The Impact of Trade on Relationship Between Portugal and Indian Counties

                        Cover Sheet for Essay 1

Your name: Yuwei Li

Date: September 22, 2013

Title of essay: The Impact of Trade on Relationship Between Portugal and Indian Counties

Number of words in the paper (not including footnotes or this cover sheet): 1421

In one complete sentence, summarize the argument you are trying to make in this essay (this sentence may be taken directly from your paper):

Although the battle between Portugal and Calecut puts strains on trade relationship between them, this contradiction acts as a lubricant to the development of the trade relationship between Portugal and Calecut’s adjacent states such as Cochim and Cananor; as a matter of fact, the pursuit of economic interest from different states can either bond the two states together or undermine their relationships.

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spelling and grammar checks?*

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not common knowledge, even if they are paraphrased?*        

5. Did you use Chicago-formatted footnotes?*        [ yes ]         [  ]

6. Does each paragraph in the body of the essay        [ yes ]         [  ]

include a topic sentence that states your  point

(as opposed to summarizing the text in question)?*

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Center to seek assistance for this essay?        

Yuwei Li

Professor Koloski

Global History 192-01

September 21, 2013

       The Impact of Trade on Relationship Between Portugal and Indian Counties

Captain Pedro Alvarez Cabral’s sailing and exploration from Lisbon, Portugal to the Atlantic Ocean initiates the trading between Europe and the East by the Atlantic route. With the help of maritime technologies as well as military, Cabral sails to the Atlantic Ocean and has gained the opportunity to make trading treaties with various states in Atlantic Ocean and India. Nevertheless, even though the makings of trading treaties between Portugal and other kingdoms are overall peaceful, there is still a battle between fleet led by Cabral and the kingdom of Calecut. However, although the battle between Portugal and Calecut puts strains on trade relationship between them, this contradiction acts as a lubricant to the development of the trade relationship between Portugal and Calecut’s adjacent states such as Cochim and Cananor; as a matter of fact, the pursuit of economic interest from different states can either bond the two states together or undermine their relationships.

Portugal’s intention of exploring the Atlantic Ocean and India is clear and ambitious. As from the primary document, the narrator commands Cabral to investigate a gold mine of Cofalla in Kingdom of Quiloa, yet the contradictory descriptions of the goal of this exploration explains the true intention of Portugal further: the narrator first depicts that Portugal is not to “establish trade, but only to have true information of what was there.”^[1] Things come different in the following passage when Cabral reaches the land with gold mine, and he presents “letters and messages for its king, […] and a treaty concerning purchases and trade at the said mine.”^[2] It’s reasonable to conduct that Portugal has planned to trade with the state with gold mine even before Cabral’s voyage started only in a disguise of exploration. In addition, Portugal’s action of concealing their true intention implies not only the fact that the gold mine trade with Quiloa will be so profitable for Portugal that the true intention cannot be leaked out, but also Portugal’s ambition of controlling or even monopolizing the gold trade. As the captain is being commanded to sail with as many as “thirteen ships” and to “[depart] from Lisbon,” this unprecedented size of the fleet also reveals Portugal’s great ambition.^[3] With its clear and ambitious intention, Portugal attempts to conduct trade with Asia via new route instead of existing one, and to gain further control of the gold trade and spice trade between Europe and India.

It’s, however, not Portugal’s intention to fight with Calecut; rather, Portugal initially tries to develop peaceful relationships with each state in Atlantic Ocean and India. According to the document, every time when Cabral passes by and berths in a kingdom, Cabral will present “letters and messages” from Portugal to “[establish] peace and friendship.”^[4] Moreover, although it’s their first time to meet Cabral from Portugal, these kings appear to be peaceful and friendly with Portugal and even send Cabral presents. To conclude, Cabral’s actions as well as the responses of the kings not only reflect both of their strong desires to develop trade relationship with each other, but also implies that all of the states realize the gold trade and spice trade are so profitable that none of them should give up the trading opportunity and turn hostile towards each other. Through establishing trade relationship, Portugal and these Indian states build closer tie that connects and bonds them together. However, it is also the great profits of the spice trade and the gold trade that brings about the war between Calecut and Portugal.