The History Of Bangalore What Became of the Portuguese
Before the British East India Company could claim dominance over the Mysore plateau, an older European power had to fade into the background. Ramjee Chandran explores the decline of the Portuguese—the first Europeans to arrive in India and the first to leave its major political stage. This episode tracks their journey from the aggressive "Cartaz" naval pass system of the 1500s to their 18th-century status as marginal merchants. Witness the final, sardonic stroke from Hyder Ali, who cleared the diplomatic board for the coming struggle with the British by "rebranding" the Portuguese merchants of Bengaluru with a single administrative decree.
Key Details:
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The Cartaz System: The Portuguese didn't just come to trade; they came to tax the ocean. Their cartaz system forced every vessel in the Indian Ocean to pay for protection or face seizure.
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The Religious Friction: Unlike the later British "mercantile first" approach, the Portuguese were driven by a militant religious mission, which created deep friction with local Hindu and Muslim rulers.
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The Dutch Blow: The Portuguese monopoly was shattered not by Indians, but by the Dutch, who seized their coastal strongholds and left them with only a few pockets like Goa.
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Hyder’s "English" Decree: In a masterclass of political maneuvering, Hyder Ali seized the assets of wealthy Portuguese merchants in Bengaluru by simply declaring them "English" for the duration of his war with the British—essentially seizing their wealth as "enemy property" without a single shot fired.
- The Cleared Stage: By 1780, the Portuguese were a spent force, leaving a power vacuum that only the British East India Company was positioned to fill.
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The theme music for the show was composed by German-Indian Koln based percussionist, Ramesh Shotham. Ramjee Chandran's photos by Asha Thadani.
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