The Portuguese in the Mutapa

Aims of the Portuguese

• To trade.
• To mine..
• Spreading Christianity.
• To colonize Mutapa.
• To push out Muslims.
• To replace Swahili trade.
• To find pastor John

Names of some Portuguese men who were in Mutapa

• Fernendez
• Silveira
• Vasco Homen
• Pereira
• Casado
• Fransesco Barreto.

Trade centres/Market places

• Massapa
• Luance
• Dambarare
• Rimuka
• Tete
• Zumbo
• Chitomborwizi
• Manyika
• Bukutu
• Masekesa.

Economic activities of the Portuguese

• Farming
• Mining
• Livestock keeping
• Hunting
• Raiding
• Trade
• Gathering

Methods used by the Portuguese to gain control of the Mutapa state

• Forced the king to expel Swahili traders.
• Established trade post
• Took control of the trade in Mutapa.
• Controlled mining.
• Took part in civil wars.
• Use of brutality.
• Send Munhumutapas to India.
• Portuguese names were given to Africans.
• Helped to install puppet rulers.
• Introduced prazo system
• Took large areas of land.
• Signed treaties with Gatsi Rusere.
• Forced Africans to pay tribute.
• Refused to pay curva.
• Practiced intermarriage.
• Slave trade was introduced.

Duties of Captain of Gates

• Link between the Mutapas and the Portuguese.
• He was an interpretor.
• Submitted curva from the king of the Portuguese.
• Dealt with matters concerning the Portuguese.
• Brought peace between Shona and Portuguese.
• Collected Curva.
• Brought peace between Shona and Portuguese.
• Represented the govt of portugues.
• He handed over from govt of port to Munhumutapa.
• Link between the port gvt and the Mutapa state.

Prazo system

• prazo means land or estate.
• Prazeros means the estate holder. They grew crops like maize.
• New fruits were introduced eg apples.
• Introduced crop rotation.
• Mined minerals like gold.
• They gathered and fished.
• Hunted Elephants with private armies called chikunda.
• Prazeros were rude and lawless.

Political activities of the Portuguese

• Silveira baptized Negomo Mupunzagutu. In 1561 after the death of Silveira, the Portuguese declared war on Mutapa.
• The govt of Portugal sent an army with Barreto to revenge Silveira’s death.The invasion was unsuccessful because of army reasons like
  • Heat
  • Malaria.
  • Heavy clothes
  • Fiver
  • Lack of knowledge of the place
  • The Portuguese were attacked by the Maravi.
• Another army was sent , led by Vasco Homen, it was also unsuccessful
• They helped weak claimants like Mavhuramhande come to power
• The Portuguese signed treaties with the puppet rulers.

Allience with Gatsi Rusere

• The Portuguese helped Rusere to come to power in 1596.
• They helped him against attacks by Maravi Kingdom.Portugues promised to suppress rebelions in the Mutapan state and in return, Rusere gave them rights to mine and take land.
• They got hunting rights.
• They were allowed to trade freely.
• Rusere’s sons were sent to India for education.
• Rusere agreed to ban Muslims.

The allience with Mavhuramhande

• The Portuguese helped Mavhura against Kapararidze in a civil war.
• The Portuguese were allowed to trade freely.
• Portuguese missionaries were allowed to build churches.
• They were allowed to build schools.
• The captain of the gates was given authority over everyone in the area, black or white.

By: T.Titus Nyakudyara
Twitter: @NyakudyaraTitus

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