THE EUROPE-INDIA MARITIME HISTORY PROJECT :: Portuguese Timeline In 1510, Governor Afonso de Albuquerque in seized the coastal lands of the king of Bijapur, and this would prove highly significant for the future of Portuguese presence in India. For the territory they took several hundred kilometres north of Malabar was Goa, and it is there that they established a permanent capital from which they would administer all their territorial possessions in Asia for the next four and a half centuries.
Goa was chosen by Albuquerque not only because of its central location on India's west coast, but also because of the presence of important rivers leading to the hinterland. Moreover, it was a key departure point for the pilgrimage to Mecca, and by controlling the land, the Portuguese could further antagonise their religious and commercial rivals, the Muslims. But above all, Goa had for centuries, been the main port of entry for Arabian horses, prized by the armies of the neighbouring Vijayanagar Kingom. It was a lucrative trade which soon fell into Portuguese hands. http://www.edumaritime.org/html/public_html/portuguese_timeline.html -- Frederick FN Noronha * Independent Journalist http://fn.goa-india.org * Phone +91-832-2409490
