The Mughal–Portuguese War of 1692–1693Alexandre Lobato: ''Relações Luso-Maratas 1658-1737'', Centro de Estudos Históricos Ultramarinos, Lisboa, 1965, pp. 35-36. was a brief conflict between the Moghal Empire and

Portuguese India The State of India ( pt, Estado da Índia), also referred as the Portuguese State of India (''Estado Português da Índia'', EPI) or simply Portuguese India (), was a state of the Portuguese Empire founded six years after the discovery of a se ...

, launched by the Mughal general Matabar Khan against the Portuguese in

Vasai (Bassein) Vasai (Konkani and Marathi pronunciation: �əsəi formerly and alternatively Mahratti; ''Bajipur'', English: Bassein; Portuguese: Baçaim), is a historical place and City near Mumbai (Bombay)'s western suburbs, located in Palghar district ...

, near present-day

Mumbai (Bombay) Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...

Background

In 1693, during the

Mughal–Maratha Wars The Mughal–Maratha Wars, sometimes referred to as a whole as the Deccan War, the Maratha War of Independence, or the Twenty-Seven Years' War were a set of wars fought between the Mughal Empire and the Maratha Empire from 1680 until the death ...

the region of

Konkan The Konkan ( kok, कोंकण) or Kokan () is a stretch of land by the western coast of India, running from Damaon in the north to Karwar in the south; with the Arabian Sea to the west and the Deccan plateau in the east. The hinterland ...

served as a base of Maratha activities since it was suitable for launching raids against the Mughals in

Deccan The large Deccan Plateau in South India, southern India is located between the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats, and is loosely defined as the peninsular region between these ranges that is south of the Narmada river. To the north, it is bou ...

. One of these refuges for Marathas was the fort of Sidhgarh (29 miles southeast of

Mahuli Mahuli is an area of the Indian state of Maharashtra, covering about 6km. It is approximately 75km north-east of Mumbai in the 421601 postcode. Features Mahuli Fort, located 2815 ft above sea level, is a popular trekking and rock clim ...

, the Mughal general Matabar khan after waiting for six months, they captured the fort on 20 October, upon hearing this loss, the Maratha generals Khandoji Kadam and Damaji Naryan led a force from

Rajmachi Rajmachi Fort (Killa) is one of the many historical forts in the rugged hills of Sahyadri mountains (Western Ghats). It consists of two twin fortresses Shrivardhan Fort, Shriwardhan and Manaranjan Fort, Manaranjan, with a wide machi (plateau) ...

and blockaded Sidhgarh by occupying the village below the fort, Mughal reinforcement arrived and expelled the Marathas after a heavy fight. The escaping Marathas found shelter in Portuguese territories after bribing the local Portuguese governor, the Portuguese started supplying them and giving shelter to Maratha families as well, the general of

Salsette Island Salsette Island is an island in Konkan division of the state of Maharashtra on India's west coast. Administratively known as Greater Mumbai, the city district of Mumbai, Mumbai Suburban District, Mira Bhayander and a portion of Thane lie withi ...

Tristao de Mello favored the Marathas

Course of hostilities

The Portuguese denied the Mughals permission to cross their territory to attack the Marathas. Having learned of the Portuguese acts, Matabar khan launched an attack against them, a strong detachment invaded their holdings in Konkan, and he drove the native peasants into the Mughal side and captured many of the enemy families whenever found, the Portuguese attempted to offer a fight but were routed after a severe battle, he captured two forts according to

Khafi Khan Muhammad Hashim (c. 1664–1732), better known by his title Khafi Khan, was an Indo-Persian historian of Mughal India. His career began about 1693–1694 as a clerk in Bombay. He served predominantly in Gujarat and the Deccan regions, including th ...

the Mughals then chased the retreating Portuguese in Bassein, they set the church outside of Bassein to fire and halted at Bahadurpura asking

Aurangzeb Muhi al-Din Muhammad (; – 3 March 1707), commonly known as ( fa, , lit=Ornament of the Throne) and by his regnal title Alamgir ( fa, , translit=ʿĀlamgīr, lit=Conqueror of the World), was the sixth emperor of the Mughal Empire, ruling ...

to lend him more reinforcements to attack Bassein and other forts. The domestic enemies of the Portuguese took advantage of this and sided with the Mughals as the inhabitants of

Uran Uran is a coastal town and part of Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra state in Konkan division. It lies in the Raigad district, east of Mumbai across the Dharamtar Creek. Uran is primarily a fishing and agriculture village, which has developed into the ...

did. The viceroy of Goa sent a letter to Aurangzeb and presents to his minister and servants.S.R. Sharma, p, 552 It was not difficult for the viceroy to obtain the cessation of hostilities by a diplomatic manner, remembering to the Mughals the longstanding relations between them and military cooperation in a previous conflict. The viceroy denied any involvement with the Marathas, which the Mughals accepted. Aurangzeb ordered the cessation of the war and the release of the Portuguese prisoners as a quarrel with Europeans would hinder the trade and diminish his revenues, Matabar attempted to reverse this by explaining his conduct but failed.

References

{{reflist Battles involving Portuguese India Bassein Bassein 17th century in Portuguese India Bassein 1693 in Asia 1690s in the Mughal Empire 1693 in the Portuguese Empire

Background

Course of hostilities

See also

References