The "Shadow Empire" in Asia and Portuguese Violence in the Indian Ocean
Using the concept of the "shadow empire" coined by George Winius, Alexandra Pelúcia explores the process of Portuguese expansion in the Bay of Bengal during the 16th and 17th centuries, driven mainly by merchants and pirates. The historian also examines the involvement of the Portuguese in privateering across the Indian Ocean and recalls episodes of extreme violence, such as the attack led by Vasco da Gama’s fleet against a ship of pilgrims bound for Mecca in 1502—an event that prompted the scribe Tomé Lopes to describe him as a cruel and merciless man.
Alexandra Pelúcia is a Senior Researcher at CHAM and an Associate Professor in the History Department at NOVA FCSH. She holds a PhD in the History of the Portuguese Discoveries and Expansion. Her research focuses on Portuguese expansion in Asia and the social and political dynamics of noble elites, both in Portugal and within the Empire. In this field, she led the project Na Privança d'El-Rei: Relações Interpessoais e Jogos de Facções em Torno de D. Manuel I, funded by the FCT. Her publications include Martim Afonso de Sousa e a sua Linhagem. Trajectórias de uma Elite nos Reinados de D. João III e D. Sebastião, Corsários e Piratas Portugueses. Aventureiros nos Mares da Ásia, and Afonso de Albuquerque. Corte, Cruzada e Império. She was also part of the editorial team for two volumes of the Obras Pioneiras da Cultura Portuguesa project.
The interview is conducted by Teresa Lacerda.
Coordenation
Isabel Araújo Branco (CHAM)
Organization
CHAM / NOVA FCSH
