Themilitary history ofBassein encompasses the period from 1526, when the Portuguese established their first factory at Bassein, until 1818, when Bassein lost its strategic importance following the defeat of theMarathas by the British.[1]
Bassein (renamed toVasai afterIndian independence), is a city north ofMumbai (formerly Bombay) and forms part of Vasai Virar Municipality. It was historically known to thePortuguese asBaçaim. Medieval Bassein had a great strategic value for the Portuguese in maintaining their command of theArabian Sea. It had utmost strategic value for theBritish East India Company for protecting the northern flank of Bombay. Itsfort had a massive military presence. Bassein was a maritime hub with extensive shipping and ship building activities, and brought Christian culture to the Bombay area, next in importance only toGoa.[1]
TheGreek merchantCosmas Indicopleustes is known to have visited the areas around Bassein in the sixth century, and theChinese travellerXuanzang later on June or July 640 CE. According to Historian Joseph Gerson Da Cunha, during this time, Bassein and its surrounding areas appeared to have been ruled by theChalukya dynasty ofKarnataka.[2] Until the 11th century, severalArabian geographers had mentioned references to towns nearby Bassein, likeThana andSopara, but no references had been made to Bassein.[3] Bassein was later ruled by theSilhara dynasty ofKonkan, and eventually passed to theYadavas of Devagiri, before being conquered by the Muslim rulers ofGujarat.[4]
ThePortuguese first reached the west coast ofIndia when the Portuguese explorerVasco da Gama landed atCalicut in 1498.[5] For several years after their arrival in India, they had been consolidating their power in northKonkan.[6] They had established a strong foothold inGoa, which they captured from theSultan of Bijapur in 1510.[7] According to Historian Faria y Souza, the coast of Bassein was first visited by the Portuguese in 1509, whenFrancisco de Almeida on his way toDiu captured a Mohammedan ship in the harbour of Bombay, with 24Moors belonging to Gujarat.[8]
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TheMughal Empire, founded in 1526, was the dominant power in theIndian subcontinent during the mid-16th century. The dynasty was founded whenBabur, hailing fromFerghana (in modern-dayUzbekistan), invaded parts ofNorth India and defeatedIbrahim Shah Lodhi, the ruler ofDelhi Sultanate, at theFirst Battle of Panipat in 1526.[9] After Babur's death on 26 December 1530, his sonHumayun (1530–40) ascended to the throne atAgra on 29 December 1530.[10]
In 1534, Sultan Bahadur Shah had been engaged in warfare against theRajput states ofChitor andMandu, Humayun, and the Portuguese. To exterminate the threat from the Rajputs and the Mughals, he decided to sign a peace treaty withNuno da Cunha, theGovernor of Portuguese India.[11] He dispatched his chief officer Xacoes (Shah Khawjeh) to Nuno da Cunha with an offer to hand over the port of Bassein, its dependencies, and revenues by sea and land, and the seven islands of Bombay.[12] The cession of Bassein was not a great loss to the Sultanate, as Bassein was to the south of the Sultanate, and not of any military importance during warfare. The Portuguese considered the cession as a tangible gain.[13] On 23 December 1534, theTreaty of Bassein was signed on board the galleonSan Mateos (St. Matthew).[12]
According to the treaty, all ships of the Sultanate bound to theRed Sea had to disembark at Bassein to take acartaz, and then on their return voyage from the Red Sea, first disembark at Bassein, and pay duties. Ships trading to places other than the Red Sea also had to takecartazes, but were not obliged to pay duties to the Portuguese, while coastal trade required nocartaz at all. The Sultanate was prohibited from building any more warships, or using those it already had. Other minor clauses included the restoration of Portuguese captives, and the regulation of the horse trade.[13]
Bassein and the seven islands of Bombay were surrendered later by a treaty of peace and commerce between Bahadur Shah and Nuno da Cunha on 25 October 1535.
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