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Portuguese Goa

Type Object Region Asia Time 1510–1961

Asian colonial capital established after the Portuguese conquest of 1510, long serving as the administrative and religious center of the Estado da Ín…

Timeline

  1. 1510–1530Goa · West Coast of IndiaAfonso de Albuquerque captured Goa in 1510, establishing it as Portugal's permanent base in Asia, controlling the spice route to the Red Sea, and beginning large-scale missionary work and fortress construction.
  2. 1540–1600Old Goa · Portuguese IndiaGoa became the seat of the viceroy of Portuguese India, with cathedrals, monasteries, and the Inquisition built; its population once exceeded two hundred thousand, and it was hailed as the 'Rome of the East,' monopolizing the pepper and cinnamon trade and projecting influence to Malacca, Macau, and African outposts.
  3. 1661–1670Goa · IndiaIn 1661 Britain seized Bombay from Portugal, and Dutch and English trading posts encroached on the Malabar trade; plague and harbor silting sharply reduced Goa's population, yet it remained Portugal's capital in India, maintaining Catholic missions and local administration.
  4. 1700–1961Goa · IndiaGoa sustained Portuguese rule for over two and a half centuries surrounded by British India, with New Goa becoming the de facto administrative center; in 1961 the Indian army launched 'Operation Vijay' to retake the territory, ending 451 years of colonial rule.

Sources