Zamorin
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Zamorin is the anglicised version of Samoothirippadu or Samoothiri Raja, a title of the rulers of the erstwhile Hindu state of Kozhikode (previously known as Calicut), located in the present day state of Kerala, India, between the 14th and 18th century AD.
Manavikraman Raja, the Samoothiri of Kozhikode is famous for being the ruler that received the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama on May 18, 1498.
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Origins
The Samoothiri were previously known as the Eradis (rulers of Eranad).[1]. Eranad was a small state next to Polanad state, of which Kozhikode was the capital. It is said that during the 14th century, the Samoothiris killed Porlathiri the ruler of Polanad by treachery, and usurped that state. All of this may have been precipitated by the great flood of the Periyar river in about 1341AD. This flood resulted in the silting of the harbour of Kodungallur (anglicised as Cranganore), a town known to be frequented by Arab and Roman and Chinese traders (Refer Indian Ancient Maritime History). The silting led to the rise in prosperity of other ports like Kochi (also known as Cochin), and Kozhikode.
Battles with neighbours
After acquiring the Polanad state, the Samoothiri turned his attention to other states (nadus) around him. He next annexed the state of Nedunganad. Between 1353-1361 AD, the Samoothiri Raja fought a series of small battles with smaller states called the Thirunavaya War.
The two larger states were Walluvanad and Perumpadappu (also known as Perumpadapu Swaroopam). Walluvanad was the prime producer of rice and agricultural products in Malabar region. As a result of the feud, the Perumpadappu Rajas were forced to move their capital from Thirunavaya to Thiruvanchikkulam, when the Samoothiri captured Thirunavaya. After Thirunavaya was captured, the Samoothiri proclaimed himself as the Rakshapurusha (Malayalam for chief protector) and announced that from then on, he had the sole right of conducting the Mamankam festival - a major Hindu festival of the Bhagvati deity held at Thirunavaya.
The Raja then turned to the prospering port state of Kochi. The Perumpadappu Rajas, or rulers of Kochi were forced again to shift their capital from Thiruvanchikkulam to Kochi during 1405 A.D.
The Samoothiri Raja's army then landed via the sea at Ponnani where they built a fort during 1498. Samoothiri continued to battle the Walluvanad Raja without much success. The Kochi Rajas eventually succumbed to the Samoothiri around 1500, and becames his vassals. During December, 1500 the Samoothiri expelled the Portuguese from Kozhikode due to their demand for a monopoly, and they moved to a trading post at the city of Kochi.
Mamankam festival
The Samoothiris had an interesting tradition which dictated that every Samoothiri who ruled over twelve years would have to publicly cut his throat. In the 17th century, this tradition was modified and led to an annual event where the Samoothiri declared that after an annual 12-day festival (Mamankam festival), it was lawful for anyone wishing, to try to assassinate him. The Samoothiri would be seated in a national assembly, surrounded by guards. This revised tradition led to the development of suicide squads, called chaver, by neighbouring states (particularly Valluvakkonathiri ) with the objective of killing the Samoothiri.
Portuguese connection
Although the Samoothiri received the Portuguese warmly, relations between the two soured soon. This may have begun because the Portuguese at the outset demanded a trade monopoly to be granted to them, and the Arabs (who had centuries of dealings) to be expelled from Kozhikode.
Vasco Da Gama, who was a swordsman by trade had been sent by King Manuel I of Portugal with a fleet of four ships to find the fabled land of India. However, Vasco's fleet was equipped by Captain Bartolomeu Dias, who had previously sailed to the tip of South Africa in 1488, but had to turn back from going onwards to India due to a mutiny on his ship. Diaz, who was used to dealing with African tribes that inhabited the West coast of Africa at that time, equipped the fleet with goods like glass beads, copper bowls, tin bells, tin rings, striped cotton cloth, olive oil, and sugar that had proved useful to him in trade with the tribes. Vasco was not equipped to deal with a sophisticated culture like India at that time, which was used to providing luxury material like cotton calico cloth, spices, pepper to the West.
Hence, Vasco could not offer the Samoothiri any substantial gift (which was customary for new traders to offer the ruler), and not having anything worthwhile to trade, he could not purchase the fabulous spices and other luxury goods that were offered to him. This may have led to his frustration with the Samoothiri, which was also reciprocated.
However soon afterwards, the Portuguese turned against the Samoothiri. The Samoothiri joined a coalition led by the Muslim Sultan of Gujarat, Mahmud Begara in the Battle of Diu in 1509 to try and defeat the Portuguese. A struggle by the Raja's navy led by his famous admiral, Kunjali Marakkar ensued and lasted several years. Finally the Raja had to allow the first European post in his realm to be established at Chaliyam during 1530.
The subsequent Rajas collaborated with the Dutch East India Company to defeat the Portuguese/Kochi coalition during 1661, ensuring the rise of the Dutch in Kerala. The Rajas finally succumbed to the rising power of the state of Mysore, led by Hyder Ali in 1766.
Key dates
- 1498 - Samoothiri Raja builds a fort at Ponnani during his conquest of the nadus
- 1498 May 18 - Vasco Da Gama lands at Kozhikode and is welcomed by the Samoothiri Raja
- 1500 December - Raja expels Portuguese from Kozhikode after a anti-Portuguese riot by Muslim residents of Kozhikode
- 1500 December 24 - Portuguese (led by Pedro Alvares Cabral) take refuge at port of Kochi, where the Kochi Raja offers them spices for trade
- 1501 January - Portuguese conclude a treaty with Tirumulpad, the King of Kochi, allowing them to open a factory there
- 1502 - Vasco Da Gama return to India to try and control the Raja. He bombards Kozhikode and burns a ship of Muslim pilgrims from Mecca.
- 1503 - Portuguese crown the new Raja of Kochi, effectively making him a vassal of the King of Portugal. Vasco returns to Portugal.
- 1503 March - Samoothiri Raja attacks Kingdom of Kochi to foil the growing Portuguese influence, destroys the city
- 1503 - First Portuguese Viceroy Dom Francisco de Almeida arrives in Kochi to find it destroyed, manages to obtain permission to build a fort. Thus the first European fort is built in India by 1505 called Fort Manuel (after King Manuel I of Portugal) or Manuel Kotta.
- 1504 September 1 - Portuguese bombard and destroy the town of Kodungallur in retaliation
- 1505 March - Portuguese destroy several boats belonging to the Raja, with severe loss of life [2]
- 1505 November - murder of the Portuguese factor Antonio de Sa, the other Portuguese men and the destruction of the church of St. Thomas in Kollam.
- 1506 - Samoothiri Raja now approached Raja of Kolathiri. The Portuguese had behaved contemptuously to the Muslims at Kannur, and so Raja of Kolathiri also intended to teach them a lesson. The Raja laid siege the St.Angelos fort at Kannur. But the Portuguese won this battle, and the Raja of Kolathiri was forced to plea for peace.
- 1506 - Raja's naval forces join the Turkish and Arab navys to attack the Portuguese navy led by Dom Lourenço Almeida, son of the Portuguese Viceroy. However, Portuguese repel attack
- 1507 November 14 - Portuguese under Almeida attacked Ponnani
- 1508 March - Sultan of Cairo's navy along with Sultan of Gujarat's forces defeat Portuguese at Battle of Chaul, killing Dom Lourenço Almeida
- 1509 February - Portuguese counter-attack and defeat the Samoothiri's forces and the Egyptian/Turkish Navy at the famous Battle of Diu. Turks and Egyptians withdraw temporarily from India, leaving the seas to the Portuguese until 1538.
- 1513 - Raja and Portuguese sign a treaty giving Portuguese right to build a fort at Kozhikode, in return for their assistance in the Raja's fight with the Kingdoms of Kochi and Kolathiri.
- 1520? - Assassination attempt on Raja
- 1524 - King of Portugal re-sends Vasco Da Gama back to India to control the Raja
- 1525 February 26 - Portuguese navy led by new Viceroy Menezes raids Ponnani, but the Raja defeats them with assistance from Tinayancheri, and Kurumliyapatri.
- 1530 - Formation of Chalium (also known as Challe, now Chaliyam) fort by Portuguese - the Raja of Vettathunad enabled the Portuguese to erect a fort at Chalium at the mouth of the Beypore river. Chalium was a strategic site, for it was only 10 km south of Kozhikkode. Raja of Chaliyam also helped the Portuguese.
- 1540 - Samoothiri Raja entered into an agreement with the Portuguese and stopped the war. Treaty allows the Portuguese a trade monopoly at Kozhikode port.
- 1550 - Portuguese attacked, pillaged and plundered Ponnani. They set fire to several houses and four mosques, including the Valia Palli.
- 1569-1570 - War between the Portuguese and Samoothiri's forces at Chaliyam fort.
- 1571 September 15 - Portuguese lose the war and surrender Chaliyam fort. Samoothiri Raja destroys the fort.
- 1573 - Pattu Marakkar (Kunjali III) obtained permission from Samoothiri to build a fortress and dockyard at Puthupattanam. This fort later came to be called the Marakkar Kotta (Marakkar Castle).
- 1584 - Samoothiri Raja needed free navigation without the passes of the Portuguese, to the ports of Gujarat, Persia and Arabia, to continue his trade. So an agreement with the Portuguese was made. The sanction to the Portuguese to build a factory at Ponnani was given. By now the Raja had clearly shifted his policy towards the Portuguese.
- 1591 - Samoothiri Raja allowed the Portuguese to build a factory at Kozhikode. He even laid the foundation of their church granting them necessary ground and building materials. His Muslim commanders like Kunjali III who were sworn enemies of the Portuguese felt ignored. Kunjali III began to distance himself from Samoothiri.
- 1598 - Samoothiri Raja joined with the Portuguese and fought his own Naval Commander, Kunjali Marakkar III. Kunjali surrendered to Samoothiri, and Samoothiri handed him over to the Portuguese, who killed him after taking him to Goa in 1600.
- 1604 - Dutch East India Company concludes a treaty with the Raja to permit trade at Kozhikode and Ponnani
- 1661 - Raja joins a coalition led by the Dutch to defeat the Portuguese and the Raja of Kochi
- 1743 - Raja continues war with Walluvanad
- 1757 - Raja finally manages to defeat the Walluvanad state and annexes it
- 1760 - Hyder Ali, ruler of the state of Mysore intervenes to help the Walluvanad Raja and defeats the Samoothiri, who signs a treaty with Hyder Ali.
- 1766 - Last Samoothiri Raja conducts the last Mamankam festival. Hyder Ali marches upon Kozhikode, and annexes it. Raja commits suicide in his palace.
References
- Hamilton, Alex. A new Account of the East Indies, Pinkerton's Voyages and Travels, viii. 374
- Hart, Henry H. The Sea Road to the Indies. New York:MacMillan Company, 1950.
- Danvers, Frederick Charles. The Portuguese in India. New York:Octagon Books, 1966.
