Portuguese Negapatam

Portuguese Negapatam Negapatão Portuguesa
1642–1658
Flag
Status	Territory of the Portuguese Empire
Religion	Roman Catholicism
Government	Colonial administration
King
• 1642–1656 (first)	John IV
• 1656–1658 (last)	Afonso VI
Captain
Historical era	Early modern period
• Established	1642
• Siege of Negaptam (1658)	1658
Preceded by Succeeded by Thanjavur Nayak kingdom Dutch Negapatam
Today part of	India

Portuguese Negapatam (Portuguese: Negapatão Portuguesa) refers to the time period in which the city of Nagapattinam was part of the Portuguese Empire, between 1642 and 1658. It was captured by the Dutch East India Company.

History

In 1498, the Portuguese established direct contact with Asia after Vasco da Gama reached Calicut via the Cape Route.

Portuguese merchants established at Negapatam found a major patron in Sevappa Nayak, who protected them and allowed them to trade in his territory. They carried out major trade operations with Ceylon, while missionaries converted the Paravars of the Fishery Coast.^[1]

Portuguese merchants settled in Negapatam in the early 16th century and by the early 1530s there were some forty-odd Portuguese households in the city.^[2] Initially the Portuguese were engaged on one hand in the busy coastal commerce in rice to Jaffna and southern Malabar, bringing back areca, timber, cinnamon and pepper, on the other in the export of textiles.^[2] In 1543, the Portuguese Crown nominated a captain to govern the city. Relations with local Indian officials were generally friendly.^[3] With the advent of the succession crisis in Vijayanagara, the Portuguese captain in Negapatam assumed virtually full authority.^[3] Between 1543 and 1642 the status of Negapatam was ambiguous, with the Portuguese de facto controlling the city while considering the Nayak of Tanjore the nominal owner of the territory.

Cesare Federici wrote that Negapatam in 1567 was a "very great city and very populous of Christians of the country and partly gentile.^[4] Negapatam was described as a flourishing centre of trade by 1586.^[1]

In 1577 the population of Portuguese Negapatam included 60 Portuguese casados ("married men"), 200 Eurasians and 300 Indian Christians.^[5] In 1635 there 140 white casados, 360 Topasses casados' and 700 Indian Christians.^[5]

By the early 1630 Negapatam had a larger Portuguese population than Portuguese Malacca.^[6] A Portuguese settler in Negapatam Domingos de Seixas first informed the viceroy Count of Linhares at Goa that Hughli had been taken by the Mughals in 1632.^[7] By 1630 resident Portuguese merchants established in Negapatam, São Tomé de Meliapor and the Coromandel Coast pioneered regular trade between the Philippines and Indonesia.^[8] In 1646 they landed 300 bales of cloth at Makassar compared to the combined total of 400 bales landed by the Danish East India Company and the English East India Company.^[8] Unable to compete with the Portuguese, the English shifted focus to Surat.^[8]

On April 12, 1642, the Dutch East India Company attacked the city and extracted a heavy tribute. A naval battle between the Portuguese and the Dutch took place whereby the Dutch were forced to withdraw. Facing increasing attacks attacks by the VOC, in 1642 the Portuguese Viceroy of India struck a deal with the Nayak of Tanjore whereby Negapatam was ceded to the Portuguese Empire and officially annexed. Only then was the city walled, a fort built and a garrison established.^[3] At this time it boasted 7000 inhabitants.^[3]

The city was sieged and captured by the Dutch VOC in 1658. Although a minor episode, it symbolized the ascendency of the Dutch in Coromandel.^[9] In 1661, the Dutch VOC was granted the income of the ten villages formerly owned by the Portuguese in Negapatam.^[10]

After Negapatam was taken by the Dutch, the Portuguese moved to Porto Novo, or "New Port".^[11] In 1665, the Portuguese Viceroy wrote to the Danish established at Fort Dansborg in Tranquebar requesting that they provide shelter to the Portuguese fleeing from Negapatam after it was occupied by the Dutch.^[5]

See also

• Portuguese India
• Dutch Coromandel
  • Fort Vijf Sinnen
• Christianity in India
  • Saint Thomas Christians

References

• v
• t
• e

Portuguese Empire

North Africa

15th century 1415–1640 Ceuta 1458–1550 Alcácer Ceguer (El Qsar es Seghir) 1471–1550 Arzila (Asilah) 1471–1662 Tangier 1485–1550 Mazagan (El Jadida) 1487–16th century Ouadane 1488–1541 Safim (Safi) 1489 Graciosa 16th century 1505–1541 Santa Cruz do Cabo de Gué (Agadir) 1506–1525 Mogador (Essaouira) 1506–1525 Aguz (Souira Guedima) 1506–1769 Mazagan (El Jadida) 1513–1541 Azamor (Azemmour) 1515–1541 São João da Mamora (Mehdya) 1577–1589 Arzila (Asilah)

Sub-Saharan Africa

15th century 1455–1633 Arguim 1462–1975 Cape Verde 1470–1975 São Tomé1 1471–1975 Príncipe1 1474–1778 Annobón 1478–1778 Fernando Poo (Bioko) 1482–1637 Elmina (São Jorge da Mina) 1482–1642 Portuguese Gold Coast 1498–1540 Mascarene Islands 16th century 1500–1630 Malindi 1501–1975 Portuguese Mozambique 1502–1659 Saint Helena 1503–1698 Zanzibar 1505–1512 Quíloa (Kilwa) 1506–1511 Socotra 1508–15472 Madagascar3 1557–1578 Accra 1575–1975 Portuguese Angola 1588–1974 Cacheu4 1593–1698 Mombassa (Mombasa) 17th century 1645–1888 Ziguinchor 1680–1961 São João Baptista de Ajudá, Benin 1687–1974 Bissau4 18th century 1728–1729 Mombassa (Mombasa) 1753–1975 Portuguese São Tomé and Príncipe 19th century 1879–1974 Portuguese Guinea 1885–1974 Portuguese Congo5 1 Part of São Tomé and Príncipe from 1753. 2 Or 1600. 3 A factory (Anosy Region) and small temporary coastal bases. 4 Part of Portuguese Guinea from 1879. 5 Part of Portuguese Angola from the 1920s.

Middle East [Persian Gulf]

16th century 1506–1615 Gamru (Bandar Abbas) 1507–1643 Sohar 1515–1622 Hormuz (Ormus) 1515–1648 Quriyat 1515–? Qalhat 1515–1650 Muscat 1515?–? Barka 1515–1633? Julfar (Ras al-Khaimah) 1521–1602 Bahrain (Muharraq • Manama) 1521–1529? Qatif 1521?–1551? Tarut Island 1550–1551 Qatif 1588–1648 Matrah 17th century 1620–? Khor Fakkan 1621?–? As Sib 1621–1622 Qeshm 1623–? Khasab 1623–? Libedia 1624–? Kalba 1624–? Madha 1624–1648 Dibba Al-Hisn 1624?–? Bandar-e Kong

South Asia

15th century 1498–1545 Laccadive Islands (Lakshadweep) 16th century Portuguese India  • 1500–1663 Cochim (Kochi)  • 1501–1663 Cannanore (Kannur)  • 1502–1658  1659–1661 Quilon (Coulão / Kollam)  • 1502–1661 Pallipuram (Cochin de Cima)  • 1507–1657 Negapatam (Nagapatnam)  • 1510–1961 Goa  • 1512–1525  1750 Calicut (Kozhikode)  • 1518–1619 Portuguese Paliacate outpost (Pulicat)  • 1521–1740 Chaul   (Portuguese India)  • 1523–1662 Mylapore  • 1528–1666 Chittagong (Porto Grande De Bengala)  • 1531–1571 Chaul  • 1531–1571 Chalé  • 1534–1601 Salsette Island  • 1534–1661 Bombay (Mumbai)  • 1535 Ponnani  • 1535–1739 Baçaím (Vasai-Virar)  • 1536–1662 Cranganore (Kodungallur)  • 1540–1612 Surat  • 1548–1658 Tuticorin (Thoothukudi)  • 1559–1961 Daman and Diu  • 1568–1659 Mangalore   (Portuguese India)  • 1579–1632 Hugli  • 1598–1610 Masulipatnam (Machilipatnam) 1518–1521 Maldives 1518–1658 Portuguese Ceylon (Sri Lanka) 1558–1573 Maldives 17th century Portuguese India  • 1687–1749 Mylapore 18th century Portuguese India  • 1779–1954 Dadra and Nagar Haveli

East Asia and Oceania

16th century 1511–1641 Portuguese Malacca [Malaysia] 1512–1621 Maluku [Indonesia]  • 1522–1575  Ternate  • 1576–1605  Ambon  • 1578–1650  Tidore 1512–1665 Makassar [Indonesia] 1515–1859 Larantuka [Indonesia] 1557–1999 Macau [China] 1580–1586 Nagasaki [Japan] 17th century 1642–1975 Portuguese Timor (East Timor)1 19th century Portuguese Macau  • 1864–1999 Coloane  • 1851–1999 Taipa  • 1890–1999 Ilha Verde 20th century Portuguese Macau  • 1938–1941 Lapa and Montanha (Hengqin) 1 1975 is the year of East Timor's Declaration of Independence and subsequent invasion by Indonesia. In 2002, East Timor's independence was fully recognized.

North America & North Atlantic
15th century [Atlantic islands] 1420 Madeira 1432 Azores 16th century [Canada] 1500–1579? Terra Nova (Newfoundland) 1500–1579? Labrador 1516–1579? Nova Scotia

South America & Caribbean

16th century 1500–1822 Brazil  • 1534–1549  Captaincy Colonies of Brazil  • 1549–1572  Brazil  • 1572–1578  Bahia  • 1572–1578  Rio de Janeiro  • 1578–1607  Brazil  • 1621–1815  Brazil 1536–1620 Barbados 17th century 1621–1751 Maranhão 1680–1777 Nova Colónia do Sacramento 18th century 1751–1772 Grão-Pará and Maranhão 1772–1775 Grão-Pará and Rio Negro 1772–1775 Maranhão and Piauí 19th century 1808–1822 Cisplatina (Uruguay) 1809–1817 Portuguese Guiana (Amapá) 1822 Upper Peru (Bolivia)

• Armorial of Portuguese colonies
• Evolution of the Portuguese Empire
• Portuguese colonial architecture
• Portuguese colonization of the Americas
• Portuguese Empire in the Indonesian Archipelago
• Portuguese India
• Theory of the Portuguese discovery of Australia