Question

Write a short note:

Portuguese war strategies

Write a short note:

War tactics of the Portuguese.

Answer 1

By the beginning of the 16^th century, the Portuguese had brought a considerable portion of the Indian coasts under their control.

The Portuguese took advantage of the strained relations among various rulers in South India. They established their colonies on the western coast and built forts for their protection and used them to protect their colonies from external attacks and to reinforce them continuously with supplies by using seaways. The Portuguese naval force was very strong. They used to launch sudden attacks on their enemy’s territory from the sea and wreck it completely. The Indian local rulers could not match the Portuguese in their war tactics.

In the earlier half of the 17th century five ships used to arrive every year in the Indian ports. These ships were equipped with canons. The Portuguese had ship-building facilities at Goa, Diu, and Daman. Durable teakwood of best quality, essential for building ships was available in these regions. The Portuguese used to deploy seamen from Portugal to India. In those times, Indian rulers did not maintain a naval force, therefore, Indian rulers found it difficult to fight the strong naval forces of the Portuguese. Only one exception was that of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, who had built his own navy. The Dutch and the British defeated the Portuguese naval forces in the 17th century in the sea-battles.

Answer 2

1. They established their colonies on the western coast and built forts for their protection and used them to protect their colonies from external attacks and to reinforce them continuously with supplies by using seaways.
2. The Portuguese naval force was very strong. They used to launch sudden attacks on their enemy’s territory from the sea and wreck it completely.
3. The Indian local rulers could not match the Portuguese in their war tactics.