Cartaz system
Also called: Cartaz · Topic: Europeans in India and the Rise of Company Rule · NCERT: Class 8, Ch 3 "The Marathas"; Class 8, Ch 4 "The Colonial Era in India"
Meaning
The cartaz was a sea pass, or navigation permit, sold by the Portuguese from the 16th century. Every ship sailing in the Arabian Sea had to buy one. Ships without a cartaz could be seized. This gave the Portuguese navy control of the waters, and it gave Portugal a monopoly of the spice trade between India and Europe for nearly a century. A monopoly means sole control. Later, the Marathas issued their own passes to ships along the western coast.
Example
An Indian or Arab merchant ship sailing from a port on the Malabar coast had to carry a Portuguese cartaz. If a Portuguese patrol caught it without one, the ship and its cargo could be taken.
Don't confuse with
- Dastak: this was a trade permit used by the English East India Company in Bengal to move goods without paying duty. The cartaz was a Portuguese pass for sailing at sea.
Related concepts
- Vasco da Gama
- Portuguese in India
- Afonso de Albuquerque
- Kunjali Marakkars
- Goa Inquisition
- Rani Abbakka