Tomé Pires and the rise of the portuguese empire
Explorers discovered new worlds at the end of the 15th century. Portugal was one of the first countries that actively searched for new worlds and new trading routes. They stood at the base of the network of trade and colonization. Portugal was a major player at the end of the 15th century and at the beginning of the 16th century. One of the most well-known explorers of all time came from Portugal, Vasco da Gama. But how could the Portuguese create such an empire and network, when it is a relatively small country? And what is the role of Tomé Pires in this matter? A not so well-known man, who was a pharmacist and sent to Asia in 1512 where he wrote his ‘Suma Oriental’.
The
research question of this essay is; "To what extent has the journey of
Tomé Pires contributed to the growth of the Portuguese empire in Asia between
1400 and 1530 and the associated network that has been created? '. First it is
important to look at the larger context. How was the Mediterranean world in the
early modern period? What were important developments that took place? Secondly,
we will examine the Portuguese empire and the rise of the empire in Asia. Finally, the source of Tomé Pires will be discussed. The 'Suma Oriental' is one of the most important and first travel
accounts of the Orient.
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The
Mediterranean World in
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The rise of the Portuguese empire in AsiaWe look at Portugal as an empire. Within the empire are economies. These economies are nodes that are connected to each other by lines. This play of lines and nodes is the network of the Portuguese empire. The Portuguese empire was one of the first empires, along with the Spanish empire. If we look at the empire, we look at land and territory. If we look at economies, then we look at markets. These markets are linked by the government and its network to the rest of the world. It is important that we look at the Portuguese empire in Asia and not to the entire Portuguese empire. The empire stretched much further, even in Africa. The overseas expansion began with the confiscation of Ceuta in 1415. Ceuta lies on the North African side of Africa. The Portuguese tried to confiscate the inland of Africa. They thought the way to India was through Africa. Slowly many Europeans began to realize that the route to India should not go by land but by sea. Bartolomeu Dias discovered the route via the Cape of Good Hope to the Indian Ocean in 1488. Nevertheless, it took several years before a following trip to India was taken. Vasco da Gama was the first after Bartolomeu who went to India, which he did in 1497. The trips of Bartolomeu Dias and Vasco da Gama were the first trips that laid the foundation of the Portuguese empire in Asia and the associated network. The Cape of Good Hope is a node that connects Portugal with Asia.
A man who was very important for the creating of the Portuguese empire is the Portuguese Afonso de Albuquerque. He conquered in 1510 Goa and in 1511 India and Malacca on the Malay peninsula. His goal was to control all the major maritime trade routes from the East to build permanent establishments. Almost nothing after Albuquerque’s dead was added to the Portuguese empire in Asia, that wasn’t prepared by Albuquerque’s diplomacy. While many people see him as violent, he is been extremely important for Portugal. The Dutch and British empires built on the network of the Portuguese empire, the empire that Albuquerque has primarily shaped. |
Image: William R. Shepherd, map of The Portuguese Colonial Dominions in India and the Malay Archipelago 1498-1580, from the Historical Atlas by William R. Shepherd, New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1911: 112.
TOmé Pires and his 'Suma oriental'The "Suma Oriental" was written in 1518 by Tomé Pires. The work was written for the king, Manuel I, and it is a report that focuses on the different economies within the Portuguese empire. At first glance Pires does not seem an important man. He was the pharmacist for the sick son of King Joao II, Prince Afonso. Much is not known about Pires his life or not sure. What we do know about him comes from his source 'Suma Oriental’, four letters from his own hand, five letters signed by him, a letter signed by him and others and eight letters in which he is called. Pires left for India on the orders of Albuquerque. Pires was under the protection of the Vasconcelor Jorge, director of Casa da Mina e India, where the central administration was of Portuguese matters outside Portugal, and Dr. Diogo Lopes, the head physician of the royal house. Pires was sent to India as a fiduciary, agent of the medications. Most likely is that he left in 1511 on the ship of Cristaovao the Brita or on the of ship D'Aires da Gama, the brother of Vasco da Gama. Pires was sent by Albuquerque to Malacca in 1512. Here he was caretaker for the drugs and accountant and notary of the factory. He oversaw the trade in spices and medicines. In a letter to his brother in 1512, he announced that he is in good health and rich. Albuquerque dies in December 1515 and his successor is Albergaria. The new Governor takes a new captain along with him. This captain was Fernão Peres de Andrade. His mission was to discover China and to take along a Portuguese ambassador with him. Because there were many positive stories about Pires, Pires was chosen.
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In 1516 Pires left with Andrade to Canton with four ships. In 1517 they arrived in China. Andrade made clear to the Chinese that he brought with him letters about peace and friendship and the ambassador of the King of Portugal. Andrade departed from China and promised that he would pick up Pires a year later. A year later, Pires still didn’t see the emperor of China. Only in 1520 Pires went to Beijing. However, the letter of King Manuel was less friendly than thought when it was translated and Pires was sent back to Canton with his company. Here he was taken hostage. There was a hostile atmosphere created between China and Portugal. China decided that strangers no longer were welcome in China. Pires had meanwhile died of illness in 1524. Most of the source of Pires was written in Malacca. Pires discusses in his work several areas: Egypt, Hormuz, Iran, Notary, Rajputs, Cambay, Deccan, Goa, Kanara, Narsinga, Malabar, Ceylon, Bengal, Arakan, Pegu, Siam, Burma, Cambodia, Champa, Kochi, China, Liu Kui, Japan, Borneo, the Philippines, Sumatra, Java, Southeastern Islands (Banda, Ceram, Amboina), Maluku and central islands. The work is so important because it is the first work from Europe that provides a description of Malaysia and it is the earliest, most comprehensive work on the East from Portugal. Some parts of the work were published in an Italian translation by Giovanni Battista Ramusio in his' Delle Navigationi et viaggi "from 1554. Ramusio didn’t knew the name of the author, therefore it was published without the name of Pires. This book was translated into many languages and was received very well. The whole book of Pires was published in 1944, 390 years later.
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Conclusion
If we go back to the main question of this essay, a conclusion can be formed. The main question is: "To what extent has the journey of Tomé Pires contributed to the growth of the Portuguese empire in Asia between 1400 and 1530 and the associated network that has been created? ' Vasco da Gama was important for increasing the network of the Portuguese. He established the first contacts in India. More importantly for increasing the network and a key actor is Afonso de Albuquerque. He was perhaps the most important man in the making of the Portuguese empire. He made sure that new nodes were created and new lines were laid. But what is the role of Tomé Pires in all of this? Pires was not just a pharmacist. Pires is important for the Portuguese network. For two reasons. First, because he is the one who has clearly described the Portuguese empire. With this, he has the network, and especially the nodes clearly portrayed. With a historiographical view, the work of Pires is very important to understand the network of the Portuguese empire. The second reason is that Pires has worked as a caretaker for the drugs and spices and as Portuguese ambassador. In his position as the Portuguese ambassador, he has tried to expand the Portuguese empire to China. We now know that this was not successful. Pires had not a major role in the creation of the Portuguese network. And in my opinion, that is true. He worked under the man who has expanded and strengthened the Portuguese network. The man who laid the foundations, Albuquerque. Pires has supported this man and to a much lesser extent, contributed to the expansion of the Portuguese network. But Pires had another important role. With his work he mapped the Portuguese empire en the network that was created, which was never done before. And the work of Pires is still one of the most comprehensive works of the Portuguese empire in the Orient.
KA June 2014
bibliography
·
Armando Cortesão, ‘The Suma oriental of Tomé Pires : an account of the East, from the Red Sea to Japan, written in Malacca and India in 1512-1515 and the book of Francisco Rodrigues : rutter of a voyage in the Red Sea,nautical rules, almanack and maps, written and drawn in the East before 1515, Nedeln: Klaus Reprint, 1967.
· Bailey W. Diffie en George D. Winius . Foundations of the Portuguese empire 1415-1580. Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press, 1977.
· Harold V. Livermore, ‘Alfonso de Albuquerque, the Great’, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/13157/Afonso-de-Albuquerque-the-Great , geraadpleegd 2 juni 2014.
· John Scott, ‘Social Network Analysis: A Handbook’, Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications Ltd, 2000.
· Sanjay Subrahmanyam, ‘The Portuguese empire in Asia, 1500-1700 : a political and economic history’, Longman, London, 1993.
· Bailey W. Diffie en George D. Winius . Foundations of the Portuguese empire 1415-1580. Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press, 1977.
· Harold V. Livermore, ‘Alfonso de Albuquerque, the Great’, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/13157/Afonso-de-Albuquerque-the-Great , geraadpleegd 2 juni 2014.
· John Scott, ‘Social Network Analysis: A Handbook’, Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications Ltd, 2000.
· Sanjay Subrahmanyam, ‘The Portuguese empire in Asia, 1500-1700 : a political and economic history’, Longman, London, 1993.