PORTUGUESE INDIA
THE PORTUGUESE IN COCHIN
Written
by Marco Ramerini
The Town of Cochin in
1635 circa.
The city of Cochin
(today: Ernakulam) was, from the 24 December 1500 when the first Portuguese fleet called
on its port, a firm ally of the Portuguese.
The admiral of this fleet was Pedro Alvares Cabral (the discoverer of Brasil). The Rajah
(king) of Cochin allowed that a "feitoria" (factory) be allocated to the
Portuguese and upon Cabral’s departure he allowed that thirty Portuguese and four
Franciscan friars stayed in Cochin.
In 1502 a new expedition under the command of Vasco da Gama arrived at Cochin, and the
friendship with the Rajah of Cochin was renewed. After the departure of Vasco da Gama, the
Zamorin of Calicut, enemy of the Portuguese, attacked Cochin and destroyed the Portuguese
"feitoria". The Rajah of Cochin and his Portuguese allies were forced to
withdraw to the island of Vypin. Here, they were reinforced by three ships under Francisco
de Albuquerque’s leadership and, some days later by Duarte Pacheco Pereira (the
author of "Esmeraldo de situ orbis") an the Calicut troops immediately abandoned
the siege.
In 27 September of 1503 the foundations of a timber fortress were laid. This was the first
fortress erected by the Portuguese in India. At the departure of the Portuguese fleet to
Portugal, Duarte Pacheco Pereira with three ships and 100 men were left in Cochin for
assistance to the Rajah. Meanwhile, the Zamorin of Calicut formed a force of 50.000 men
and 280 ships to drive the Portuguese out of Cochin. Duarte Pacheco Pereira was in command
of only 100 Portuguese, 300 Malabar troops and about 5.000 soldiers of the King of Cochin
(and the majority of these deserted). Pereira was a formidable commander. For five months,
he and his men were able to sustain and drive back all the Zamorin’s assaults. He
saved Portugal from being driven out of India. After this victory, Pereira returned to
Portugal, and the King paid him the highest honours. However, subsequently he was to be
imprisoned on charges, which were afterwards proven to be false. Later, he became Governor
of the castle of São Jorge da Mina (1519-1522) in the Gold Coast. He ended his days in
obscure poverty.
In 1505, a stone fortress replaced the wooden fortress of Cochin. The first church of
Cochin was that of São Bartolomeu built in 1504. In 1506, the construction of Santa Cruz
church (which gave its name to the Portuguese town) was initiated.
A parish church called Madre de Deus was laid in 1510. In 1550, the Jesuits added a large
three storied college to the church.
For a better defence of the town, a fort called "Castelo de Cima" was built on
Vypeen island at Paliport.
In 1510, Afonso de Albuquerque started a school (a Portuguese "casado" Afonso
Alvares was the teacher) but after his death it closed down. However, the Franciscans
started a new school in 1520. They built a friary (Santo Antonio) (1518-1520), a seminary
and the beautiful church dedicated to São Francisco de Assis (1516-1522). Vasco da Gama
was originally buried in it on Christmas eve of 1524. The floor of this church was paved
with tombstones, which, in 1887, were removed and fixed its walls, where there are still
today. This church is a living historical monument of today’s Cochin.
The Portuguese church of Sao Francisco de Asis, here was
originally buried Vasco da Gama.
Another Portuguese church in Cochin. The photos are of Ronnie Johnson, my thanks.
At the
beginning of XVI century, Cochin was the seat of the Portuguese in India. Including during
the capture of Goa in 1510. The transfer of the capital of Portuguese India to Goa finally
took place in 1530.
In 1557, the palace of the King at Mattancheri was built. This palace after the VOC (Dutch
East India Company) conquest of Cochin (1663) was enlarged by the Dutch and is known today
as the "Dutch Palace".
In 1558 the diocese of Cochin was erected and the Santa Cruz church became the cathedral.
The old city of Cochin was called "Cochin de Cima" (today Mattancherry) and was
situated on an island of a canal. The Portuguese town was called "Cochin de
Baixo" or "Santa Cruz".
Portuguese Cochin and environs.
In the 1630s its population was of 500 "casados" (of these 300 were
Portuguese or Eurasians, the other being Christian Indians). The town had a city council
("câmara"), a cathedral, a custom-house, a "Confraria da
Misericordia" (1527), a Jewish synagogue (1568), five parish churches and several
convents.
The town was partly encircled by walls with several ramparts.
Right after Goa, the city of Cochin situated in the center of East Indies, was the best
place Portugal had in India. From there the Portuguese exported large volumes of spices,
particularly pepper.
Therefore the Dutch set their eyes on Cochin and after the occupation of Ceylon in 1658,
they tried to conquer Malabar. They took Quilon on 29 December 1658, but the Portuguese
reconquered it on 14 April 1659. However, in 1661, the Dutch began a new expedition
against the Portuguese settlements in Malabar, on 16 February they captured the fort of
Pallipuram (near Cochin). Another Dutch expedition under Ryckloff Van Goens conquered
Quilon on 24 December 1661 and on 15 January 1662 Cranganore was also taken. Soon after,
on 5 February 1662, the Dutch began their assault on Cochin but encountering heroic
Portuguese resistance, after one month, abandoned the siege.
They came back on November 1662 and surrounded Cochin by all sides. For three months, the
Portuguese resisted but, finally, on 7 January 1663, they surrendered the city. The terms
of the capitulation were that all the unmarried Portuguese residents were returned to
Europe, and all married Portuguese and Mestiços were transferred to Goa.
On the morning of 8 January 1663, the soldiers and citizens came out of the fort and laid
down their arms and the Dutch took possession thereof.
The last governor of Portuguese Cochin was Inácio Sarmento. About four thousand people,
so was said, were the banished.
