© Andrzej Philips
In 1938, Portugal issued stamps for its colonies depicting the history of the Portuguese Colonial Empire. Stamps were issued for Guinea, Sao Tome (in 1939 with the inscription Sao Tome e Principe, i.e. Saint Thomas and Principe), Angola, Mozambique, India, Timor and Macau. The stamps depict Vasco da Gama, Mousinho de Albuquerque (cavalry officer, Governor General of Mozambique), Alfonso de Albuquerque (Portuguese sailor, explorer and conqueror, viceroy of India) and the dam (as an illustration of the development of the colony) and Prince Henry the Navigator (considered to be the founder of the colonial Portuguese Empire).
Below is the full set of stamps released for Mozambique.
I was particularly intrigued by the inscriptions on both sides of the
stamp depicting Vacsco Da Gama. While the inscription "1497-1498 descoberta
caminho maritimo India" is completely understandable (discovery of the sea
route to India), as is "1502 2o Viagem India" (second journey to
India). The inscription "1524 Vice-Rei India" also does not pose any
problems. (1524 – Vaco da Gama becomes Vice-King of India).
P. GAMA it is Paulo da Gama (born before 1469, died 1499 in the Azores)
- Portuguese sailor and explorer, son of Estêvão da Gama, older brother of
Vasco da Gama. He participated in the expedition to India led by his brother in
1498 and was the captain of the ship São Rafael. He died on the way back, the
day after the ships arrived in the Azores[1].
N. COELHO it is Nicolau Coelho, Portuguese navigator and explorer. He participated in Vasco da Gama's discovery of the route to India, where he commanded the Berrio[2], the first caravel to return; he was the captain of a ship in the fleet commanded by Pedro Álvares Cabral that landed in Brazil[3].
INHAMBANE - a city in Mozambique, founded by Swahili merchants, having been visited by the Portuguese for the first turn in January 1498, when Vasco da Gama's armada there arrived to supply himself and, at the good welcoming the population , he called it "land of good people".[4]
QUELIMANE - a city in Mozambique, It was an important swahili commercial center, when the Portuguese arrived there in 1498, more specifically Vasco da Gama in his first trip to India.[5]
MALINDE - a city in Kenya. When Vasco da Gama found resistance in Mozambique and Mombasa, Malinde opened the doors at hope to find the Portuguese as good allies for your ambition for hegemony.[6]
IDAAÇOUTADA – probably an abbreviation of I. (ilha - island) Açoutada[7], the Whipped Island (probably by the winds). It is an island in the Kerimba archipelago ( Ilha do Açoutado being the southernmost, Kiziwa ) off Cabo Delgado.[8]
The Quirimbas Islands (Visiwa vya Kirimba, in Swahili) lie in the western Indian Ocean off northeastern Mozambique, close to Pemba, the capital of the province of Cabo Delgado . The archipelago consists of about 32 islands, including Ibo, Matemo, Medjumbe, Quirimba Metundo, Quisiva, Vamizi Island and Rolas Island all going up to the border of the Tanzanian region of Mtwara.[9]
Kerimba Islands [10]
CAPACOTE[11],[12] – a place in India:
Kappad or Koyilndy.
Kappad, or Kappakadavu, is a well-known beach near Calicut in Kerala, India, where
On May 27, 1498, the
Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama landed with his expedition.
The landing there is
commemorated by a small stone monument with the inscription "Vasco da Gama
has landed here, Kappakadavu, in the year 1498.” His expedition opened to Europe the sea route to the goods of the
Malabar coast and resulted in the establishment of European domination over India for about 450 years. At that time, the
Malabar coast was ruled by the Zamorins (Samoothiris), who warmly welcomed Vasco da Gama. Malabar was an
abundant source of spices and produced many textile products. Nowadays it is one of the most important tourist
destinations in Kerala, with a wide
and beautiful beach[13].
.jpg)
The Vasco da Gama memorial at Kappad near Kozhikode.[14]
“Vasco-da-Gama landed here, Kappkadavu , in the year 1498,” says an inscription
at the Vasco-da-Gama memorial at Kappad beach near Kozhikode[15]. Schoolchildren in the
State[16] are taught the same
through history books too — that Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama first landed
in the country at Kappad beach on May 20, 1498.
Recent research, however, suggests that the explorer may have landed at Koyilandy in Kozhikode district. “Research in the last two decades or so has shown that Gama landed at Koyilandy, and not Kappad as is widely believed here,” says historian M.G.S. Narayanan. Prof. Narayanan says accounts written by those who accompanied Gama to Kerala’s shores have been deciphered and translated in the last few years. “These say that the group landed at Koyilandi,” he says.[17]
P.O. ALENQUER it is Pero de Alenquer, who was a 15th-century Portuguese explorer of the African coast.Pero was born in Alenquer. He accompanied Bartolomeu Dias on his journey around the Cape of Good Hope in 1487/1488. He was the pilot of Vasco da Gama 's flagship[18] on the latter's first voyage to India and later he wrote about it.[19]
J.COIMBRA it is João de Coimbra, who was pilot on the author's ship, the São Rafael.
João de Coimbra (born between 1430 and 1440) was a pilot and navigator. It is known that João de Coimbra was part of Vasco da Gama 's armada during the discovery of the sea route to India. In this expedition, João de Coimbra was one of the members of the armada, where he was ship pilot and navigator on the ship São Rafael, while the vessel he was under the command of Paulo da Gama, the older of Vasco da Gama[20].
ESCOBAR it is Pêro (Pedro) Escobar. He was a 15th-century Portuguese navigator who discovered São Tomé (December 21, 1471), Annobón (January 1, 1472), Príncipe (January 17, 1472 ) islands, together with João de Santarém and Fernão do Pó[21]. It is also noted that he
sailed with Diogo Cão on his first voyage in 1482, and as the pilot
of the famous Bérrio caravel on Vasco da Gama 's first expedition in 1497 to sail directly from
Europe to India. He was also on Pedro Álvares
Cabral 's discovery of
Brazil in 1500[22].
So many interesting things can
be read from one stamp !
[1] Polish wikipedia
[2]
Bérrio was one of the ships of Vasco da Gama's expedition that discovered a sea
route to India [Portuguese Wikipedia]. It was named because it was purchased
from D. Manuel Bérrio, a valued pilot and shipowner during the reign of D.
Manuel I [Infopedia].
[3]
Portuguese wikipedia
[4]
Portuguese wikipedia
[5]
Portuguese wikipedia
[6]
Portuguese wikipedia
[7]
wikipedia
[7] Special
thanks to Luis Ferrão from Lisbon for helping to decipher this inscription.
[8]
Freeman-Greenville, GSP, “Kerimba”, in: Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition,
Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C. E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel, W. P.
Heinrichs
[9]
English wikipedia
[10] Map
- Quirimbas National Park, Mozambique (travelhappinesslife.blogspot.com)
[11] Two
daies after that, Don Vasco had placed his ships in the port of Capacote, there
came for him a seruant of Portuguese Wikipedia São Gabriel (Saint Gabriel) The
Hindu, May 24, 2013 In: A discourse of the nauigation which the Portuguese doe
make to the realmes and prouinces of the eastern parts of the world and of the
knowledge that grows by them of the great things, which are in the dominions of
China. English Wikipedia Portuguese Wikipedia the king to bring him too his
presence who they cal.” Portuguese Wikipedia Written by Barnardine of
Escalanta, of the realme of Galisia priest. Translated out of Spanish into
English, by Iohn Frampton. Author: Escalante, Bernardino de, 16th cent.
Imprinted in London: At the three Cranes in the Vinetree, by Thomas Dawson,
1579. Published online: Early English books online text creation partnership.
Navigations series.
[12]
Capua, Kappatt (Barros I.iv.8 and n. 65 "Capocate"). Pandarane,
Pantalayini-Kollam, 14 miles northeast of Calicut; The copyist who first wrote
padna ndarramj apparently did not know this name. Relato da Viagem de
Descobrimento do Caminho Marítimo para a Índia, p. 30, Portal Alvaro Velho.
[13]
Portuguese wikipedia
[14]
Photo from the article: Nidhi Surendranath, Vasco da Gama set foot at Koyilandy
not Kappad, says historian, “The Hindu”, May 24, 2013
[15]
Kozhikode, formerly Calcuta (Kolkata)
[16]
Kozhikode is located in the state of Kerala
[17]
Nidhi Surendranath, Vasco da Gama set foot at Koyilandy not Kappad, says
historian, “The Hindu”, May 24, 2013
[18] São Gabriel ship
[19] Portuguese wikipedia
[20] Portuguese wikipedia
[21] Portuguese wikipedia
[22] English wikipedia
