The Ali Rajas of Cannanore: status and identity at the interface of
commercial and political expansion, 1663-1723
Mailaparambil, J.B.
Citation
Mailaparambil, J. B. (2007, December 12). The Ali Rajas of Cannanore: status and identity at the interface of commercial and political expansion, 1663-1723. Retrieved from
https://hdl.handle.net/1887/12488
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CONTENTS
Acknowledgements viii
Notes on place names x
Glossary xi
Explanation of the units of measurements xiii Introduction
Kolathunadu, 1663-1723 1
Sources 3
Historiographical antecedents 3 Analytical framework 7 Chapter One : The Geo-Political Setting of Kolathunadu
Introduction 9
Kolathunadu through the ages 10 Malabar: A regional perspective 12
Region within the region: The social world of Kolathunadu 18
Conclusion 26
Chapter Two : The Rajas of Kolathunadu
Introduction 28
The ‘state’ in pre-colonial Kerala 28 The ‘little kingdom’ model 30 The swarupam polity 32 The concept of sakti 34
Houses by the sea 37
The co-sharers of Kolathunadu 42 Lords of the horses 47
The Arackal Ali Rajas 50 Legitimacy and sakti 54
Conclusion 57
Chapter Three : Lords of the Sea
Introduction 59
The fifteenth century: Decline or continuity? 59 The sixteenth century: Changing port order in Malabar 61 The rise of the Mappila trading network in Cannanore 63 The Cannanore bazaar 66 The Cannanore thalassocracy 71
Cannanore and the commercial world of the Indian Ocean 74
Conclusion 87
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Chapter Four : Jan Company in Cannanore (1663-1723)
Introduction 89
The Malabar commercial scenario on the eve of the Dutch conquest90 The Dutch in Malabar 90
The Cannanore fort 92
Jan Company and the local political elites 97 Jan Company’s commercial policy in Cannanore 101
Conclusion 116
Chapter Five : The VOC Trade in Cannanore (1663-1723)
Introduction 118
The VOC trade in Cannanore: Export 118 The VOC trade in Cannanore: Imports 125 Into the hinterland of Cannanore 130
Conclusion 137
Chapter Six : Power Politics in Kolathunadu (1663-1697)
Drive towards centralization: Prince Ramathiri (1663-1673) 140 Unnithiri: The new contester for power 150 The Dutch ragiadoor-moor and the failure of the Cochin model 154 Run to the coast: Prince Unnithiri 161
Changing balance of power in Kolathunadu 166
Conclusion 168
Chapter Seven: The Coast Adrift: The Ali Raja and the Rise of new Maritime Powers (1698-1723)
Close encounters along the coast 171 The Ali Raja: Strengthening the position 177 New regime and the continuing power conflict 180 Alienating from the ritual centre: (a) Unnithiri 182 (b)The Ali Raja 185
Conclusion 189
Conclusion 191
Notes Appendices
1. Factors of the VOC settlement in Cannanore 192 2. The Kolathiris (1663-1723) 193
3. The ships of the Ali Rajas to Bengal (1700-1724) 186 4. 1st treaty between the Ali Raja and the VOC, 11 February 1664 187 5. The third treaty signed between the Ali Raja and the VOC 189
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6. The treaty between the Ali Raja and the English, 1668 191 7. The VOC Commanders of Malabar 193
Bibliography 194
Samenvating 206
Curriculum vitae 210
List of Figures
1. The VOC Trade in Cannanore Pepper (1663-1700) 114 2. The VOC Cardamom Export from Cannanore (1699-1723) 116 3. Japanese Copper import to Cannanore (1702-1723) 122 4. The VOC in Cannanore: Income and Expenditure-1663-1723 130 List of Illustrations
1. The Dutch Settlement in Cannanore in the early eighteenth century xvi List of Maps
1. Cannanore and its Hinterland xiv 2. Kerala in the eighteenth century xv
List of Tables
1. The Dutch East India Company’s Pepper trade in Cannanore (1663-1723) 115 2. The Dutch East India Company’s cardamom export from Malabar (1700 –1723) 118
