha
2. /ru@ 4ilagiris European 'rimary 9chool, ,chanthuruthu
1=. (on !osco European 'rimary school, 'adiyoor -Trichur (istrict.
11. ,ur Aady of 9now *nglo+ndian A.'. 9chool, Kun#ithai
128
00000000000000000000000000000000000
126. I%idB, p. 1:
128. I%idB, p. &&
Anglo6$ndian )ominated Members to te State Legislati"e Assemblies
Ihen the Eurasians formed their own *ssociations in the erstwhile Travancore+
/ochin 9tates -the present Kerala., they demanded to get their members nominated to the
9tate Aegislative *ssemblies. t was succeeded in 12%3 in /ochin 9tate Aegislative
*ssembly . Aater, when the /onstitution of ndia was introduced , *rticle &&1 was
introduced to nominate two members to Aok 9abha from among the *nglo+ndian
1&6
community in ndia and *rticle &&& to nominate an *nglo+ndian to the 9tate Aegislative
*ssemblies wherever a concentration of *nglo+ndians are there. The persons so nominated
to the /ochin, Travancore+/ochin and Kerala Aegislative *ssemblies are F+
'rof. 9.". ?une@ + 12%3+%; &ocin State
(r.E.*. 6eigas + 12%;+&1
4rs. Cosephine 9oares + 12&1+&3
(r.E.$. (>sou@a + 12&3+&;
/hev./.C. Aui@ + 12&;+:3
9tanley '. Aui@ + 12:3+:;
$asper (>silva + 12:;
$asper (>silva + 12:;+3% Tra"ancore &ocin
*.*.(. Aui@ + 123%+36
I.<. (>cru@ + 1238+32 (erala State
/.". 'ereira + 126=+6:
9.'. Aui@ + 1268+8=
9tephen 'adua + 128=+;8
4r.?icholas 7odrigues + 12;8+21
4r.(avid 'inheiro + 1221+26
4r.Cohn "ernande@ + 1226+%==1
4r.Audy Aui@ + %==%+%==6
4r.9imon !ritto 7odrigues + %==6+
12;
000000000000000000000000000000000
12;. I%id., p.6:
M!t of te Kappiris 7o guard Treasures of Portuguese
The atrocities committed by the (utch during their invasion of the 'ortuguese
/ochin in 166& was unparallel in many respects and their treatment of the 'ortuguese
and the Auso+ndians was deplorable. ?ot only the 'ortuguese soldiers who fought against
them were treated badly but the Auso+ndians in the city of 9anta /ru@ /ochin were
1&8
ousted from their houses . Their houses were demolished and sent them out on roads, so
much so they had only a bundle of clothes in their hands
122
and were forced to wander in
the streets of /ochin and suburbs. *ccording to a contemporary account of *rchbishop
Coseph 9ebastiani F+
JThose who, a short time before , owned fine houses and plenty of money,
served by numerous slaves, living in ease and luxury, had become destitute,
naked, with not even a hut where to take shelterWW.<onourable men were
allowed to take away what they had on their backs, and perhaps a small
bundle of clothesK
%==
t is still a belief among the people of /ochin that the affluent 'ortuguese and the
casado settlers , when the (utch invaded their settlements at the city of 9anta /ru@ , hid
their money , gold and other treasurers in niches made urgently on walls or beneath the
floors of their houses and covered it. *fter covering and sealing these treasurers they had
killed one of their ?egro slaves and fixed him near to the niches or cavities where they hid
their treasures and commanded him to protect their treasurere until they come back and
claim for it. The belief is that, ?egro slaves, known for the faithfulness to their master
would keep the treasure entrusted to their )custody> and return the treasure to his master
when he returns and claims it.
0000000000000000000000
122. (. "erroli, opBcitB,, 6ol., pp.%1+%%.
%==. $iuseppe di 9anta 4aria -Coseph 9ebastiani. , Seconda Spedi@ione a##e Indie Orienta##i,
7oma, 168%, p.26.
Ias it true that the 'ortuguese killed their ?egro slaves to guard their treasure T
Ihatever be the answer, there are people in /ochin still worshipping )?egro spirit> to
appease or propitate their spirit , in the hope of getting the treasure )in their possession>. The
?egros were called )/appiri> in 4alayalam . The myth on /appiri was passing on to
generations and as years passed the ?egro slave became )reverned> and the people
1&;
started calling the /appiri guarding the treasure as )/appiri Muthappan1 + the 7everned
?egro
%=1
. /ertain spots in /ochin were specially known for the oblation and offering of
candles and even small bottles of arrack for the 2/appiri Muthappan1
%=%
, mostly on
Tuesdays and "ridays. The spirits of the sacrificed ?egros are believed to be resting at
4angattumukku and 'anayappally in /ochin, where people still offer oblations with the
hope that some day the /appiri Muthappan will allow them to take the treasure entrusted to
him by the 'ortuguese. The myth of /appiri keeping the treasure is still live in the minds of
/ochinites.
%=&


000000000000000000000000
%=1. 'on#ikara 7afi, Oraprono%is, -4al.. ,/ochin, %==%, reprint, p. 1=.
%=%. Caison / /ooper, )Iorshipping ?egro 9piritT Ses, here in "ort Kochi>.
article in Indian E7press dai#y, Ernakulam , dated %% Canuary %==& 5 *lso see, article
)?idhi 6etta> by 4.K. Kuriakose in Ma#aya#a Manorama daily dated 2h *pril %==&,
%=&. *ntony Thundiparambil, Maya, 'ondicherry, %==; , pp. %3=+%31
1&2