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In the early 16th century, which European power tried to make the pepper trade of the Malabar coast a royal monopoly, controlled by its king?

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Answer: Option D — The Portuguese

Detailed Solution

In the early 16th century, the Portuguese tried to make the pepper trade of the Malabar coast a royal monopoly, controlled by the Portuguese Crown.

Background:

  • Pepper and other spices from India were in great demand in Europe, where they were used to flavour and preserve food.
  • Before the Portuguese arrived, the spice trade was controlled by Arab and Indian merchants, who sent spices to Europe through the Red Sea and the Mediterranean, where Venetian merchants distributed them.
  • In 1498, Vasco da Gama reached Calicut, opening a direct sea route from Europe to India around Africa.

The Portuguese monopoly:

  • The Portuguese wanted to control the spice trade by force, cutting out the Arab and Venetian traders.
  • The King of Portugal declared the trade in pepper and other spices a royal monopoly; only the Portuguese Crown (through the "Casa da India" in Lisbon) could trade in these goods.
  • They set up fortified trading posts (factories) along the coast, at Cochin, Cannanore and Goa.
  • They introduced the "cartaz" system: all ships in the Indian Ocean had to buy a pass (cartaz) from the Portuguese, and ships without a pass could be seized.
  • They tried to force local rulers to sell pepper only to them at low prices.
  • Their naval strength allowed them to dominate the Indian Ocean in the 16th century.

Problems:

  • The monopoly was never complete; much pepper continued to be smuggled to the Red Sea.
  • Portuguese officials engaged in private trade and corruption.
  • The Zamorin of Calicut and other rulers resisted them.

Decline:

  • In the 17th century, the Dutch and the English broke the Portuguese monopoly.
  • The Dutch took over the spice trade of the East Indies and the Malabar coast.

NCERT on the Portuguese:

NCERT notes that the Portuguese tried to control the trade in spices and that Indian merchants had to adapt to the new situation.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗The Dutch, English and French came later and did not set up a royal monopoly of this kind in the early 16th century.

Quick tip

Remember: Portuguese = royal monopoly of the pepper trade (Casa da India, Lisbon) and the cartaz (pass) system; Vasco da Gama reached Calicut in 1498.

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Arrival of Europeans & Expansion of British Rule — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Arrival of Europeans & Expansion of British Rule, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

This topic covers the arrival of the Portuguese, Dutch, English, Danes and French in India, the growth of the East India Company, and the battles, wars and treaties through which British power expanded, including the Battles of Plassey and Buxar, the Anglo-Mysore, Anglo-Maratha and Anglo-Sikh wars, and policies such as subsidiary alliance and the doctrine of lapse. Typical questions ask which battle was fought in which year and between whom, which treaty ended which war, and which Governor-General introduced a policy. For example, the Battle of Plassey (1757) was fought between Robert Clive and Siraj-ud-Daulah, and the Treaty of Allahabad (1765) gave the Company the diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. Practise the arrival of Europeans and expansion of British rule questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

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