Merchants and Rulers in Gujarat

Merchants and Rulers in Gujarat: The Response to the Portuguese in the Sixteenth Century offers a compelling reevaluation of the Portuguese influence in early modern South Asia, specifically in Gujarat. Challenging the notion that the Portuguese were a mere prelude to the larger colonial enterprises of the Dutch and British, this study posits that their impact during the sixteenth century was profound and disruptive. Unlike the Dutch and English, who integrated as additional foreign merchants within the pre-existing commercial networks, the Portuguese sought to monopolize and tax Indian Ocean trade aggressively. This approach, while never fully realized, allowed them to dominate much of Gujarat’s maritime trade through the Gulf of Cambay for decades. The book explores the mechanisms of this dominance and the complex interplay between Portuguese traders and Gujarati society, particularly its merchants, who operated with little political support or intervention from the region’s rulers.

Through a detailed examination of historical records and case studies, the monograph illuminates the broader dynamics of merchant-state relationships in medieval Gujarat. It argues that the Portuguese success stemmed not from superior logistics or economics but from the lack of strong political connections between merchants and rulers in Gujarati society. This disconnect, emblematic of the state’s general disengagement with various social groups, allowed the Portuguese to impose their systems of control with relative ease. The study also contextualizes the Portuguese influence within the slow-changing social and political structures of premodern Gujarat, offering insights into the enduring nature of ruler-subject relations and contributing significantly to the historiography of colonial and maritime Asia.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1976.

Contributor: M. N. Pearson Enter the Author Bio(s) here.