Madre de Deus
Encyclopedia
Madre de Deus was a Portuguese
ship, renowned for her fabulous cargo, which stoked the English
appetite for trade with the Far East, then a Portuguese monopoly.
In 1592, by virtue of the Iberian Union
, the Anglo-Portuguese Treaty of 1373
was in abeyance, and as the Anglo–Spanish War was still ongoing, Portuguese shipping was a fair target for the Royal Navy
. That year, a six-member naval squadron was waiting off the Azores
to intercept Spanish
shipping from the New World
when a Portuguese fleet came their way near Corvo Island
. The English forced the Santa Cruz ashore, taking whatever goods the Portuguese had failed to retrieve from her burnt-out hull. Under threat of torture, they also forced her purser and two foreign gunners to reveal that further carrack
s were on their way.
One of these was Madre de Deus, returning from the East Indies
and headed for Lisbon
. Built in Lisbon in 1589, she was returning from her second voyage East. She was 165 feet in length, had 47 feet of beam, weighed 1,600 tons (of which 900 were cargo) — three times the size of England's biggest ship. She had seven decks, thirty-two guns in addition to other arms, 600 to 700 crew members, a gilded superstructure and a hold filled with treasure. On August 15 or 19 (sources vary), the English took her after a fierce day-long battle near Flores Island in which many Portuguese sailors were killed; the decks were bloody and strewn with bodies when the English boarded, especially around the helm. Still, Burrough spared Captain Fernão de Mendonça Furtado and the rest of the wounded, sending them ashore to the Azores.
Among these riches were chests filled with jewels and pearls, gold and silver coins, ambergris
, rolls of the highest-quality cloth, fine tapestries, 425 tons of pepper
, 45 tons of clove
s, 35 tons of cinnamon
, 3 tons of mace
and 3 of nutmeg
, 2.5 tons of benjamin (a highly aromatic balsamic resin used for perfumes and medicines), 25 tons of cochineal
and 15 tons of ebony
. The English crew had stuffed their pockets full of these goods before their squadron commander, Sir John Burroughs
, could take charge of the cargo.
There was also a document, printed at Macau
in 1590, containing valuable information on the China
and Japan
trade; Hakluyt
observes that it was "enclosed in a case of sweet Cedar wood, and lapped up almost an hundredfold in fine Calicut-cloth, as though it had been some incomparable jewel".
The ship docked at Dartmouth
harbor on September 7, towering over the other ships and the town's small houses. Nothing like it had ever been seen in England and pandemonium broke loose. Madre de Deus attracted all manner of traders, dealers, cutpurses and thieves from miles around, and even from as far as London
and beyond; they visited the floating castle and sought out drunken sailors in taverns and pubs, buying, stealing, pinching and fighting for the takings. Local fishermen as well would constantly venture aboard and back to shore, further depleting the cargo.
English law at the time provided that a large share of the loot was owed to the sovereign, and when Queen Elizabeth
found out what was happening, she sent Sir Walter Raleigh
to reclaim her money and punish the looters. Sir Walter swore, "If I meet any of them coming up, if it be upon the wildest heath in all the way, I mean to strip them as naked as they were ever born, for Her Majesty has been robbed and that of the most rare things."
By the time Raleigh had restored order, a cargo estimated at half a million pounds
(nearly half the size of England's treasury and perhaps the second-largest treasure ever after the Ransom of Atahualpa
) had been reduced to £140,000. Still, ten freighters were needed to carry the treasure around the coast and up the River Thames
to London.
This foretaste of the riches of the East galvanized English interest in the region. It also taught them a more practical lesson, as some years later, when a rich ship was captured and brought into the Thames for unloading, the Dockers were made to dress in "suits of canvas doublet without pockets".
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
ship, renowned for her fabulous cargo, which stoked the English
Kingdom of England
The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England...
appetite for trade with the Far East, then a Portuguese monopoly.
In 1592, by virtue of the Iberian Union
Iberian Union
The Iberian union was a political unit that governed all of the Iberian Peninsula south of the Pyrenees from 1580–1640, through a dynastic union between the monarchies of Portugal and Spain after the War of the Portuguese Succession...
, the Anglo-Portuguese Treaty of 1373
Anglo-Portuguese Treaty of 1373
The Anglo-Portuguese Treaty of 1373 was signed between King Edward III of England and King Ferdinand and Queen Eleanor of Portugal. It established a treaty of "perpetual friendships, unions [and] alliances" between the two seafaring nations...
was in abeyance, and as the Anglo–Spanish War was still ongoing, Portuguese shipping was a fair target for the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
. That year, a six-member naval squadron was waiting off the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
to intercept Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
shipping from the New World
New World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
when a Portuguese fleet came their way near Corvo Island
Corvo Island
Corvo Island , literally the Island of the Crow, is the smallest and the northernmost island of the Azores archipelago and the northernmost in Macaronesia, with a population of approximately 468 inhabitants constituting the smallest single municipality in Azores and in Portugal.-History:A small...
. The English forced the Santa Cruz ashore, taking whatever goods the Portuguese had failed to retrieve from her burnt-out hull. Under threat of torture, they also forced her purser and two foreign gunners to reveal that further carrack
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 were on their way.
One of these was Madre de Deus, returning from 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 headed for Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
. Built in Lisbon in 1589, she was returning from her second voyage East. She was 165 feet in length, had 47 feet of beam, weighed 1,600 tons (of which 900 were cargo) — three times the size of England's biggest ship. She had seven decks, thirty-two guns in addition to other arms, 600 to 700 crew members, a gilded superstructure and a hold filled with treasure. On August 15 or 19 (sources vary), the English took her after a fierce day-long battle near Flores Island in which many Portuguese sailors were killed; the decks were bloody and strewn with bodies when the English boarded, especially around the helm. Still, Burrough spared Captain Fernão de Mendonça Furtado and the rest of the wounded, sending them ashore to the Azores.
Among these riches were chests filled with jewels and pearls, gold and silver coins, ambergris
Ambergris
Ambergris is a solid, waxy, flammable substance of a dull gray or blackish color produced in the digestive system of and regurgitated or secreted by sperm whales....
, rolls of the highest-quality cloth, fine tapestries, 425 tons of pepper
Cubeb
Cubeb , or tailed pepper, is a plant in genus Piper, cultivated for its fruit and essential oil. It is mostly grown in Java and Sumatra, hence sometimes called Java pepper. The fruits are gathered before they are ripe, and carefully dried...
, 45 tons of clove
Clove
Cloves are the aromatic dried flower buds of a tree in the family Myrtaceae. Cloves are native to the Maluku islands in Indonesia and used as a spice in cuisines all over the world...
s, 35 tons of cinnamon
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several trees from the genus Cinnamomum that is used in both sweet and savoury foods...
, 3 tons of mace
Nutmeg
The nutmeg tree is any of several species of trees in genus Myristica. The most important commercial species is Myristica fragrans, an evergreen tree indigenous to the Banda Islands in the Moluccas of Indonesia...
and 3 of nutmeg
Nutmeg
The nutmeg tree is any of several species of trees in genus Myristica. The most important commercial species is Myristica fragrans, an evergreen tree indigenous to the Banda Islands in the Moluccas of Indonesia...
, 2.5 tons of benjamin (a highly aromatic balsamic resin used for perfumes and medicines), 25 tons of cochineal
Cochineal
The cochineal is a scale insect in the suborder Sternorrhyncha, from which the crimson-colour dye carmine is derived. A primarily sessile parasite native to tropical and subtropical South America and Mexico, this insect lives on cacti from the genus Opuntia, feeding on plant moisture and...
and 15 tons of ebony
Ebony
Ebony is a dense black wood, most commonly yielded by several species in the genus Diospyros, but ebony may also refer to other heavy, black woods from unrelated species. Ebony is dense enough to sink in water. Its fine texture, and very smooth finish when polished, make it valuable as an...
. The English crew had stuffed their pockets full of these goods before their squadron commander, Sir John Burroughs
Sir John Burroughs
Sir John Burroughs or "Borough" was a 17th-century English soldier and military commander in the protestant army commanded by Horace Vere in the Palatinate, during the Eighty Years' War and the Thirty Years' War....
, could take charge of the cargo.
There was also a document, printed at Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
in 1590, containing valuable information on the China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
trade; Hakluyt
Richard Hakluyt
Richard Hakluyt was an English writer. He is principally remembered for his efforts in promoting and supporting the settlement of North America by the English through his works, notably Divers Voyages Touching the Discoverie of America and The Principal Navigations, Voiages, Traffiques and...
observes that it was "enclosed in a case of sweet Cedar wood, and lapped up almost an hundredfold in fine Calicut-cloth, as though it had been some incomparable jewel".
The ship docked at Dartmouth
Dartmouth, Devon
Dartmouth is a town and civil parish in the English county of Devon. It is a tourist destination set on the banks of the estuary of the River Dart, which is a long narrow tidal ria that runs inland as far as Totnes...
harbor on September 7, towering over the other ships and the town's small houses. Nothing like it had ever been seen in England and pandemonium broke loose. Madre de Deus attracted all manner of traders, dealers, cutpurses and thieves from miles around, and even from as far as London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and beyond; they visited the floating castle and sought out drunken sailors in taverns and pubs, buying, stealing, pinching and fighting for the takings. Local fishermen as well would constantly venture aboard and back to shore, further depleting the cargo.
English law at the time provided that a large share of the loot was owed to the sovereign, and when Queen Elizabeth
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
found out what was happening, she sent Sir Walter Raleigh
Walter Raleigh
Sir Walter Raleigh was an English aristocrat, writer, poet, soldier, courtier, spy, and explorer. He is also well known for popularising tobacco in England....
to reclaim her money and punish the looters. Sir Walter swore, "If I meet any of them coming up, if it be upon the wildest heath in all the way, I mean to strip them as naked as they were ever born, for Her Majesty has been robbed and that of the most rare things."
By the time Raleigh had restored order, a cargo estimated at half a million pounds
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
(nearly half the size of England's treasury and perhaps the second-largest treasure ever after the Ransom of Atahualpa
Atahualpa
Atahualpa, Atahuallpa, Atabalipa, or Atawallpa , was the last Sapa Inca or sovereign emperor of the Tahuantinsuyu, or the Inca Empire, prior to the Spanish conquest of Peru...
) had been reduced to £140,000. Still, ten freighters were needed to carry the treasure around the coast and up the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
to London.
This foretaste of the riches of the East galvanized English interest in the region. It also taught them a more practical lesson, as some years later, when a rich ship was captured and brought into the Thames for unloading, the Dockers were made to dress in "suits of canvas doublet without pockets".
External links
- "The Presence of the "Portugals" in Macau and Japan in Richard Hakluyt's Navigations", Rogério Miguel Puga, Bulletin of Portuguese/Japanese Studies, vol. 5, December 2002, pp. 81-116. Model of the ship