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Before looking at the events connected to the Portuguese attempts at consolidating their power in the subcontinent, there is need to understand what went wrong in the very beginning itself.

Calicut was a small kingdom with a harbour facility. What made it important for the Arabian merchants who came across the Arabian Sea from the Middle-east locations was pepper. This pepper they transported through the north African trade routes to the Mediterranean Sea. From there it was taken to the Venetian trade centres. The Venetian merchant took over the cargo from there and sold it in Continental European markets and those in Great Britain.

I am not sure if the Arab traders were allowed to directly sell their wares inside Europe. In most probability not. It is basically common sense. That if these traders are allowed inside, they would take-over the internal trade also. However, as of now, native-English nations seem to have lost all common sense. Their nations are in the direct hands of ingenious feudal-language speaking businessmen. It is only a matter of time before they takeover everything. For they come to posses both ends of the trade and commerce. The only hope for native-English nations is to suppress the democracies which have run totally amok and get rid of all feudal-language speakers from inside their nations.

Calicut more or less subsisted on the trade and support of the Arabian merchants. Calicut as a kingdom would be only a small place with a king who would be more or less a strongman who can keep at bay the various rebellions against him from various nook and corner of the place, including that from inside his own household.

QUOTE: indeed there exists a tradition that in 1489 or 1490 a rich Muhammadan came to Malabar, ingratiated, himself with the Zamorin, and obtained leave to build additional Muhammadan mosques. The country would no doubt have soon been converted to Islam either by force or by conviction, but the nations of Europe were in the meantime busy endeavouring to find a direct road to the pepper country of the East. The arrival of this Portuguese expedition aroused at once the greatest jealousy in the Moors or Muhammadans, who had the Red Sea and Persian Gulf trade with Europe in their hands, and they immediately began to intrigue with the authorities for the destruction of the expedition. END OF QUOTE.

It cannot be said for sure if a compulsory mass conversion to Islam would be conducted. It is possible that the local Muslims would not like to do that. For, if that is done, they would be more or less giving up their own advantage to the others, including to their own serving slave castes. But then it is possible that higher castes would have been taken down and made some kind of very lower castes, if such a thing were to happen. Luckily for them the Portuguese from Continental Europe arrived.

QUOTE: Accordingly, when Da Gama sent Nicholas Coelho on shore with a message to the Zamorin asking him to sanction trade, the authorities tried his temper by making him wait, thinking this to cause a break with the Portuguese; but being warned by a Castilian whom they found in the place, he exercised patience END OF QUOTE.

This was the culture and efficiency of the kingdom. More or less like the current-day Indian officialdom.

QUOTE: The king (of Calicut) was sitting in his chair which the factor” (who had preceded Da Grama with the presents) “had got him to sit upon: he was a very dark man, half-naked, and clothed with white cloths from the middle to the knees ; END OF QUOTE

It does seem that the ‘factor’ had compelled him to sit on a chair. Though the ‘very dark man, half-naked and clothed’ to the middle of his knees’ description would look quite a bit let-down description, the real power of the man would be in the terrific hammering content in the words in the native-language.

QUOTE: The interview would probably have had the desired result, but the Moors had meanwhile been busy bribing the Chief Officer of the Palace Guard, an official of great power, END OF QUOTE.

This is a typical behaviour pattern in the subcontinent. Things are worked from elsewhere. The direct approach actually hides a lot of hidden approaches. It might be good for native-English nations to know these things. When feudal language speakers arrive in native-English nations, this is the ways things are accomplished. Be they are from Italy or Germany or Japan, or Spain or India, or Pakistan or Sri Lanka or Bangladesh or Korea.

Beyond all this, the term ‘Chief Officer of the Palace Guard’ does not really reflect the semi-barbarian quality of the people. It is like mentioning an Indian government official as an ‘officer’.

QUOTE: the Chief Officer went before the king, charged Da Gama with breaking faith, and suggested that the Moors should be permitted to take the ships and appropriate the goods for the king’s use. The king agreed to this, but the jealousy of the king’s Brahman and of his Treasurer had been aroused at the Chief Officer’s having it all his own way. and first the one and then the other interfered and pointed out that the Portuguese had so far done no harm, and great discussions thereupon arose. END OF QUOTE.

This is the typical manner in which things work out, unless one comes in with power. Decent and logical level of conversing and getting things done is not possible with feudal language speakers. However, at the other end the Portuguese side also might be feudal language speakers.

QUOTE: The hostages demanded to be put to death by the king if Da Gama were to be slain, and their demands were backed up by both the Treasurer and the king’s Justice out of envy at the rich presents offered by the Moors to the Chief Officer of the Palace Guard. END OF QUOTE.

A trade negotiation becomes a mess of intrigues. However, for the Arabian side, who were supported by the local Mappilla traders, this was a life or death battle to retain their precious trade. They could foresee the disaster in the offing. A route to a very remote, semi-barbarian geographical location had been discovered by competing business entities.

QUOTE: Having thus revenged himself, Cabral sailed for Cochin, protesting that in Calicut the people could not be trusted, and that truth and honour were alike unknown, it appears, on the other hand, that Cabral was hasty and perfectly regardless of the sacrifice of human life, being quite ready to slaughter Moors and Nayars indiscriminately, with or without provocation, and with no expectation, of doing any good. END OF QUOTE

There is something to be said about the above claims. The people of Calicut cannot be trusted, but then the people of Cochin can be trusted? Well, the way the social machinery works inside feudal language societies is like this: If honoured and ‘respected’, (i.e. Adheham, Avar, Saar, Anugunnu &c. all highest He / Him) the others are generally quite truthful, trustworthy and honourable in commitments. If a person is placed in a location of no respect (i.e., Avan / Oan), he can expect no honesty, and no commitment from others. That is the truth.

QUOTE: Meanwhile extraordinary preparations were being made in Egypt to equip a fleet to drive away the Portuguese, whose interference with the overland trade had deprived the Egyptian ruler of his chief source of revenue. END OF QUOTE.

So it is the Egyptian ruler who stood behind the scenes. Then, it would be good deed to declare him as the first freedom fighter of India. For, just behind him is the Moroccan, Hyder Ali who might like to place a claim on this. Then comes the French, who more or less fought in many of the ‘freedom fights in India’ against the British! They were there in the Battle of Plassey, actually the only fighting side that really fought against Robert Clive’s natives of Madras. So, it seems that the French were the freedom fighters of India, while the soldiers who arrived to fight for Robert Clive from Madras were the foreigners. This the real insights of modern Indian academic history.

QUOTE: The Portuguese spared the Christian houses, shops and churches, but they looted those of the Jews and Moors. END OF QUOTE.

This is a very curious twist of international history. The Jews and the Muslims on one side, while a Continental European nation against them. However, look at this:

QUOTE: About the time of Da Gama’s death, the Moors, with the Zamorin’s approval, made an onslaught on the Cannanore Jews and Christians, the reason alleged being that the Moors had resorted to various tricks for adulterating the pepper, etc., brought to market, and some Jews and Christians had been specially selected to discover such tricks and mete out justice to the offenders END OF QUOTE.

There is this also at another location:

QUOTE: “As the Jews had favoured their enemies the Dutch, the Portuguese considered it necessary to punish them to prevent the recurrence of such conduct, and therefore immediately on the siege being raised, they plundered Jews’ Town of almost all it contained, attempted to destroy the synagogue, END OF QUOTE.

QUOTE: But the Portuguese captains had obstructed the carrying out of the order, and, perhaps, they had some excuse for doing so, as several Calicut Moors under cover of this permission used to carry on trade. END OF QUOTE.

The issue at hand was that of the Mappilla traders from Calicut running a prohibited trade using the permission. But then there is more to it. The Portuguese side also was running on feudal languages. In such languages systems, unless there is a very powerful and very clearly understood regimentation, people would tend to step on each others’ toes. Each endeavour would end up with individual tripping on others, so to say.

QUOTE: The combined fleets then returned to Cannanore and quarrels immediately ensued between the two viceroys. END OF QUOTE.

This is a very typical sign of feudal language presence.

QUOTE: To his sorrow, however, he found that his countrymen had in the interval been associating indiscriminately with the natives, and had abandoned themselves to vice and crime. END OF QUOTE.

No comment.

QUOTE: His zeal was, however, disparaged by slanderers among his own officers, and the King of Portugal began to take alarm at his increasing renown. END OF QUOTE.

QUOTE: But meanwhile the slanderers’ tales had been listened to and Albuquerque’s supersession had been decreed END OF QUOTE.

Ah! Here we come to exact exhibition of what a feudal language does. When Robert Clive became world famous, his immediate superior did not get the creeps. The monarch did not get disturbed. However, the Portugal experience seems to be apparently different.

I do not know Portuguese language. So I am writing from presumptions.

In the native feudal language of the Malabar, there is the He word. It can change from Oan (Avan) (lowest he / him) to Ayaal (higher he / Him) and then to Oar (Adheham) (highest He / Him). When a lower positioned person’s fame grows, this verbal change would happen. It would then go on reaching a heights that one by one each level of his superiors would stand demolished in the verbal codes. These verbal codes actually contain the codes of command and obeisance.

It is a very creepy experience for the superiors. That a good quality subordinate becomes a terrible foe, the moment he displays his calibre and quality. The others in the social system, by merely changing the ‘he/him’ word form can tumble down his superior into a state of nonentity. Even the king seems to have got the creeps when Albuquerque became successful. This is the exact way the feudal language machinery works. England had a different machinery.

QUOTE: From this time forward the Home Government displayed great jealousy and suspicion in regard to the acts of its Indian administrators, and frequently cancelled their orders. This treatment naturally produced indifference in public affairs, and resulted in every one connected with the administration striving to amass wealth without caring much how it was obtained. END OF QUOTE

The people back at home not understanding the social culture, the feudal language issues, and the exigencies of administrating a small location in South Asia was a problem which the English administration in British-India also faced. However, the planar nature of pristine-English made a serene ambience wherever the native-English set up colonies. In the case of the Portuguese, the feudal content in their language would create havoc, instead of a placid mood.

QUOTE: Sailing to Goa, Sampayo there seized him, put him in chains, and sent him to Cannanore, where, in turn, the garrison honourably received him END OF QUOTE.

QUOTE: In October 1529, Sampayo’s successor (Nunho D'Acunha) arrived with orders to send Sampayo in custody to Europe, and this was at once done when Sampayo boarded the Viceroy's ship at Cannanore on the 18th November. END OF QUOTE.

See what a feudal language is creating. The Portuguese are again at each other’s throat.

QUOTE: Moors in North Malabar began hostilities, and these continued till, in 1559, they made the usual submission and agreed to take out the hateful passes. END OF QUOTE.

The problem in understanding the ‘hate’ is there in English. The issue is that the work of dispensing the passes would be most probably by some low-level native-of-the-subcontinent employee. The moment a local man gets some power, he would immediately start using the lower grade indicant words to the traders and others who approach him for the passes. It then becomes a real torment to get a pass. It is like going to a government office in current-day India, for the majority population.

QUOTE: and it is alleged they were utterly unscrupulous as to what became of the crews. END OF QUOTE

In many ways, this is reminiscent of the attitude of current-day Indian officials. However, there is another side to this feeling. It is that they also cannot bear the torment of insolent behaviour from the common public, when they try to be nice and refined. The Portuguese would have had the same bad opinion of the common person of the subcontinent, as the current-day Indian officials have. In fact, most of the Indian officials hate the common man in India.

QUOTE: Zein-ud-din, who is, however, a not altogether disinterested witness, says that they massacred the crews by cutting their throats, or tying them up with ropes or in nets and throwing them overboard END OF QUOTE.

It was trade at its very basics. That is, trade is war, when there are feudal-language speaking participants in the trade. This understanding seems to have escaped the notice of all native-English nations, as they go around promoting Japan, China, Korea etc.

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