History of 13th September – Padro’s comes to India
Explore the history of 13th September, featuring the construction of Hadrian’s Wall in 122 AD, Michelangelo’s commencement on his famed statue of David in 1501, and the poignant state funeral of Mother Teresa in 1997. Also read the feature story of Padro’s arrival in India
Today, let’s have a natter about the history of 13th September. First off, this day marks the start of the construction of Hadrian’s Wall back in 122 AD. This wall, the earliest known defensive barrier, was built as a fortification for the Roman province of Britannia.
As we meander through the history of 13th September, there are various events of note, but one that particularly stands out is from the year 1501. This is when Michelangelo began work on his iconic statue of David. Quite the artistic milestone, wouldn’t you agree?
Moving on with the history of 13th September we come to the year 1997, and we find that on this very day, Mother Teresa’s state funeral took place. May she rest in peace. Amen.
And now, for the pièce de résistance of our historical jaunt: Pedro’s arrival in India and the legendary Spice Trail the feature story from the history of 13th September.
The Spice Trail Drama: Pedro Alvarez Cabral’s Bumpy Start in India
On 13th September 1500, Pedro Alvarez Cabral, a Portuguese explorer who’d made quite a splash in the New World, arrived in Calicut with the grand plan of opening the first European factory in India. Imagine it: a plucky Portuguese crew, fresh from their triumphs, rocketing up the west coast of India in search of spices, and quite possibly, a bit of fame and fortune.
Now, Cabral, often remembered for ‘discovering’ Brazil (which is a bit like stumbling into your own living room and claiming you’ve found a new country), had been handpicked to follow Vasco da Gama’s maritime route around Africa. The mission? To snatch up some of India’s finest spices and establish trade relations, effectively sticking it to the Arab, Italian, and Turkish merchants who were rather snug in their spice trade monopoly.
Upon reaching Calicut, Cabral wasted no time. He got the green light from the local ruler to set up shop. But it wasn’t long before things took a rather unfavourable turn. The Arabs, clearly not thrilled about this Portuguese intrusion, decided to stage a bit of a riot. This led to a right old ruckus, with around 500 Portuguese lads being sent to their maker and their infrastructure getting more holes than a Swiss cheese.
Cabral, not one to sit idly by when wronged, waited a full 24 hours for the local ruler to explain this unfortunate development. When no satisfactory explanation was forthcoming, he took a leaf out of the old revenge playbook. First, he torched ten Arab merchant ships and then, as if things weren’t already heating up, Cabral proceeded to rain bombs on the city. Talk about a dramatic response!
The whole saga was further fuelled by the simmering tension between the Portuguese and the Muslims, who’d been bickering over various issues in North America and the Iberian Peninsula. The Portuguese, with their rather grandiose expectations of special treatment, were seen as a threat to the Arab merchants who feared losing their trade dominance. This animosity set the stage for a particularly tumultuous chapter in the spice trade saga.
Nevertheless, Cabral wasn’t entirely down in the dumps. After the skirmish in Calicut, he sailed to Cochin. There, he managed to ink some pretty sweet trade deals with local rulers and stock up on spices. Despite the losses and the hullabaloo, his trip was deemed a roaring success upon his return to Portugal. The sale of those Indian spices did wonders for the Portuguese coffers, adding a nice plump feather to the Portuguese Crown’s cap. The Portuguese empire, now with a foot in both South America and the Far East, was well on its way to becoming a global heavyweight.
Following this eventful voyage, King Manuel I of Portugal, presumably still basking in the glory of the successful spice trade, decided another fleet was in order. Cabral was tapped to lead this second expedition. However, the plot thickens here. For reasons that remain a tad murky, Cabral was eventually replaced by Vincente Sodre. Whether Cabral was given the boot or decided to bow out is a matter of historical debate.
Pedro Alvarez Cabral met his end in 1520 in Santarem, Portugal, passing away under circumstances that remain as unspecified as a mystery novel’s last page. Despite the turmoil and the spicy drama of his Indian sojourn, Cabral’s legacy as a key player in the age of exploration is firmly established, proving that even the most chaotic beginnings can lead to something rather spectacular.
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