Early Russian and Portuguese Trade Contacts with Peninsular India: 1469-1499
By Himen Das
Summary
This paper examines early Russian and Portuguese trade contacts with Peninsular India between 1469 and 1499, focusing on the voyages of Afanasy Nikitin and Vasco da Gama. Nikitin’s overland journey (1469-1472) from Russia to the Bahmani Kingdom revealed inland trade routes connecting Cambay, Chaul, and Bidar, with commodities like silk, damask, indigo, lac, and horses. The slave trade, though prevalent inland, was not part of maritime commerce. Meanwhile, da Gama’s 1498 voyage opened a maritime spice route to Kerala, significantly expanding Europe-Asia trade. The study compares trade items, routes, and religious influences, noting Christianity and Islam’s role in hindering commercial expansion. Silk trade, historically linked to India via the Oxus route, is highlighted through archaeological and historical evidence. The paper underscores the contrasting nature of Russian overland and Portuguese maritime trade, emphasizing their economic and cultural impacts on Peninsular India during this period.
Conclusion
This study highlights the early trade interactions between Russia, Portugal, and Peninsular India (1469–1499), emphasizing Afanasy Nikitin’s and Vasco da Gama’s pivotal roles in establishing maritime and overland trade routes. Nikitin’s journey (1469–1472) revealed thriving inland trade in commodities like silk, indigo, and lac, while da Gama’s first voyage (1498) opened the European spice route, significantly expanding global trade networks. The paper underscores the socio-economic dynamics of the period, including the prevalence of inland slave trade in Peninsular India and the absence of maritime slave trade, contrasting with da Gama’s later exploitation of Indian labor. It also explores the historical continuity of silk trade via the Oxus route and the cultural exchanges facilitated by these early contacts. The findings suggest that while these interactions laid foundations for future colonial engagements, they also reflected complex religious and commercial influences shaping early modern trade