1498: The Roteiro on the Confrontation of Vasco da Gama with Muslim Merchants in Calicut

Abstract

Upon landing in Calicut in 1498, Vasco da Gama was faced by hostile Arab traders from Mecca who objected to the Portuguese presence in India. Only a year earlier, the Portuguese king had decided to expel the remaining Muslims and Jews from Portugal unless they converted to Christianity. Against this background, the article explores the question of whether the tensions that arose in Calicut were a consequence of these expulsions, or were rather fed by the Meccan traders’ fears of future competition in their profitable Indian Ocean trade.