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History Optional PYQ Master Pack · Model answer

Portuguese maritime power disrupted the character of trade in the Indian Ocean in the 16th century. Review.

  • UPSC 2025
  • The Fifteenth and Early Sixteenth Century: Political History

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When the Zamorin of Calicut received Vasco da Gama in 1498, he did so with none of the apprehension the moment perhaps deserved — Calicut's prosperity rested on its role as an open entrepôt, and the Portuguese were, initially, granted the same trading and warehouse privileges as any other merchant power.

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What the full answer covers

  • The Shift from Open Commerce to Armed Trade
  • Instruments of Coercive Monopoly
  • Real Disruption: Declining Arab Dominance and Trade Diversion
  • The Limits of Portuguese Control
  • Toward Accommodation Rather Than Replacement
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