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4.7  Threats to Portuguese domination at Hormuz

At the commencement of Shah Abbas's reign (995-1038/1587-1629), Persia, and what had been Safawid territory, was occupied by the Ottomans in the west and the Özbegs (Uzbegs from the Khanates of Bukhara) in the east. Agreeing to peace with the Ottomans he turned his attention to the Özbegs but without much success as they remained in Khurasan for another ten years. It was not until the death of the Abd Allah Khan ibn Iskandar, last of the Shaibanid dynasty, in 1007/1598 that progress was made but not completely. This was helped by the disunity of the Özbegs and alliances that Shah Abbas made with some of their rulers.^[1]

In Europe in 1588 the religious and economic clash between England and Spain, through the refusal of English merchants to recognize Spain's claims to a monopoly of trade wherever Spain was established in the world and England’s support for the Netherlands in the Dutch war of independence from the Spanish (1568-1648), culminated with the defeat of the Spanish armada by the English thereby saving the principal Protestant power in Europe. From 1590 Spanish power, and therefore Portuguese through the union of Portugal with Spain in 1580, was on the decline. Early Dutch and English trade expeditions to India and the East Indies now led to the establishment of two companies that would eventually end Portuguese supremacy and influence in the region.

An English company was formed for the exploitation of trade with East and Southeast Asia and India. The Company of Merchants of London Trading into the East Indies, subsequently known as the English East India Company, was incorporated by a Royal Charter of Queen Elizabeth I on 31 December 1600.

To protect their trade in the Indian Ocean and to assist in their war of independence from Spain, the United East India Company (Dutch Vereenigde Oost-indische Compagnie) trading company, subsequently known as the Dutch East India Company, was founded by the Dutch and established on 20 March 1602. The Dutch government granted the company a trade monopoly in the waters between the Cape of Good Hope and the Straits of Magellan with the right to conclude treaties with native princes, to build forts and maintain armed forces, and to carry on administrative functions through officials who were required to take an oath of loyalty to the Dutch government.

 Later other “national” companies were formed such as the Danish East India Company in 1616. It had a much smaller capital base than either the English or Dutch and proved to be insignificant in comparison.^[2]The Portuguese domination of the Persian Gulf was by 1610 under threat from both the Persians, who under Shah Abbas I, were determined to remove the Portuguese from their coasts and the English who wished to continue trading in the area, the East India Company having received its charter some ten years before. In 1614, the Persians occupied Gamru (Gambroon) the last foothold that the Portuguese had on the mainland of Persia and one of the sources of fresh water for the island of Hormuz which was still a Portuguese garrison town.

On the 8 November 1616 Edward Connock sailed from Surat on board the James with a supply of broadcloth that the Company could not sell in India to Jask for sale in Persia. He proceeded to Minab where he obtained permission to land his shipment and then having sent the James back proceeded to Isfahan where William Roberts, a jeweller had settled. Roberts was to act as interpreter for Connock when he approached the Shah for a grant of regular trade which in due course he obtained but died on the 24 December 1617 and was replaced by Thomas Barker his second in command. Jask although some distance away from the centre of trade served as the port for the English and it was to there that the annual fleet from England bringing a supply of monies for the factors in Persia sailed to from Surat in November 1619. In view of the danger posed by the Portuguese the fleet was strengthened by the addition of the Lion, 650 tons with 38 guns. Barker presented a letter to Shah Abbas from King James but died the same month and was replaced by Edward Monnox. The Shah had hinted that he wished to take over Hormuz and hand it over to the English and an agreement was made granting the English the whole seaborne trade in silk. The fleet returned to Surat without encountering any problems the following January.^[3]

A strong squadron of war ships under the command of Ruy Freyre De Andrada despatched in 1619 from Lisbon arrived at Hormuz in June 1620. Ignorant of the Portuguese presence, Captain Shilling, the commander of the fleet from England, dispatched two ships directly to Jask. However on arriving at Swally he learnt of the danger that these two ships would be exposed to and sailed to their help. The two ships on arriving at Jask and hearing of the presence of Ruy Freyre decided to return and met up with Shilling and the rest of the fleet. Meeting up they returned to Jask where the Portuguese were waiting to intercept them. Having driven the Portuguese off they landed their shipment at Jask and then on the 26 December 1620 put to sea again to engage the Portuguese. Two days later they were engaged in battle in which they were victorious having killed or wounded 360 of their adversaries. However Shilling was badly wounded in the engagement and died on the 6 January 1621 but the fleet returned to Surat with about 520 bales of silk.

At the end of September 1621 Captain John Weddel arrived at Swally from England with six ships and found there some ships from the previous year. The Company were aware that Guy Freyre’s fleet had been reinforced from Goa and decided to send all the ships with the exception of two that were sent home to England. It was at this period of time that Pietro Della Valle set out from Isfahan on his homeward journey.