Resistance, Opposition and Accommodation to the Portuguese in Sixteenth-Century Asia

Abstract

The arrival of the Portuguese in India at the end of the fifteenth century posed a formidable challenge to the political powers and the trading guilds, networks and communities in Asia. The newcomers were armed with a fearsome naval power and had a great ability to adapt to the different realities of the Indian Ocean. They built their empire on the combined use of war and diplomacy, taking advantage of this diversity. However, their dominance over maritime Asia was very limited, both in space and in time, contrary to what has been postulated by both European colonial and post-colonial historiographies. Examining the Asian responses to this challenge—which ranged from hostility to welcome, according to the different social, political and economic contexts—allows us to better understand Asia in the Early Modern Age and the diverse and complex interactions of resistance, opposition and accommodation to the Portuguese Empire.