The Portuguese Empire in Asia, 1500–1700: A Political and Economic History

Upon its initial publication in 1993, The Portuguese Empire in Asia, 1500–1700: A Political and Economic History was widely praised for its pioneering insights into the foundations of the Portuguese empire within the context of the history of early modern Asia. Sanjay Subrahmanyam′s award–winning study is now updated to reflect the most recent developments in historiography, while maintaining its focus on consideration of the forces in Europe, Asia, and East Africa that enabled the creation of the Portuguese empire. Other revisions include a new preface by the author that examines the reception of the original edition and considers ongoing scholarly debates on sixteenth– and seventeenth–century Portuguese imperialism. The Portuguese Empire in Asia, 1500–1700 represents an important contribution to our understanding of the global forces that helped to shape the most resilient of modern Europe’s colonial empires.

Abbreviations x Maps xi Tables xii Acknowledgments xiv Preface to the Second Edition xv Preface to the First Edition xvii Introduction: The Mythical Faces of Portuguese Asia 1 1 Early Modern Asia: Geopolitics and Economic Change 11 Fifteenth– and Sixteenth–century States 13 The Circulation of Elites 22 Towards a Taxonomy 27 Long–term Trends 30 2 Portuguese State and Society, 1200–1500 33 Crown and Nobility 33 In Search of a Bourgeoisie 40 Mercantilism and Messianism 48 Summing Up 55 3 Two Patterns and Their Logic: Creating an Empire, 1498–1540 59 The Early Expeditions 60 From Almeida to Albuquerque: Defining the First Pattern 67 The Second Pattern: East of Cape Comorin 74 The Logic at Work: Portuguese Asia, 1525–40 78 Towards the "Crisis" 83 Notes 85 4 The Mid–Sixteenth–century "Crisis" 87 The Dilemmas of Joanine Policy 88 S´as, Sousas, and Castros: Portuguese Asian Officialdom in the Crisis 96 The Mid–century Debate 104 The Far Eastern Solution 107 The Estado in 1570 113 Notes 114 5 Between Land–bound and Sea–borne: Reorientations, 1570–1610 115 Trade and Conquest: The Spanish View 116 Spain, Portugal, and the Atlantic Turning 120 Girdling the Globe 124 The “Land” Question 130 The Maritime Challenge 141 Concessions and Captains–Major 145 The Beginnings of Decline? 150 6 Empire in Retreat, 1610–1665 153 Political Reconsolidation in Asia, 1570–1610 154 Syriam and Hurmuz: The Beginnings of Retreat 160 Reform and Its Consequences 167 The Decade of Disasters: Portuguese Asia in the 1630s 172 Restoration, Truce, and Failure, 1640–52 181 The Retreat Completed, 1652–65 186 Asians, Europeans, and the Retreat 188 Notes 189 7 Niches and Networks: Staying On, 1665–1700 191 The Cape Route and the Bahia Trade 192 The Vicissitudes of the Estado: The View from Goa 198 Mozambique, Munhumutapa, and Prazo Creation 206 The Portuguese of the Bay of Bengal 211 Survival in the Far East: Macau and Timor 217 The Portuguese, Dutch, and English: A Comparison 222 8 Portuguese Asian Society I: The Official Realm 227 The Problem of Numbers 228 The World of the Casado 236 Networks, Fortunes, and Patronage 243 "Portuguese" and "Foreigner" 250 Rise of the Solteiro 253 The Impact on Portugal 257 9 Portuguese Asian Society II: The Frontier and Beyond 261 Renegades and Rebels 262 Mercenaries, Firearms, and Fifth Columnists 269 Converts and Client Communities 274 A Luso–Asian Diaspora? 279 10 Conclusion: Between Banditry and Capitalism 285 Glossary 295 A Note on Quantitative Data 303 Bibliography 307 Maps 323 Index 333

Sanjay Subrahmanyam is Professor and Chair of Indian History at UCLA, and has earlier taught in Delhi, Paris, and Oxford. His publications include The Career and Legend of Vasco da Gama (1997) and Three Ways to be Alien (2011).