Kerala - History - Advent of the Europeans
The loss of political unity did not lead to the loss of political independence in Kerala during the end of 14th century. The ghost of the Chera kingdom haunted the destiny of Kerala as a guardian deity for many centuries to come. Each minor chieftain claimed the gift of the last Cheraman Perumal as the sanction behind his throne. It was essentially a game of power politics. Within a generation of the decline of Chera power, the governors of Eranad shifted from their interior headquarters at Nediyiruppu to the coastal strip of Kozhikode. Gradually, the Eradis (rulers of Eranad), now known to the world better as the Zamorins of Kozhikode, grew in prosperity and power. The locational advantage enjoyed by their new headquarters with its proximity to Kozhikode was a decisive factor in attracting a growing number of Arab traders. The rulers also exhibited a measure of statesmanship in quarantining religious tolerance to all sects and creeds in the big international mart at Kozhikode. In due course, they roped in the chieftains of Parappanad and Vettattunad in the south as well as Kurumbranad and Puranad (Kottayam) in the north, within their sphere of influence.
The Zamorin also succeeded in their venture to capture Tirunavaya region from the Valluvanad rulers. This victory brought the Zamorin directly into contact with the rulers of Kochi. It opened up a long chapter of protracted Kozhikode-Kochi wars. The contest could not stop until one of the powers could eliminate the other. The support of Arab wealth and equipment favoured Kozhikode against Kochi during the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries, until this was counter - balanced by the Europeans - the Dutch and the Portuguese - on the other side. Not only the princes and princelings of Kerala, but the entire population had to take sides. In fact, the big Brahmin community split into two, with the Panniyur faction supporting the Zamorin and the Cokiram faction throwing its weight in favour of the Raja of Kochi.
The central portion of Kerala, over which the rulers of Kochi held sway, was the seat of Namboodiri (Brahmin) orthodoxy. Though the Raja of Kochi was respected all over Kerala as the direct descendant of the Perumals and the noblest representative of the Kshatriya race, the inhibiting weight of tradition made him incapable of initiating new strategies and policies to suit the changing times. He remained the highest patron of Brahminical ritual and scholarship. In the process, wealth and power slipped out of his hands and made way for art and literature. In the southern part of Kerala, Venad was the rising star. Geographically and culturally, the kingdom of Venad remained partly in Keraladesa and partly in Pandyadesa. The Venad area was definitely at a disadvantage in the absence of the original settlements of Tulu-Kerala Brahmins, whose leadership and dominance had been responsible for the distinctive character of Kerala society and culture. However, in course of time, the immense wealth of the Venad kings could attract some of the Kerala Brahmins (Namboodiris) to settle down at Thiruvananthapuram. Nevertheless, excessive involvement in Tamil politics weakened the impact of Venad on the rest of Kerala.
The post Chera period witnessed a gradual decadence of the Namboodiris, until by about the 16th century, they put of their affairs in the hands of their Nair secretaries. A Namboodiri - Nair alliance came into being. Another feature of this period was the widening gulf between the Namboodiri - Nair upper class and the Thiyya - Pulaya lower class. In order to accommodate the class differences properly, the four-fold caste system came to be sub-divided with infinite gradations, based on real occupation, habitat and political influence. With increasing rigidity of caste, the worst sufferers were the Parayar, Pulayar, Cheramar etc. They were attached to plots of cultivable land and unceremoniously exchanged along with the plots without any right to family or children. This feudal society, however, was prosperous and complacent. With agricultural and commercial prosperity on the increase, festivals like Onam and Vishu, which began as mere sectarian religious observances, acquired the character of popular celebrations. They were fixed up at a time when the tenants had to pay their feudal dues to the owners of land. The enthusiasm of the tenants transformed Onam, a Vaishnava sacred day commemorating the Vamana incarnation, into a harvest festival.
At this point of time, feudal society was blissfully ignorant of the Afghan, Pathan and Mongol invasions which uprooted ancient Hindu society in most parts of India beyond the Sahya, the great sentinel of Kerala. This coastal area had, along the rest of Thamilakom, remained outside the big empires in the past. This time also, it escaped the catastrophe of Alauddin Khilji's campaign, which pushed southward straight to Rameshwaram. The kings and people were so immersed in their own petty feuds that the appearance of Portuguese naval power on the not-so-distant horizon of the Arabian Sea did not open their eyes to the advent, the perils and prospects of the modern age.
Portuguese traveller, Vasco da Gama laid anchor off Kozhikode on May 21, 1498. This historic even marked the beginning of a new epoch in the history of Kerala. It also opened a new chapter in the relations between the different States in Kerala. The declared aim of the Portuguese was monopoly of the trade with the country to the exclusion of all others. The Portuguese captain demanded the expulsion of all Muslim traders. The Zamorin explained that for centuries Kozhikode had been a free port and that the Portuguese were welcome to trade as anyone else. This increased the Portuguese who let loose a reign of terror along the coast.
The political set up characterized by innumerable principalities in the area was ideal for their machinations to set the weak against the strong and the subordinate chieftains against their sovereign rights over Kochi. The Zamorin retaliated with all the resources at his disposal. The Malabar fleet was decidedly inferior to the Portuguese fleet. The Zamorin set about to rectify this imbalance by reorganizing his fleet under the able leadership of Kunhali Marakkar. The new fleet under Marakkar soon snowballed into a threat to the Portuguese trade and shipping. They were forced to keep regular fleets to convoy their ships, but of little avail against the wily tactics of Marakkar.
In a bid to humble the power of the Portuguese, the Zamorin launched an attack against Kochi. These attempts failed to drive the Portuguese out of gear and dislocated their shipping and trade. The Zamorin even attempted to forge a coalition of the States bordering the Arabian Sea who were adversely affected by Portuguese activities. These at best, met with partial success in its engagements with the Portuguese. The threat from the Malabar seamen under the Kunhali to Portuguese trade and shipping reached menacing proportions. The Zamorin, in the meanwhile, had fallen out with the Kunhalis. The Portuguese then joined Zamorin in a united thrust against the Kunhalis. After two sieges, the new allies were able to capture Kottakkal, the headquarters of the Kunhalis. But, neither the fall of Kottakkal nor the death of Kunhali Marakkar brought the Portuguese any respite from the attacks of the Kunhalis, who now began to harass Portuguese shipping and trade with a vengeance.
Purakkad raja had a cordial relation ship with the Portuguese in the beginning, and Purakkad raja even sent his naval force headed by Arayan of Purakkad, to help the Portuguese fight against raja Zomorin of Calicut, in 1524. But the relationship strained when the Portuguese Viceroy John Hendrique de Menezar doubted the loyalty of Arayan of Purakkad and shot him seriously, and infuriated on this incident, Purakkad raja declared war on Portuguese. The war ended in the defeat of Purakkad raja in a sea battle and Purakkad was attacked by Portuguese.
1n 1528, an alliance was formed between Purakkad raja and Zamorin to fight against Portuguese, but on getting wind of this alliance, Portuguese force attacked Purakkad in the absence of raja. The out of the blue attack scattered the defense and the Portuguese mercilessly massacred the people, took the King’s family members as prisoners, looted the city, and put it on fire. Purakkad raja had no other way than signing a treaty with Portuguese and payment of a ransom for the release of his dears.
The advent of the Dutch and the English placed the Portuguese at a further disadvantage. The Dutch had come to the East in a spirit of competition with the Portuguese. Their main strategy was to drive out of the latter. By 1663, they had finally overthrown the Portuguese power on the Malabar coast. The treaty which the Dutch concluded with the Rajas of Malabar clearly showed that their monopolistic tendencies were less ambitious than those of the Portuguese whom they supplanted. They tried to entrench themselves by interfering unabashedly in local politics.
With the help of Karappuram Kaimal, another local ruler, Purakkad raja conducted an attack on Portuguese in 1540 and captured some vessels. But the retaliation was formidable and Purakkad raja was forced to sign a treaty of peace and friendship with Portuguese, and the next century passed without any major tussles.
The ascending of Dutch as a dominant player in th Indian coast in the 17th century was in the expense of Portuguese and the ramification was a notable detriment in Portuguese trade in Kerala coast. The first agreement with Dutch for the supply of pepper and ginger was signed by Purakkad raja on th 20 May 1642. On renewal of contract in 1643, Dutch was permitted to build a factory at Purakkad to protect their commercial interests, on an undertaking that the Dutch will help raja in local wars. They could force the King sign a treaty, agreeing the monopoly in trade for Dutch, thereby keeping the other European powers like Portuguese, English and Danes away from Purakkad.
Even though Dutch had an agreement on monopoly business with Purakkad, they skipped their visit to Purakkad several years and in one such year, raja allowed English also to do business at Purakkad and start their own factory. This created tension between Dutch and English and in 1665, after a war in which Dutch emerged as winner; they captured the factory built by British. With the support of military power and political influence, Dutch maintained th their monopoly on business at Purakkad till the end of 17th century and the through the first quarter of 18 century.
The Kochi Raja's dependence on the Dutch went to such lengths that the latter acquired an effective voice not only in the administration but even in Kochi succession. This interference naturally brought stiff opposition from the Kochi princes and nobles. The second quarter of the 18th century witnessed a diminution and gradual erosion of Dutch supremacy. The scene was set for the ascendancy of the English on the Malabar coast.
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