The Cartaz System: How Portugal Controlled the Indian Ocean

The Rise of Colonialism: How Europe Divided the World — Fexingo History · May 31, 2026 · 5m · transcript

This episode dives into the cartaz system, a naval licensing scheme that Portugal imposed across the Indian Ocean in the 16th century. We explore how the Estado da Índia forced every ship—from spice-laden dhows to pilgrim vessels—to purchase a cartaz (safe-conduct pass) or face seizure and bombardment. The episode traces the system's origins under Afonso de Albuquerque after the conquest of Malacca in 1511, explains its enforcement by armed galleons and fortresses like Hormuz and Diu, and examines its economic logic: protecting Portuguese monopoly on pepper and spices while extracting…