On this day over 500 years ago, the Portuguese conquered Goa: Here are 3 key parts of that story

Sub : History

Sec: Medieval India

Context:

On 25^th November 1510, the Portuguese marked the conquest of Goa, establishing their presence as the first European power to hold territory in India.
Goa remained under Portuguese control for 400 years, until 1961 when they became the last European colonial power to leave India.

Initial Contact with India:

The Portuguese first reached India when explorer Vasco da Gama landed at Calicut (modern-day Kozhikode) in May 1498.
The Portuguese were motivated by the pursuit of wealth as they sought to counter the dominance of Muslim powers along the route, particularly in the spice trade, which made India a valuable target for Portuguese expansion.
He had travelled around Africa via the Cape of Good Hope, which was a significant maritime achievement.

Expansion of power:

By 1505, they had established the Portuguese State of India, with Kochi as its base.
The Portuguese went on to establish several territories. Among the Portuguese possessions in India was the island of Bom Bahia, later Bombay (modern-day Mumbai), which they controlled until 1661 when it was ceded to England as part of the dowry of Catherine de Braganza.

Conquest of Goa:

Alfonso de Albuquerque, who succeeded Francisco de Almeida as Viceroy in 1509, was initially tasked with conquering Hormuz, Aden, and Malacca.
However, Albuquerque recognized that Goa, under the Sultan of Bijapur, would be a crucial base for controlling maritime trade routes.
Albuquerque’s first conquest of Goa in early 1510 was easy, as the Hindus supported the Portuguese against the unpopular Sultan.
However, the Sultan’s forces soon expelled them. After enduring a tough monsoon stranded at the Mandovi River, the Portuguese returned in November, reinforced with more men and ships, and successfully retook Goa.

Who was Timoji (Timmayya):

Timmayya, also known as Timoji, was a key figure in Albuquerque’s conquest of Goa.
He is often described as a pirate from the Malabar region, but some sources suggest he was of noble birth and held a high position in the Vijayanagara Empire.
Timmayya’s motivations for helping the Portuguese are debated. One theory is that he was following orders from the Vijayanagara Empire to weaken Goa, which had been lost to the Bahmanis in 1472. Another possibility is that local Hindus, who were discontented with Muslim rule, reached out to Timmayya to liberate Goa from the Sultan’s control.
After the conquest, Albuquerque did not reward Timmayya with the territory he had hoped for. Instead, Timmayya was given a relatively small position.