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The Ali Rajas of Cannanore and the Political Economy of Malabar (1663-1723)

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The Ali Rajas of Cannanore and the Political Economy of Malabar (1663-1723) The Ali Rajas of Cannanore and the Political Economy of Malabar (1663-1723) By Binu John Mailaparambil BRILL LEIDEN . BOSTON 2012 CONTENTS Acknowledgements xiii Glossary xv Notes on place and personal names xvii Notes on weights and currencies in Cannanore xviii Maps xix Introduction ] Kolathunadu, 1663-1723 2 Sources 3 Historiographical antecedents 4 Analytical framework 6 Chapter One: The Geo-Political Setting of Kolathunadu 9 Kolathunadu through the ages 9 Malabar: a regional perspective 11 Region within the region: the social world of Kolathunadu 16 Brahmanism in Kolathunadu 18 Nayars as local elites 18 Other social groups 19 Mercantile groups in Kolathunadu 21 Conclusion 22 Chapter Two: The Rajas of Kolathunadu 25 The 'state' in pre-colonial Kerala 25 The 'little kingdom' model 26 The stvarupam polity 28 The concept of sakti 30 Houses by the sea 33 The co-sharers of Kolathunadu 37 Lords of the horses 41 The Arackal Ali Rajas 44 Legitimacy and sakti 47 Conclusion 50 Chapter Three: Lords of the Sea 53 The fifteenth century: decline or continuity? 53 The sixteenth century: changing port order in Malabar 54 The rise of the Mappila trading network in Cannanore 57 x CONTENTS The Cannanore Bazaar 59 The Cannanore thalassocracy 63 Cannanore and the commercial world of the Indian Ocean 66 1. The Arabian Sea 67 2. Ceylon, Coromandel, Bengal, and South-East Asia 71 3. Asian traders in Cannanore 73 4. Cannanore exports 74 5. Cannanore imports 75 Conclusion * 77 Chapter Four: Jan Company in Cannanore (1663—1723) 81 The Malabar commercial scenario on the eve of the Dutch conquests 81 The Dutch in Malabar 82 The Cannanore fort 83 The Dutch garrison in Cannanore 85 Jan Company and the local political elites 87 The Dutch and the local political practice of gift-giving 88 The Company and local communicators 89 Jan Company's commercial policy in Cannanore 90 The Company and local commercial partners 91 Jan Company and its rivals in trade 94 The Mappila merchants of Cannanore 95 Maritime control system and its failure 96 The English and the French 99 Conclusion 102 Chapter Five: The VOC Trade in Cannanore (1663-1723) 105 The VOC trade in Cannanore: exports 105 1. Pepper 105 2. Cardamom 109 3. Timber 112 4. Ambergris, wild cinnamon, and coconut products 113 The VOC trade in Cannanore: imports 113 1. Opium 113 2. Japanese copper 115 3. Cotton 115 4. Horses and elephants 117 5. Spices and other small-quantity merchandise 117 Into the hinterland of Cannanore 118 Conclusion 125 CONTENTS xi Chapter Six: Power Politics in Kolathunadu (1663-1697) 127 Drive towards centralization: Prince Ramathiri (1663—1673) 128 Ramathiri and the Company: early contact 129 For the sake of trade: the Ali Raja's Mangalore mission and its failure 130 Growing tension: Ramathiri and the VOC 131 Changing commercial atmosphere and shifting strategies: the Ali Raja and the Company 132 Conflicting interests: Ramathiri versus the VOC 133 The fall of Ramathiri 134 Political restructuring in Kolaswarupam: the (re)invention of tradition 136 Unnithiri: the new contester for power 137 Competition for Kottakunnu: the Ali Raja and the VOC 138 An anti-Ali Raja alliance in the making 139 The Dutch ragiadoor-moor and the failure of the Cochin model 141 The Ali Raja's political setback in Dharmapatanam 144 Changing attitude of the VOC towards the Ali Raja 145 Run to the coast: Prince Unnithiri 146 A miscarried attack: the Mappila attack on the VOC fort in Cannanore 147 Threat from the sea: the Maratha 'pirates' and Cannanore politics 148 The growing tension 'within': the Ali Raja and the princes 149 Changing balance of power in Kolathunadu 150 The death of the Kolathiri and the increasing political confusion in Kolathunadu 152 Conclusion 153 Chapter Seven: The Coast Adrift: The Ali Raja and the Rise of New Maritime Powers (1698-1723) 155 Close encounters along the coast 156 Trans-regional alliance against the Ikkeri Nayaka: resurgence of the border conflict 157 The Vazhunnavar of Vadakara versus the Ali Raj 159 The Ali Raja: strengthening the position 161 New regime and the continuing power conflict 164 Alienating from the Kolathiris 165 1. Unnithiri 165 2. The Ali Raja 167 Conclusion xii CONTENTS Conclusion 173 Notes 179 Appendices 1. Factors of the VOC Settlement in Cannanore 229 2. The Kolathiris (1663-1723) and the Ali Rajas (1663-1723) 230 3. The Ships of the Ali Rajas to Bengal (1700-1724) 231 4. The First Treaty between the Ali Raja-and the VOC, 11 February 1664 232 5. The Third Treaty signed between the Ali Raja and the VOC, 9 April 1680 234 6. The Treaty between the Ali Raja and the English, 1668 236 7. The VOC Commanders of Malabar (1663-1723) 238 Bibliography 239 Index 251 List of Maps 1. Seventeenth-Century Kerala xix 2. Cannanore and its Hinterland xx List of Tables 1. The VOC's Pepper Trade in Cannanore (1663-1706) 108 2. The VOC's Cardamom Export from Malabar (1699/1700-1722/1723) 112 List of Figures 1. The VOC Trade in Cannanore Pepper (1663-1700) 106 2. The VOC's Cardamom Export from Malabar (1699/1700-1722/1723) 110 3. Japanese Copper Import to Cannanore by the VOC (1702/1703-1722/1723) 116 4. The VOC in Cannanore: Income and Expenditure (1663-1723) 124.
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