Around 1500 the Portuguese established an annual trade route from Europe to India by sea that would last up to the late 19th century. Fleets were primarily intended to cargo spices and other goods from the Oriental markets, but they also had to address political and military issues, as the admission of a newcomer to the Indian Ocean’s well-established trade networks was not accepted with joy.
On its way to the East, a regular ship of Carreira da Índia carried an average 400 people in 16th century. Roughly 120 crew, soldiers, administration staff, merchant men and their representatives, lived on board for the c. 180 day-duration of an average trip, subject to strict rules. Little room for each person was available in the heavily loaded ships and harsh living conditions on board created a variety of health- and discipline-related problems.
Ships also carried missionaries, sent to India and other Eastern parts to spread the word of God. Generally speaking historians know well what they did and the interactions and consequences of their work.
As from the mid-sixteenth century there were also Jesuits on board. Unlike other missionaries, upon their arrival to India they were expected to write back about the trip itself. Their letters are an essential piece of information about life on board of Portuguese vessels.In this paper we analyze approximately 100 letters written up to the early 17th century. We want to extract from them information about life on board that cannot be found in other sources and emphasize what is not obvious at a first glance: missionaries began their mission on the first day they embarked, not only upon their arrival to India. We also to find to which extent their presence conditioned day-to-day life on board.
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