Chapter I: Preface

Affonso de Albuquerque was the first European since Alexander the Great who dreamed of establishing an empire in India, or rather in Asia, governed from Europe. The period in which he fought and ruled in the East is one of entrancing interest and great historical importance, and deserves more attention than it has received from the English people, as the present ruling race in India. Dr. A. C. Burnell, an authority second to none in Indian historical questions, says in his prefatory note to _A Tentative List of Books and some MSS. relating to the History of the Portuguese in India Proper_: 'In the course of twenty years' studies relating to India, I found that the history of the Portuguese had been shamefully neglected.... In attempting to get better information, I found that the true history of the Portuguese in India furnishes most important guidance for the present day, and the assertions commonly made about it are utterly false, especially in regard to the ecclesiastical history.' I purpose, therefore, to give a short list of the more important works on the history of the Portuguese in the East during the sixteenth century, while they were a conquering and a ruling power, in the hope that it may be useful to any one wishing to investigate the subject further than it has been possible for me to do in this volume. I confine myself to the sixteenth century and to books on political history, as I have not the knowledge to classify the numerous works on the history of the Roman Catholic Missions in India, which is closely bound up with the ecclesiastical history of the Portuguese in the East.

Before mentioning books of general history, I must draw attention to the _Commentaries of Albuquerque_ on which this volume is chiefly based, as indeed all biographies of the great governor must necessarily be. They were published by his son, Braz de Albuquerque, in 1557, reprinted by him in 1576, and republished in four volumes in 1774. They have been translated into English for the Hakluyt Society by Walter de Gray Birch in four volumes, 1875-1884, and from this translation the quotations in the present volume are taken. The nature and the authority of this most valuable and interesting work are best shown by quoting the first sentence of the compiler's dedication of the second edition to the King of Portugal, Dom Sebastian. 'In the lifetime of the King, Dom Joao III, your grandfather, I dedicated to Your Highness these Commentaries, which I have collected from the actual originals written by the great Affonso de Albuquerque in the midst of his adventures to the King, Dom Manoel, your great-grandfather.' The _Commentaries_ have been for three centuries the one incontestable printed authority for Albuquerque's career. But in 1884 was published the first volume of the _Cartas de Affonso de Albuquerque, seguidas de Documentos que as elucidam_, under the direction of the _Academia Real das Sciencias de Lisboa_, and edited by Raymundo Antonio de Bulhao Pato. This collection includes a large number of despatches to the King, dated February, 1508; October, 1510; April, 1512; August to December, 1512; November, 1513, to January, 1514; October to December, 1514; and September to December, 1515; of which two, dated 1 April, 1512, and 4 December, 1513, are of great importance, and veritable manifestoes of policy. It contains also a more correct version of Albuquerque's last letter to the King than that given in the _Commentaries_. It is to be hoped that the many and serious _lacunae_, shown by the above dates, will be filled in the long-expected second volume of the _Cartas_.

Turning to the more general authorities on the history of the Portuguese in India in the sixteenth century, it will be well to take them in a rough classification of their importance and authenticity.

Joao de Barros (1496-1570), for many years treasurer and factor at the India House at Lisbon, published _Asia: dos Feitos que os Portuguezes fizeram no Descobrimento e Conquista dos Mares e Terras do Oriente_. This work is a primary authority, as the writer had access to all documents, and was the recognised historian of the events he described during his lifetime. It is written in imitation of Livy, and is divided into Decades. The first Decade was published in 1552, the second in 1555, the third in 1563, and the fourth after his death in 1615, and it carries the history down to 1539. The best edition is that in nine volumes, Lisbon, 1777-78. A German translation by Dietrich Wilhelm Soltau was published in five volumes at Brunswick, 1821, and it has been largely borrowed from by succeeding writers.

Diogo do Couto (1542-1616) was long employed in India, and had access to documents. He continued the work of Barros in the same style. His first Decade overlaps Barros, and his history goes from 1526 to 1600. The best edition is that published as a continuation of Barros, in fifteen volumes, Lisbon, 1778-1787.

Gaspar Correa (died at Goa between 1561 and 1583) went to India in 1514 and was Secretary to Albuquerque. His _Lendas da India_ treat the history of the Portuguese from 1497 to 1549, and was published for the first time at Lisbon, four volumes, 1858-64. His chronology throughout differs much from Barros, and a critical comparison between them is much needed. A portion of this work has been translated by Lord Stanley of Alderley, for the Hakluyt Society, under the title of _The Three Voyages of Vasco da Gama, and his Viceroyalty_, 1869.

Fernao Lopes de Castanheda (died 1559) travelled much in India. He published his _Historia do Descobrimento e Conquista da India pelos Portuguezes_, which covers from 1497 to 1549, in 1551-1561, and is therefore anterior to Barros in date of publication.

Damiao de Goes (died 1573), _Commentarius Rerum gestarum in India citra Gangem a Lusitanis_, Louvain, 1539, is a small but early work.

These are primary authorities, but the following chronicles also contain some useful information:

Damiao de Goes (died 1573), _Chronica do felicissimo Rey Dom Manoel_, Lisbon, 1566, 1567.

Jeronymo Osorio (died 1580), _De Rebus Emmanuelis Regis_, Lisbon, 1571.

The historians of subsequent centuries simply use, with more or less judgment, the materials provided for them by the historians mentioned above for the sixteenth century, and with one exception are of no value. The one exception is:

Manoel de Faria e Sousa, who in his _Asia Portugueza_, three volumes, Lisbon, 1666-75, made use of good MS. materials.

The purely secondary historians, who in spite of their reputation are better left unread, are: Giovanni Pietro Maffei, _Historiarum Indicarum Libri XVI_, Florence, 1588; Antonio de San Roman, _Historia General de la India Oriental_, Valladolid, 1603; Joseph Francois Lafitau, _Histoire des Decouvertes et des Conquetes des Portugais dans le Nouveau Monde_, Paris, 1733.

_Os Portuguezes em Africa, Asia, America e Oceania_, published in Lisbon in 1849, is a lively summary of the best authorities.

In modern times the scientific historical spirit has developed greatly in Portugal, under the influence of the great historian Alexandre Herculano de Carvalho e Araujo, and the publication of documents has taken the place of the publication of historical summaries. Among these ranks first the _Colleccao de Monumentos ineditos para a Historia das Conquistas dos Portuguezes em Africa, Asia e America_, a series of which any nation might be proud, and of which the _Cartas de Albuquerque_ already described forms a part. It is published under the superintendence of the _Academia Real das Sciencias_ of Lisbon, which also brought out, in 1868, _Subsidios para a Historia da India Portugueza_, containing three valuable early documents, edited by Rodrigo Jose de Lima Felner. Intelligent and thoroughly scientific articles have also appeared in the Portuguese periodicals, especially in the _Annaes Maritimos_ in 1840-44, and in the _Annaes das Sciencias e Letteras_, in which was published Senhor Lopes de Mendonca's article on Dom Francisco de Almeida. Mention should also be made of two books published in India, _Contributions to the Study of Indo-Portuguese Numismatics_, by J. Gerson da Cunha, Bombay, 1880, an interesting pamphlet on a fascinating subject, and _An Historical and Archaeological Sketch of the City of Goa_, by Jose Nicolau da Fonseca, Bombay, 1878, a most carefully compiled volume.

In conclusion I must express my gratitude to the editor of the series for much kindly advice and assistance, to Mr. E. J. Wade of the India Office Library, who has been my ever ready helper, and to Mr. T. Fisher Unwin for giving the plate of the portrait of Albuquerque, which appears as a frontispiece.

H.M.S.

LIST OF VICEROYS AND GOVERNORS OF PORTUGUESE INDIA, 1505-1580.

The names of Viceroys are printed in small capitals.

_Assumed Office_. DOM FRANCISCO DE ALMEIDA 12 Sept. 1505 Killed by Kaffirs at Saldanha Bay, 1 March, 1510. Affonso de Albuquerque 4 Nov. 1509 Died off Goa, 16 Dec. 1515. Lopo Soares de Albergaria 8 Sept. 1515 Returned to Portugal. Diogo Lopes de Sequeira 8 Sept. 1518 Returned to Portugal. Dom Duarte de Menezes 22 Jan. 1522 Returned to Portugal. DOM VASCO DA GAMA 5 Sept. 1524 Died at Cochin, 24 Dec. 1524. Dom Henrique de Menezes 17 Jan. 1525 Died at Cannanore, 21 Feb. 1526. Lopo Vaz de Sam Paio Feb. 1526 Returned to Portugal. Nuno da Cunha 18 Nov. 1529 Died at sea on his way to Portugal. DOM GARCIA DE NORONHA 14 Sept. 1538 Died at Goa, 3 April, 1540. Dom Estevao da Gama 3 April, 1540 Returned to Portugal. Martim Affonso de Sousa 8 May, 1542 Returned to Portugal. DOM JOAO DE CASTRO 10 Sept. 1545 Died at Goa, (Viceroy for 14 days only) 6 June, 1548. Garcia de Sa 6 June, 1548 Died at Goa, 13 June, 1549. Jorge Cabral 13 June, 1549 Returned to Portugal. DOM AFFONSO DE NORONHA Nov. 1550 Returned to Portugal. DOM PEDRO MASCARENHAS 23 Sept. 1554 Died at Goa, 16 June, 1555. Francisco Barreto 16 June, 1555 Returned to Portugal. DOM CONSTANTINO DE BRAGANZA 8 Sept. 1558 Returned to Portugal. DOM FRANCISCO DE COUTINHO 7 Sept. 1561 Died at Goa, 19 Feb. 1564. Joao de Mendonca 19 Feb. 1564 Returned to Portugal. DOM ANTAO DE NORONHA 3 Sept. 1564 Died at sea on his way to Portugal. DOM LUIS DE ATHAIDE 10 Sept. 1568 Returned to Portugal. DOM ANTONIO DE NORONHA 6 Sept. 1571 Returned to Portugal. Antonio Moniz Barreto 9 Dec. 1573 Returned to Portugal. Dom Diogo de Menezes Sept. 1576 Returned to Portugal. DOM LUIS DE ATHAIDE 31 Aug. 1578 Died at Goa, (_second time_) 10 March, 1581.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAP. PAGES
PREFACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-12

LIST OF VICEROYS AND GOVERNORS OF PORTUGUESE INDIA,
1505-1580 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

I. THE PREDECESSORS OF ALBUQUERQUE . . . . . . . . . . . 15-40

II. THE EARLY CAREER OF ALBUQUERQUE . . . . . . . . . . . 41-63

THE RULE OF ALBUQUERQUE:--
III. THE CONQUEST OF GOA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64-92

IV. THE CONQUEST OF MALACCA AND RELIEF OF GOA . . . . . . 93-117

V. THE EXPEDITION TO THE RED SEA AND CONQUEST OF ORMUZ . 118-144

VI. HIS INTERNAL POLICY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145-169

THE SUCCESSORS OF ALBUQUERQUE:--
VII. NUNO DA CUNHA AND DOM JOAO DE CASTRO . . . . . . . . 170-188

VIII. DOM CONSTANTINO DE BRAGANZA AND DOM LUIS DE ATHAIDE . 189-207

INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209-222

* * * * * *

_NOTE_

The orthography of proper names follows the system adopted by the Indian Government for the _Imperial Gazetteer of India_. That system, while adhering to the popular spelling of very well-known places, such as Punjab, Poona, Deccan, &c., employs in all other cases the vowels with the following uniform sounds:--

_a_, as in wom_a_n: _a-accent_, as in l_a_nd: _i_, as in pol_i_ce: _i-accent_, as in intr_i_gue: _o_, as in c_o_ld: _u_, as in b_u_ll: _u-accent_, as in r_u_le.

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ALBUQUERQUE