Battle of Swally
Encyclopedia
The naval Battle of Swally took place on 29–30 November 1612 off the coast of Suvali (anglicised to Swally), a village near the city of Surat
, Gujarat, India, and was a victory for four English East India Company galleon
s over four Portuguese nau
s and 26 barks (rowing vessels with no armament).
This battle also convinced the English East India Company to establish a small navy to safeguard their commercial interests from other European powers and also from pirates. This small beginning is regarded as the root of the modern Indian Navy
.
The background to this battle also points to the main reason for the Dutch Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie
being organised in 1602.
in 1555, and the English East India Company also known as "John Company", (established 1600) were desperately attempting to find routes to the East Indies
and the spice trade
.
The following three individuals played a key part in the events leading up to this battle:
was arrested for spying at Ormuz (near the modern Iran
ian port of Bandar Abbas
). He was on a voyage from Syria
to the Indian Ocean in his ship,Tiger, via what is now Iraq
using the Euphrates
river. Ralph was presented before the Portuguese Viceroy
in Goa
where he was placed under arrest. He was released on the surety
provided by Jesuit priests, but escaped from Goa and wandered around India for the next decade. He returned to England in 1591, and became a valuable consultant for the Company.
between 1583 and 1588. He returned to Holland in 1592. He published a book, Itinerario in 1596 (later published as an English edition as Discours of Voyages into Y East & West Indies) which graphically displayed for the first time in Europe, detailed maps of voyages to the East Indies, particularly India. During his stay in Goa, abusing the trust put in him by the Viceroy, Jan Huyghens meticulously copied the top-secret charts page-by-page. Even more crucially, Jan Huyghens provided nautical data like currents, deeps, islands and sandbanks, which was absolutely vital for safe navigation, along with coastal depictions to guide the way.
His publications were also responsible for the establishment of the Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie) in 1602 to unify Dutch efforts at trade with Asia.
on 24 August 1608. He had with him 25,000 pieces of gold and a personal letter to the Mughal
Emperor Jehangir (sometimes also rendered as Cehangir or Ichan Guire) from King James I
seeking trade concessions. He persisted for over two years, however Portuguese pirates stole his gold, and tried several times to murder him while on shore. He returned to England empty-handed.
The next envoy, Paul Canning, lasted only a few months.
.
The tenth voyage (1612–1614) on behalf of the English East India Company was led by Captain Thomas Best. It set out from Gravesend
on 1 February 1612 passing via the present day Trinidad
, then Daman on 3 September 1612 eventually reaching Surat
on 5 September 1612. Surat was the principal port for the Mughals, and was then situated at the mouth of the river Tapti.
On 30 September 1612 Captain Best got news that two of his men, Mr Canning (the purser
) and William Chambers were arrested while on shore. Fearing the worst, Captain Best detained a ship belonging to the Governor
of Gujarat and offered to release it in exchange for his men.
On 10 October Captain Best and his ships sailed to Suvali, a small town about 12 miles North of Surat. This may have been because the Governor
(Sardar Khan?) was battling a Rajput
rebellion at a fort situated in the town. Between 17–21 October, amidst negotiations he managed to obtain a treaty with the Governor allowing trading privileges, subject to ratification by the Emperor.
On 27 November, Captain Best was advised by his men on shore that a squadron of four Portuguese ships was sailing up to attack him.
The Portuguese ships (four great galleons and some twenty-six oared barks) arrived on the 28th, and anchored outside the roadstead placing the English vessels between themselves and the town.
A skirmish took place between the two navies on the 29th without much damage to either side.
At daylight on the 30 November, Captain Best in Red Dragon
sailed through the four larger Portuguese ships running three of them aground, and was joined by Hosiander on the other side. The Portuguese managed to get the three galleons refloated.
At 9pm that night in an attempt to set the English ships alight, a bark was sent towards them as a fire ship
. But the English watch was alert, and the bark was sunk by cannon fire with the loss of eight lives.
A standoff remained until the 5 December, when Captain Best sailed for the port of Diu.
Captain Best then continued on to Ceylon
on 18 January, and then onwards to Sumatra, before returning to England around April 1614 without returning to India.
, and often harassed Mecca
-bound pilgrim ships along the West coast of India.
The port was constructed by the English as they found it protected both from sudden squalls and military attacks. Besides, the English found it convenient to use the place for their early trade with Surat as Swally was navigable in low tides. There were several complications in using the ports at Surat as the French and the Portuguese also operated from there.
Mr. R Sengupta, the Chief Project Co-ordinator (coastal and marine ecology) of GES advised that, "The port was also better than those located in the mouth of river Tapti. The English did not allow anyone to use the port at Swally and used to charge duty for permission to do so."
Surat
Surat , also known as Suryapur, is the commercial capital city of the Indian state of Gujarat. Surat is India's Eighth most populous city and Ninth-most populous urban agglomeration. It is also administrative capital of Surat district and one of the fastest growing cities in India. The city proper...
, Gujarat, India, and was a victory for four English East India Company galleon
Galleon
A galleon was a large, multi-decked sailing ship used primarily by European states from the 16th to 18th centuries. Whether used for war or commerce, they were generally armed with the demi-culverin type of cannon.-Etymology:...
s over four Portuguese nau
Carrack
A carrack or nau was a three- or four-masted sailing ship developed in 15th century Western Europe for use in the Atlantic Ocean. It had a high rounded stern with large aftcastle, forecastle and bowsprit at the stem. It was first used by the Portuguese , and later by the Spanish, to explore and...
s and 26 barks (rowing vessels with no armament).
Importance
This relatively small naval battle is historically important as it marked the beginning of the end of Portugal's commercial monopoly over India, and the beginning of the ascent of the English East India Company's presence in India.This battle also convinced the English East India Company to establish a small navy to safeguard their commercial interests from other European powers and also from pirates. This small beginning is regarded as the root of the modern Indian Navy
Indian Navy
The Indian Navy is the naval branch of the armed forces of India. The President of India serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff , usually a four-star officer in the rank of Admiral, commands the Navy...
.
The background to this battle also points to the main reason for the Dutch Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie
Dutch East India Company
The Dutch East India Company was a chartered company established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia...
being organised in 1602.
Background
This battle was the result of the Portuguese monopoly over trade with India in the late-15th and 16th centuries. Two English ventures, The Company of Merchant Adventurers (established 1551) which became the Muscovy CompanyMuscovy Company
The Muscovy Company , was a trading company chartered in 1555. It was the first major chartered joint stock company, the precursor of the type of business that would soon flourish in England, and became closely associated with such famous names as Henry Hudson and William Baffin...
in 1555, and the English East India Company also known as "John Company", (established 1600) were desperately attempting to find routes to the East Indies
East Indies
East Indies is a term used by Europeans from the 16th century onwards to identify what is now known as Indian subcontinent or South Asia, Southeastern Asia, and the islands of Oceania, including the Malay Archipelago and the Philippines...
and the spice trade
Spice trade
Civilizations of Asia were involved in spice trade from the ancient times, and the Greco-Roman world soon followed by trading along the Incense route and the Roman-India routes...
.
The following three individuals played a key part in the events leading up to this battle:
Ralph Fitch
The Portuguese guarded their new found routes to Asia very well. During July, 1583 an English merchant, Ralph FitchRalph Fitch
Ralph Fitch was a gentleman merchant of London and one of the earliest English travellers and traders to visit Mesopotamia, the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean, India and Southeast Asia...
was arrested for spying at Ormuz (near the modern Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian port of Bandar Abbas
Bandar Abbas
Bandar-Abbas or Bandar-e ‘Abbās , also Romanized as Bandar ‘Abbās, Bandar ‘Abbāsī, and Bandar-e ‘Abbās; formerly known as Cambarão and Port Comorão to Portuguese traders, as Gombroon to English traders and as Gamrun or Gumrun to Dutch merchants) is a port city and capital of Hormozgān Province on...
). He was on a voyage from Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
to the Indian Ocean in his ship,Tiger, via what is now Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
using the Euphrates
Euphrates
The Euphrates is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia...
river. Ralph was presented before the Portuguese Viceroy
Viceroy
A viceroy is a royal official who runs a country, colony, or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning "in the place of" and the French word roi, meaning king. A viceroy's province or larger territory is called a viceroyalty...
in Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
where he was placed under arrest. He was released on the surety
Surety
A surety or guarantee, in finance, is a promise by one party to assume responsibility for the debt obligation of a borrower if that borrower defaults...
provided by Jesuit priests, but escaped from Goa and wandered around India for the next decade. He returned to England in 1591, and became a valuable consultant for the Company.
Jan Huyghens van Linschoten
Jan Huyghens van Linschoten (1563–1611) was a Dutch Protestant traveller and historian who also served as the Portuguese Viceroy's secretary in GoaGoa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
between 1583 and 1588. He returned to Holland in 1592. He published a book, Itinerario in 1596 (later published as an English edition as Discours of Voyages into Y East & West Indies) which graphically displayed for the first time in Europe, detailed maps of voyages to the East Indies, particularly India. During his stay in Goa, abusing the trust put in him by the Viceroy, Jan Huyghens meticulously copied the top-secret charts page-by-page. Even more crucially, Jan Huyghens provided nautical data like currents, deeps, islands and sandbanks, which was absolutely vital for safe navigation, along with coastal depictions to guide the way.
His publications were also responsible for the establishment of the Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie) in 1602 to unify Dutch efforts at trade with Asia.
Captain William Hawkins, First envoy
Captain William Hawkins led the first voyage of the English East India Company to India and sailed into the Gujarat port of SuratSurat
Surat , also known as Suryapur, is the commercial capital city of the Indian state of Gujarat. Surat is India's Eighth most populous city and Ninth-most populous urban agglomeration. It is also administrative capital of Surat district and one of the fastest growing cities in India. The city proper...
on 24 August 1608. He had with him 25,000 pieces of gold and a personal letter to the Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
Emperor Jehangir (sometimes also rendered as Cehangir or Ichan Guire) from King James I
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
seeking trade concessions. He persisted for over two years, however Portuguese pirates stole his gold, and tried several times to murder him while on shore. He returned to England empty-handed.
The next envoy, Paul Canning, lasted only a few months.
Tenth voyage
The initial voyages of the English East India Company were not necessarily to India. Each voyage was almost a venture in itself, separately funded by issuance of subscription stock. An eighth voyage was led in 1611 by Captain John Saris to Japan. The ninth voyage (February 1612 – August 1615) was to India and SumatraSumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
.
The tenth voyage (1612–1614) on behalf of the English East India Company was led by Captain Thomas Best. It set out from Gravesend
Gravesend, Kent
Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, on the south bank of the Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. It is the administrative town of the Borough of Gravesham and, because of its geographical position, has always had an important role to play in the history and communications of this part of...
on 1 February 1612 passing via the present day Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
, then Daman on 3 September 1612 eventually reaching Surat
Surat
Surat , also known as Suryapur, is the commercial capital city of the Indian state of Gujarat. Surat is India's Eighth most populous city and Ninth-most populous urban agglomeration. It is also administrative capital of Surat district and one of the fastest growing cities in India. The city proper...
on 5 September 1612. Surat was the principal port for the Mughals, and was then situated at the mouth of the river Tapti.
Battle
Coincidentally, on 13 September 1612 a squadron of 16 Portuguese barks sailed into Surat. On 22 September 1612 Captain Best decided to send an emissary to the Emperor asking for permission to trade and settle a factory at Surat. If refused he planned to quit the country. This may have been partly because King James I had extended the Company's charter in 1609 on the basis that it would be cancelled if no profitable ventures were concluded within three years.On 30 September 1612 Captain Best got news that two of his men, Mr Canning (the purser
Purser
The purser joined the warrant officer ranks of the Royal Navy in the early fourteenth century and existed as a Naval rank until 1852. The development of the warrant officer system began in 1040 when five English ports began furnishing warships to King Edward the Confessor in exchange for certain...
) and William Chambers were arrested while on shore. Fearing the worst, Captain Best detained a ship belonging to the Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of Gujarat and offered to release it in exchange for his men.
On 10 October Captain Best and his ships sailed to Suvali, a small town about 12 miles North of Surat. This may have been because the Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
(Sardar Khan?) was battling a Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
rebellion at a fort situated in the town. Between 17–21 October, amidst negotiations he managed to obtain a treaty with the Governor allowing trading privileges, subject to ratification by the Emperor.
On 27 November, Captain Best was advised by his men on shore that a squadron of four Portuguese ships was sailing up to attack him.
The Portuguese ships (four great galleons and some twenty-six oared barks) arrived on the 28th, and anchored outside the roadstead placing the English vessels between themselves and the town.
A skirmish took place between the two navies on the 29th without much damage to either side.
At daylight on the 30 November, Captain Best in Red Dragon
Red Dragon (1595)
Scourge of Malice or Malice Scourge or Mare Scourge was a 38-gun ship ordered by George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland. It was built and launched at Deptford Dockyard in 1595. The Earl used it as his flagship during raids on the Spanish Main, where it provided additional force to support his...
sailed through the four larger Portuguese ships running three of them aground, and was joined by Hosiander on the other side. The Portuguese managed to get the three galleons refloated.
At 9pm that night in an attempt to set the English ships alight, a bark was sent towards them as a fire ship
Fire ship
A fire ship, used in the days of wooden rowed or sailing ships, was a ship filled with combustibles, deliberately set on fire and steered into an enemy fleet, in order to destroy ships, or to create panic and make the enemy break formation. Ships used as fire ships were usually old and worn out or...
. But the English watch was alert, and the bark was sunk by cannon fire with the loss of eight lives.
A standoff remained until the 5 December, when Captain Best sailed for the port of Diu.
Tenth voyage continues
On 6 January 1613, Captain Best received a letter from the Emperor ratifying the treaty, which was presented by the Governor. Captain Best then ordered one of his men, Anthony Starkey, on 16 January to leave for England, via land, carrying letters of their success. Mr Starkey was later poisoned by two Jesuit friars.Captain Best then continued on to Ceylon
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
on 18 January, and then onwards to Sumatra, before returning to England around April 1614 without returning to India.
Impact on Mughals
This event sufficiently impressed the Sardar (Governor) of Gujarat, who reported it to the Emperor. Thereafter the Emperor was more favourable towards the English than the Portuguese. Another factor that may have influenced him was that the Portuguese were very anti-IslamIslam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, and often harassed Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
-bound pilgrim ships along the West coast of India.
English East India Company
(Most references to this battle mention only the first 2 ships. James and Solomon were also part of the eighth voyage)- Red Dragon (1595)Red Dragon (1595)Scourge of Malice or Malice Scourge or Mare Scourge was a 38-gun ship ordered by George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland. It was built and launched at Deptford Dockyard in 1595. The Earl used it as his flagship during raids on the Spanish Main, where it provided additional force to support his...
- Hosiander
- James
- Solomon
Swally
The exact present day location of the port of Swally is unknown. The Times of India in an article dated 8 April 2003 reported that the Department of Archaeology of the University of Cambridge along with the Gujarat Ecological Society are planning a project to identify the port. It is estimated that the port is close to the modern day village of Suvali, 15–20 km away from Surat.The port was constructed by the English as they found it protected both from sudden squalls and military attacks. Besides, the English found it convenient to use the place for their early trade with Surat as Swally was navigable in low tides. There were several complications in using the ports at Surat as the French and the Portuguese also operated from there.
Mr. R Sengupta, the Chief Project Co-ordinator (coastal and marine ecology) of GES advised that, "The port was also better than those located in the mouth of river Tapti. The English did not allow anyone to use the port at Swally and used to charge duty for permission to do so."
Further reading
- Foster, William. The Voyage of Thomas Best to East Indies (1612–14), New Delhi:Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Ltd., 1997
External links
- Single view van Linschoten map – depicts the early Portuguese Re-Supply Point of St Helena in the south Atlantic: In Latin, Insula D. Helena sacra coeli……….Baptista a Doetichum sculp
- Robert Kerr's book at Project Gutenberg( The link is to volume 9.)
