The Role of the Catholic Church in Establishing the Portuguese Colonial Empire in India in the first half of the 16th century

Abstract

The article deals with the role of the Catholic Church in the context of Portuguese colonial policy in India and describes the methods of Christianizing the local population. The problem of interaction between the Hindu and Christian religious systems is explained. When the early decades of missionary activity did not lead to desired results, it became clear that there existed profound misunderstanding by Catholic missionaries of the realities of Hindu society. As a result, Catholic Church had to seek new methods for baptizing of the Hindu population.

Keywords

• missionary
• golden goa
• jesuit order
• colonial system of governance
• portuguese sailing fleet
• monopoly on the spice trade
• trading posts
• christianization
• caste system
• papacy
• fiscal system
• inquisition
• franciscans