Thursday, December 17, 2020

Click &read:- The Pirates of Malabar,

 The Pirates of Malabar,

by John Biddulph   (1907)
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== *Introduction by FWP*
== *Views of the Malabar Coast*
== *Author's preface*

*Chapter I: The Rise of European Piracy in the East*

Portuguese pirates--

From the Gulf of Cambay on down the Malabar Coast, c.1700's-1850's: ports (with forts)


MAPS of the Malabar Coast during this period; *maps of the Gulf of Cambay region*
Nieuhoff's early depictions of Malabarians, 1703
On a promontory in southern Gujarat was the Portuguese fort of DIU
SURAT had been the Mughals' chief port, but it was gradually supplanted by colonial-period ports to the south of it (including, over time, Bombay)
South of Surat was the Portuguese fort of DAMAN
*BOM-
BAY*
Bombay, on the "good bay" that the British had acquired from the Portuguese, was growing rapidly, protected by its Bassein Fort

Just a bit south of Bombay was the Siddis' island fort of JANJIRA, which lived on piracy and was never conquered by any Indian or colonial power
Then, as we move further southward, came DABUL
Next the small fort that Bellin calls "Andarajapour," that seems to be RAJAPUR
Then came GERIAH, at the heart of what was sometimes called the "Pirate Coast"; for a vivid account see *The Pirates of Malabar*
The small port of VENGURLA was an early Dutch settlement (1638)
*GOA*
Next came the Portuguese stronghold of Goa
Just to the south of it was ONORE (modern Honavar), an English fort besieged by Tipu Sultan in 1784
BARCELORE was one of the smaller port towns
MANGALORE came next
A bit further to the south was CANANORE
TELLICHERRY was an early English spice trading center, from 1638 until 1794
Next came the small French fort of MAHÉ
Then there was CALICUT (modern Kozhikode), a longstanding and important trading center, though by this time on the decline
Then came CRANGANORE [Kodungallor]; near it once lay *Muziris*, an important Roman trading port
COCHIN was, like Goa, Daman, and Diu, an early Portuguese trading center
QUILON was one of the last links in the chain, before Cape Comorin
Finally came ANJENGO, another early English trading center like Tellicherry (1684)