Encounters on the Opposite Coast European Expansion and Indigenous Response

Encounters on the Opposite Coast European Expansion and Indigenous Response Editor-in-Chief George Bryan Souza (University of Texas, San Antonio) Editorial Board Catia Antunes (Leiden University) Joao Paulo Oliveira e Costa (Cham, Universidade Nova de Lisboa) Frank Dutra (University of California, Santa Barbara) Kris Lane (Tulane University) Pedro Machado (Indiana University, Bloomington) Malyn Newitt (King’s College, London) Michael Pearson (University of New South Wales) VOLUME 17 The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/euro Encounters on the Opposite Coast The Dutch East India Company and the Nayaka State of Madurai in the Seventeenth Century By Markus P.M. Vink LEIDEN | BOSTON Cover illustration: Skirmishes between the Dutch and Nayaka troops at Tiruchendur during the ‘punitive expedition’ of 1649. Mural painting by Sri Ganesan Kalaikkoodam. Photo provided by Patrick Harrigan. Sri Subrahmanya Swamy Devasthanam, Tiruchendur. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Vink, Markus P. M. Encounters on the opposite coast : the Dutch East India Company and the Nayaka State of Madurai in the seventeenth century / by Markus P.M. Vink. pages cm. -- (European expansion and indigenous response, ISSN 1873-8974 ; volume 17) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-90-04-27263-7 (hardback : acid-free paper) -- ISBN 978-90-04-27262-0 (e-book) 1. Nederlandsche Oost-Indische Compagnie--History--17th century. 2. Netherlands--Commerce--India--Madurai (District)-- History--17th century. 3. Madurai (India : District)--Commerce--Netherlands--History--17th century. 4. Netherlands--Relations--India--Madurai (District) 5. Madurai (India : District)--Relations--Netherlands. 6. Acculturation--India--Madurai (District)--History--17th century. 7. Culture conflict--India--Madurai (District)--History--17th century. 8. Madurai (India : District)--History--17th century. I. Title. HF483.E6V615 2015 954’.82--dc23 2015021699 This publication has been typeset in the multilingual “Brill” typeface. With over 5,100 characters covering Latin, ipa, Greek, and Cyrillic, this typeface is especially suitable for use in the humanities. For more information, please see www.brill.com/brill-typeface. issn 1873-8974 isbn 978-90-04-27263-7 (hardback) isbn 978-90-04-27262-0 (e-book) Copyright 2016 by Koninklijke Brill nv, Leiden, The Netherlands. Koninklijke Brill nv incorporates the imprints Brill, Brill Hes & De Graaf, Brill Nijhoff, Brill Rodopi and Hotei Publishing. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher. Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use is granted by Koninklijke Brill nv provided that the appropriate fees are paid directly to The Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Suite 910, Danvers, ma 01923, usa. Fees are subject to change. This book is printed on acid-free paper. <UN> To my Mother, Amanda, and Adriana ∵ <UN> … ‘As in all matters concerning worldly affairs, here also the proverb holds good, Quod capita tot sensus, “many heads, many minds”…’. Memoir left by Governor Gustaaf Willem Baron van Imhoff of Ceylon to his succes- sor Willem Maurits Bruynink, 1740 ∵ <UN> Contents General Editor’s Foreword ix Preface xii List of Plates, Maps and Tables xiii Acknowledgements xvi Maps xix Abbreviations xxix Introduction 1 1 Images and Ideologies 26 2 Treasure for Textiles: The Import Trade 148 3 Treasure for Textiles: The Export Trade 211 Figures following 301 4 First Encounter: A False Start, 1645–1657 314 5 From Sideshow to Main Theatre of War, 1658–1669 356 6 The Bitter Fruits of War, 1670–1679 411 7 Splendid Isolation, 1680–1690 502 Personalia 631 Currency, Weights, and Measures 633 Glossary 635 Bibliography 652 Index 707 <UN> <UN> General Editor’s Foreword Over the past half millennium, from ca. 1450 until the last third or so of the twentieth century, much of the world’s history has been influenced in great part by one general dynamic and complex historical process known as European expansion. Defined as the opening up, unfolding, or increasing the extent, number, volumes or scope of the space, size, or participants belonging to a defined people or group, location or geographical region, Europe’s expansion initially emerged and emanated physically, intellectually, and politically in general in southern Europe and specifically on the Iberian Peninsula in the fifteenth century and developed rapidly to include all of Europe’s maritime and, subsequently, most of its continental states and peoples. Most commonly associated with events described as the discovery of America and of a passage to the East Indies (Asia) by rounding the Cape of Good Hope (Africa), during the early modern and modern periods, European expansion and encounters with the rest of the world multiplied and morphed into several ancillary historical processes including colonization, imperialism, capitalism, and global- ization and dealt with themes, amongst others, that relate to contacts,… “connections and exchanges of peoples, ideas and products, especially through the medium of trading companies; the exchange of religions and traditions; the transfer of technologies; and the development of new forms of political, social and economic policy, as well as identity formation.” (from the series’ original objectives and mission statement) In consequence of its intrinsic importance, extensive research has been performed and much has been written about this field and the diverse topics that embody this subject over this entire period. With the first volume published in 2009, Brill launched the European Expansion and Indigenous Response book series at the initiative of a well- known scholar and respected historian, Glenn J. Ames, who prior to his untimely passing was the founding editor and guided the first seven volumes of the series to publication. George Bryan Souza, who was one of the early members of the series’ editorial board, was appointed the series’ second General Editor. The series’ founding objectives were and are to focus on publications “that understand and deal with the process of European expansion, interchange and connectivity in a global context in the early modern and modern period” and to “provide a forum for a variety of types of scholarly work with a wider disciplinary approach that moves beyond the traditional isolated and nation bound historiographical emphases of this field, encouraging whenever possi- ble non-European perspectives”…“that seek to understand this indigenous <UN> x General Editor’s Foreword transformative process and period in autonomous as well as inter-related cultural, economic, social, and ideological terms.” (from the series’ original objectives and mission statement) The history of European expansion is a field that is challenging and interest in it, which is high, is likely to continue, if not grow, in spite or perhaps, because of it being so polemical. The heightened dispute about the field has centered primarily on tropes conceived and written in the past by Europeans, primarily, concerning their early reflections, claims, and contestation about the tran- scendental historical nature of this process and its emergence and importance in the creation of an early modern global economy and society. One of the most persistent complaints about the field is that it is “Eurocentric”, which is a complaint about the perennial difficulty in introducing and balanc- ing different historical perspectives, when one of the actors to some degree is neither European nor Europeanized—a conundrum that is alluded to in an African proverb, which states: “Until the lion tells his tale the hunt will always glorify the hunter.” Another and, perhaps, an even more important and grow- ing historiographical issue is that with the re-emergence of historical mil- lennial societies (China and India, for example) and the emergence of other non-Western European societies successfully competing competitively politically, economically and intellectually on the global scene vis-à-vis Europe, the seminal nature of European expansion is being subjected to greater scrutiny, debate, and comparison with other historical alternatives. Despite and, perhaps, because of these new directions and stimulating sources of existing and emerging debating points or lines of dispute about the field of history of European expansion, Souza and the editorial board of the series will continue with the original objectives and mission statement of the series and vigorously “…seek out studies that employ diverse forms of analysis from all scholarly disciplines, including anthropology, archaeology, art history, history (including the history of science), linguistics, literature, music, philosophy, and religious studies.” In addition, we shall seek to stimulate, locate, incorporate, and publish the most important and exciting scholarship in the field. Towards that purpose, I am pleased to introduce volume 17 of Brill’s EURO series, entitled: “Encounters on the Opposite Coast: The Dutch East India Company and the Nayaka State of Madurai in the Seventeenth Century.” Markus Vink has written a remarkable and potentially polemical book that densely and intensely examines the history of the political economic and social and cultural dynamics and the interactions between the peoples and rulers of the Madurai Nayaka

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