Fort Emmanuel, Fort Kochi
The first European-constructed fort in India was the Manuel Fort, also known as Emmanuel Fort, built in 1503 at Cochin (also called Kochi). Named after the King of Portugal, the fort was referred to as Manuel Kotta in the Malayalam language. The surrounding area is now renowned as Fort Kochi or Fort Cochin, a vibrant and bustling hub of activity.
Let's briefly explore the history of Cochin. On December 24, 1500, the Portuguese, led by Admiral Pedro Alvarez Cabral, made their first visit to Cochin. At that time, Unni Goda Varma Tirumulpad (Unni Rama Koil I), referred to as Trimumpara by the Portuguese, was the reigning Raja of Cochin. The Raja graciously welcomed the Portuguese and entered into a treaty of friendship with them. He also granted them permission to build a factory at Cochin. In return, the Portuguese pledged to liberate the Raja from the authority of the Samoothiri (referred to as Zamorin by the Portuguese, who was the King of Calicut) and even proposed adding Calicut to his dominion in the future.
Vasco da Gama arrived in Cochin on 7 November 1502 during his second voyage to India. The Raja gave him a grand reception. However, when Gama left, the Samoothiri sent troops to attack Cochin in retaliation for the Raja's alliance with the Portuguese.
When Francisco de Albuquerque arrived in Cochin on September 2, 1503, he found that the Raja was under siege by the Samoothiri, who had declared war on him for his allegiance with the Portuguese. Despite the Samoothiri's efforts, the Raja refused to surrender the Portuguese and had taken refuge on the island of Vypin.
Faria e Sousa recorded that Commander Francisco de Albuquerque sent the Raja a generous gift, which included 10,000 ducats. Upon his arrival, the Raja ran to embrace him, joyfully shouting "Portugal! Portugal!" In response, the Portuguese people shouted "Cochin! Cochin!" in a show of mutual respect and admiration.
Upon the arrival of the Portuguese, the Samoothiri forces were struck with terror and hastily retreated from the city. The Portuguese then reinstated the Raja on the throne of Cochin.
The Raja was very pleased with the assistance of the Portuguese, therefore granting Albuquerque permission to erect a fort in his kingdom along the riverbanks. The purpose of this fort was to safeguard the Portuguese factory in the absence of their ships. The foundation of the fort was laid on either September 26 or 27, 1503. The Raja provided materials and workmen for the construction of this fort, and he often visited the site to inspect the progress of the work.
The fort was constructed in the form of a square, each face measuring eighteen yards in length, with bastions at each corner, upon which ordnance was mounted. The walls were composed of trunks of coconut trees, firmly embedded in the ground, and bound together with iron hoops and large nails. Earth was tightly packed between the two rows of timbers, and the entire structure was surrounded by a wet ditch.
On September 30, Francisco's cousin, Afonso de Albuquerque arrived with three additional ships. The crews of the vessels were immediately put to work, and the task was soon completed. On the morning of November 1, 1503, Fort Emmanuel was officially inaugurated and christened, with a garrison of 100 men under the command of Captain Duarte Pacheco.
João de Barros notes that Francisco de Albuquerque, who superintended its construction, had a deep devotion to the Apostle James and thus wished for the fort to be named Santiago. Manuel de Faria e Sousa referred to it as Fort St. James.
The first Viceroy of Portuguese India, Francisco Almeida, reached Cochin in 1505. Upon noticing the inadequacy of the wooden fort, he tried to construct a stone fort. However, Raja Nambiodara (Unni Rama Koil II), who had succeeded Unni Goda Varma, opposed this plan. Employing a clever tactic, the viceroy intentionally set fire to the wooden frames, to persuade the Raja to allow the construction of a fireproof stone fort. Almeida also encouraged others to build fireproof stone houses like those in Portugal.
In 1506, the wooden structure was replaced by a formidable stone fort, and Almeida made Cochin the seat of the Portuguese Government. However, in 1530, the Portuguese shifted their government from Cochin to Goa.
Duarte Barbosa provided the following description of the fort in 1518: At the mouth of the river, the King of Portugal had established a large settlement, which was populated by both Portuguese and native Christians who had converted to Christianity after the establishment of the fortress. Furthermore, every day, other Christian Indians who had been converted by the teachings of the Blessed Saint Thomas arrived from Quilon (Kollam) and other nearby locations. In this fort and settlement of Cochin the king of Portugal carries out the repairs of his ships, and builds new vessels, such as galleys and caravels, with the same level of excellence as those constructed on the Lisbon strand. A great quantity of pepper is loaded onto the ships, as well as many other spices and drugs that are imported from Malacca and shipped to Portugal annually.
The Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie – VOC), under the command of Van Goens, captured Cochin on 8 January 1663. Unable to manage such a large fort, the Dutch reduced its size to one-third. A wall approximately one and a half miles in length was constructed with seven formidable bastions, each named after one of the seven Dutch Provinces: Gelderland on the sea-front, and five on the land side - Holland, Zeeland, Friesland, Utrecht, and Groningen. The seventh bastion was named Stroomburg.
Following is the description of the Dutch fort of Cochin by Stavorinus: The city of Cochin is fortified on the land side by six large bastions and a cavalier, and to the eastward it has an irregular outwork. On the water side, it is provided with a formidable wall, featuring loopholes terminating at its eastern extremity in a ravelin before the cavalier. A wet ditch encircles the fortifications, with a covered way and glacis in front.
There were three gates, the Bay-Gate to the west, the New-Gate to the east, and the Water-Gate to the north, leading to the river.
In 1778, Adrian Van Moens completely transformed the fort by adding new ditches, 'out of the very ruinous condition into which they had been suffered to fall by former governors'.
In October 1795, the British East India Company, commanded by Major Petrie, seized Cochin. In 1803, they destroyed the fort, leaving only a faint trace of its former glory. Now, all that remains is a small reminder of its past grandeur.
Let's briefly explore the history of Cochin. On December 24, 1500, the Portuguese, led by Admiral Pedro Alvarez Cabral, made their first visit to Cochin. At that time, Unni Goda Varma Tirumulpad (Unni Rama Koil I), referred to as Trimumpara by the Portuguese, was the reigning Raja of Cochin. The Raja graciously welcomed the Portuguese and entered into a treaty of friendship with them. He also granted them permission to build a factory at Cochin. In return, the Portuguese pledged to liberate the Raja from the authority of the Samoothiri (referred to as Zamorin by the Portuguese, who was the King of Calicut) and even proposed adding Calicut to his dominion in the future.
Vasco da Gama arrived in Cochin on 7 November 1502 during his second voyage to India. The Raja gave him a grand reception. However, when Gama left, the Samoothiri sent troops to attack Cochin in retaliation for the Raja's alliance with the Portuguese.
When Francisco de Albuquerque arrived in Cochin on September 2, 1503, he found that the Raja was under siege by the Samoothiri, who had declared war on him for his allegiance with the Portuguese. Despite the Samoothiri's efforts, the Raja refused to surrender the Portuguese and had taken refuge on the island of Vypin.
Faria e Sousa recorded that Commander Francisco de Albuquerque sent the Raja a generous gift, which included 10,000 ducats. Upon his arrival, the Raja ran to embrace him, joyfully shouting "Portugal! Portugal!" In response, the Portuguese people shouted "Cochin! Cochin!" in a show of mutual respect and admiration.
Upon the arrival of the Portuguese, the Samoothiri forces were struck with terror and hastily retreated from the city. The Portuguese then reinstated the Raja on the throne of Cochin.
The Raja was very pleased with the assistance of the Portuguese, therefore granting Albuquerque permission to erect a fort in his kingdom along the riverbanks. The purpose of this fort was to safeguard the Portuguese factory in the absence of their ships. The foundation of the fort was laid on either September 26 or 27, 1503. The Raja provided materials and workmen for the construction of this fort, and he often visited the site to inspect the progress of the work.
The fort was constructed in the form of a square, each face measuring eighteen yards in length, with bastions at each corner, upon which ordnance was mounted. The walls were composed of trunks of coconut trees, firmly embedded in the ground, and bound together with iron hoops and large nails. Earth was tightly packed between the two rows of timbers, and the entire structure was surrounded by a wet ditch.
On September 30, Francisco's cousin, Afonso de Albuquerque arrived with three additional ships. The crews of the vessels were immediately put to work, and the task was soon completed. On the morning of November 1, 1503, Fort Emmanuel was officially inaugurated and christened, with a garrison of 100 men under the command of Captain Duarte Pacheco.
João de Barros notes that Francisco de Albuquerque, who superintended its construction, had a deep devotion to the Apostle James and thus wished for the fort to be named Santiago. Manuel de Faria e Sousa referred to it as Fort St. James.
The first Viceroy of Portuguese India, Francisco Almeida, reached Cochin in 1505. Upon noticing the inadequacy of the wooden fort, he tried to construct a stone fort. However, Raja Nambiodara (Unni Rama Koil II), who had succeeded Unni Goda Varma, opposed this plan. Employing a clever tactic, the viceroy intentionally set fire to the wooden frames, to persuade the Raja to allow the construction of a fireproof stone fort. Almeida also encouraged others to build fireproof stone houses like those in Portugal.
In 1506, the wooden structure was replaced by a formidable stone fort, and Almeida made Cochin the seat of the Portuguese Government. However, in 1530, the Portuguese shifted their government from Cochin to Goa.
Duarte Barbosa provided the following description of the fort in 1518: At the mouth of the river, the King of Portugal had established a large settlement, which was populated by both Portuguese and native Christians who had converted to Christianity after the establishment of the fortress. Furthermore, every day, other Christian Indians who had been converted by the teachings of the Blessed Saint Thomas arrived from Quilon (Kollam) and other nearby locations. In this fort and settlement of Cochin the king of Portugal carries out the repairs of his ships, and builds new vessels, such as galleys and caravels, with the same level of excellence as those constructed on the Lisbon strand. A great quantity of pepper is loaded onto the ships, as well as many other spices and drugs that are imported from Malacca and shipped to Portugal annually.
The Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie – VOC), under the command of Van Goens, captured Cochin on 8 January 1663. Unable to manage such a large fort, the Dutch reduced its size to one-third. A wall approximately one and a half miles in length was constructed with seven formidable bastions, each named after one of the seven Dutch Provinces: Gelderland on the sea-front, and five on the land side - Holland, Zeeland, Friesland, Utrecht, and Groningen. The seventh bastion was named Stroomburg.
 |
| Town plan of Dutch Cochin in 1671-72 by Philip Baldaeus showing the site of the early Portuguese fort and the later town at the time of the Dutch takeover. |
Following is the description of the Dutch fort of Cochin by Stavorinus: The city of Cochin is fortified on the land side by six large bastions and a cavalier, and to the eastward it has an irregular outwork. On the water side, it is provided with a formidable wall, featuring loopholes terminating at its eastern extremity in a ravelin before the cavalier. A wet ditch encircles the fortifications, with a covered way and glacis in front.
There were three gates, the Bay-Gate to the west, the New-Gate to the east, and the Water-Gate to the north, leading to the river.
In 1778, Adrian Van Moens completely transformed the fort by adding new ditches, 'out of the very ruinous condition into which they had been suffered to fall by former governors'.
In October 1795, the British East India Company, commanded by Major Petrie, seized Cochin. In 1803, they destroyed the fort, leaving only a faint trace of its former glory. Now, all that remains is a small reminder of its past grandeur.
Reference
- History of Christianity in India: From the Beginning Up to the Middle of the Sixteenth Century (up to 1542) By A. Mathias Mundadan
- History of Kerala Written In The Form of Notes On Visscher's Letters From Malabar - Volume 1 By K. P. Padmanabha Menon
- Portuguese Cochin and the Maritime Trade of India, 1500-1663 By Pius Malekandathil
- The Land of the Permauls, Or, Cochin, Its Past and Its Present By Francis Day
- Voyages to the East-Indies By Johan Splinter Stavorinus
Comments