Further Expansion of Nova Lusitania
The Portuguese crown had fallen to the King of Spain, joining the two Iberian crowns in a personal union under King Philip II. The first point of action taken by the new administration was to grant the colony now called Nova Lusitania its own governor in 1593, separating the administration from distant Goa.
Also in 1593 the crown paid to transport over 2,800 settlers from the islands of São Miguel, Terceira and São Jorge in Azores to settle in the lands east of Alagoa (Port Elizabeth). This was done to alleviate the population there from a series of famines and a major earthquake in 1593. The islands had become overpopulated and would become a primary source for immigrants in both Nova Lusitania and Brazil.
The European settler population increased to just around 173,300 by 1600, and there were also an estimated 30,000 slaves in the colony. There were also perhaps 8,400 mestiços in the colony, or persons of mixed race in the colony. The capital of Cabo da Boa Esperança had grown into a city of 18,000 inhabitants, making it the largest European metropolis south of the Equator.
With this population growth, the coast was settled further East with Algoa becoming a major town of 4,000 and the Portuguese settlers were now encroaching on Ngoni lands. By the end of the century they had built settlements along the São Tomé River (Mtatha River). Here they found lands with more rainfall than those around the Cape. Others pushed further inland towards the Rio dos Bramidos (Orange River). Many of the men became fisherman and built fishing stations along the western coast of Novo Algarve. At Angra Pequena (Luderitz, Namibia) they found the cold waters of the South Atlantic had with abundant fish, and this would become a major fishing post.
More adventurous settlers joined the quest for gold and silver in East Africa, and others became sailors or soldiers in the Persian Gulf, India, Ceylon, Malaca or Macau. The territories from Delagoa Bay north to Brava (Barawa) remained under the jurisdiction of Goa, however a number of different captains ran their territory as private fiefdoms.
In the south, the Portuguese had established a fort at the Ilha da Inhaca in Delagoa Bay to trade in Ivory with the Inhaca people, to the annoyance of the dominant Tembe in the region. Still further north, Inhambane had been founded by Dominican Friars as a mission. The fortress at Sofala had been rebuilt and there were now Portuguese prazos (farms) along the Zambezi with Vila da Sena and Tete being the principal settlements. Even further north Quelimane had been settled and Angoche was a Portuguese tributary state. The island of Mozambique prospered with the ivory trade and a fort was now built at Lumbo.
North of the Rovuma River the Portuguese interests had been challenged by the Ottomans in 1585, and 50 Portuguese had been taken prisoner at Lamu. However, this coincided with the raids by the fearsome Zimba people who attacked the Swahili Coast. They soon became allied with the Portuguese so as to keep the various satellite states in check. Also in 1593-1594 the Portuguese erected a new fort at Mombasa and garrisoned it with 100 men, the Fort de Jesus. The Captain of Mombasa now had jurisdiction from Brava (Barawa) south to Cabo Delgado.
Having beaten back the Ottomans, challenges to Portuguese rule were on the horizon with the first English ship landing at Zanzibar in 1591 and another at Pemba in 1608. These were vassals of Portugal, and the Portuguese wanted to keep their monopoly on trade with East Africa.
However, it would be inland along the Zambezi and into the Monomotapa (Mutapa) Kingdom that the most audacious Portuguese expansion would commence during the 17th century. In 1607 Madrid appointed the Captain of Tete, Diogo Simões Madeira with the title of "conquistador" to secure the supposed inland silver mines and conquer the kingdoms of the interior just as they had done in Peru. The Spanish Crown was convinced that untold amounts of gold and silver lay in the Kingdom of Monomotapa. To that end the Portuguese secured made the kingdom a puppet and had the king converted to Catholicism. In 1607 the Monomotapa ceded all the gold mines and mining rights in his kingdom to the Portuguese.
The Portuguese quickly built "feiras" or settlements inland with Dambarare, Luanze, Massapa, Maramuca, and Pirigani (Zimbabwe). Also, the captain was convinced that Portuguese settlers should colonize this land and many of the more adventurous (and gold hungry) were recruited from Nova Lusitania to settle in these lands, with 500 intrepid colonists had established themselves west of the settlement of Tete by 1609.
The Portuguese crown had fallen to the King of Spain, joining the two Iberian crowns in a personal union under King Philip II. The first point of action taken by the new administration was to grant the colony now called Nova Lusitania its own governor in 1593, separating the administration from distant Goa.
Also in 1593 the crown paid to transport over 2,800 settlers from the islands of São Miguel, Terceira and São Jorge in Azores to settle in the lands east of Alagoa (Port Elizabeth). This was done to alleviate the population there from a series of famines and a major earthquake in 1593. The islands had become overpopulated and would become a primary source for immigrants in both Nova Lusitania and Brazil.
The European settler population increased to just around 173,300 by 1600, and there were also an estimated 30,000 slaves in the colony. There were also perhaps 8,400 mestiços in the colony, or persons of mixed race in the colony. The capital of Cabo da Boa Esperança had grown into a city of 18,000 inhabitants, making it the largest European metropolis south of the Equator.
With this population growth, the coast was settled further East with Algoa becoming a major town of 4,000 and the Portuguese settlers were now encroaching on Ngoni lands. By the end of the century they had built settlements along the São Tomé River (Mtatha River). Here they found lands with more rainfall than those around the Cape. Others pushed further inland towards the Rio dos Bramidos (Orange River). Many of the men became fisherman and built fishing stations along the western coast of Novo Algarve. At Angra Pequena (Luderitz, Namibia) they found the cold waters of the South Atlantic had with abundant fish, and this would become a major fishing post.
More adventurous settlers joined the quest for gold and silver in East Africa, and others became sailors or soldiers in the Persian Gulf, India, Ceylon, Malaca or Macau. The territories from Delagoa Bay north to Brava (Barawa) remained under the jurisdiction of Goa, however a number of different captains ran their territory as private fiefdoms.
In the south, the Portuguese had established a fort at the Ilha da Inhaca in Delagoa Bay to trade in Ivory with the Inhaca people, to the annoyance of the dominant Tembe in the region. Still further north, Inhambane had been founded by Dominican Friars as a mission. The fortress at Sofala had been rebuilt and there were now Portuguese prazos (farms) along the Zambezi with Vila da Sena and Tete being the principal settlements. Even further north Quelimane had been settled and Angoche was a Portuguese tributary state. The island of Mozambique prospered with the ivory trade and a fort was now built at Lumbo.
North of the Rovuma River the Portuguese interests had been challenged by the Ottomans in 1585, and 50 Portuguese had been taken prisoner at Lamu. However, this coincided with the raids by the fearsome Zimba people who attacked the Swahili Coast. They soon became allied with the Portuguese so as to keep the various satellite states in check. Also in 1593-1594 the Portuguese erected a new fort at Mombasa and garrisoned it with 100 men, the Fort de Jesus. The Captain of Mombasa now had jurisdiction from Brava (Barawa) south to Cabo Delgado.
Having beaten back the Ottomans, challenges to Portuguese rule were on the horizon with the first English ship landing at Zanzibar in 1591 and another at Pemba in 1608. These were vassals of Portugal, and the Portuguese wanted to keep their monopoly on trade with East Africa.
However, it would be inland along the Zambezi and into the Monomotapa (Mutapa) Kingdom that the most audacious Portuguese expansion would commence during the 17th century. In 1607 Madrid appointed the Captain of Tete, Diogo Simões Madeira with the title of "conquistador" to secure the supposed inland silver mines and conquer the kingdoms of the interior just as they had done in Peru. The Spanish Crown was convinced that untold amounts of gold and silver lay in the Kingdom of Monomotapa. To that end the Portuguese secured made the kingdom a puppet and had the king converted to Catholicism. In 1607 the Monomotapa ceded all the gold mines and mining rights in his kingdom to the Portuguese.
The Portuguese quickly built "feiras" or settlements inland with Dambarare, Luanze, Massapa, Maramuca, and Pirigani (Zimbabwe). Also, the captain was convinced that Portuguese settlers should colonize this land and many of the more adventurous (and gold hungry) were recruited from Nova Lusitania to settle in these lands, with 500 intrepid colonists had established themselves west of the settlement of Tete by 1609.