Letter from Hassan IX, King of the Maldives, to the Mesa da Consciência, dated January 23, 1556. The letter requests protection and assistance from the Portuguese Crown due to mistreatment and neglect
- Ibrahim Rasheed
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
The Letter of Hasan IX, dated January 23, 1556, stands as one of the most poignant and revealing primary sources from the early modern history of the Maldives and the Portuguese Empire in the Indian Ocean. Written by Sultan Hasan IX who had renounced Islam, converted to Christianity, and adopted the name Dom Manoel (or Manuel) this document was addressed to the Mesa da Consciência, the Portuguese royal council in Lisbon tasked with advising the Crown on matters of conscience, morality, justice, ecclesiastical affairs, and the ethical governance of overseas territories, including the treatment of converts and vassals.This letter, preserved in the Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo (Chancellarias, Corpo Chronologico, 1–97–62), was first published in António da Silva Rego's Documentação para a história das missões do padroado português do oriente, India (vol. VI, Lisbon, 1951, pp. 97–98). An English translation by Chandra R. de Silva and Manuela Mourão appears in collections such as Portuguese Encounters with Sri Lanka and the Maldives: Translated Texts from the Age of the Discoveries. The original, likely penned in Portuguese by a scribe in Goa or Cochin (though some discussions reference a Dhivehi/Arabic-script version circulating in Maldivian heritage circles), captures the desperation of a deposed ruler caught between personal faith, political ambition, and colonial exploitation.Historical Context: Conversion, Deposition, and ExileHasan IX ascended the Maldivian throne in 1551 as successor to his brother, Sultan Mohamed III, amid a period of internal instability and intensifying Portuguese interest in the archipelago. The Maldives, a chain of coral atolls strategically positioned along Indian Ocean trade routes, produced valuable commodities like cowrie shells (used as currency) and coir (coconut fiber essential for ship rigging). Portuguese explorers and traders had been active in the region since the early 1500s, seeking to disrupt Muslim-dominated networks and secure tribute.In a bid to consolidate power against rivals, Hasan IX sought Portuguese military assistance, offering annual tribute (e.g., 600 bahars of coir). His brief reign unraveled in 1552 when he converted to Catholicism reportedly the only known instance of a Maldivian sultan publicly doing so. This act, likely occurring in Cochin (a Portuguese stronghold on India's Malabar Coast), led to his immediate deposition.
The Maldives plunged into an interregnum (1552–1554), governed by a council of ministers, followed by further turmoil. Hasan IX, now Dom Manoel, fled into exile in Portuguese India, where he lived in Goa or Cochin, styling himself the rightful Christian king and pressing for restoration with Portuguese backing.By 1556, four years into exile, his situation had deteriorated into abject poverty and frustration. The letter reflects this nadir: a plea for intervention from the highest moral and advisory body in the Portuguese realm. Content and Themes of the LetterThe document opens with Dom Manoel affirming his sincere conversion, crediting Christ for rescuing him from spiritual "agony" and the "wrongs" inflicted in his homeland. He writes via "two channels" (likely duplicate copies for security) and begs the Mesa da Consciência to sustain his faith and shield him from mistreatment.The core grievances target corruption among Portuguese officials in Goa:
Following a viceroy's death, acting governor Dom Pedro Francisco Barreto (allegedly favoring relative António de Ataíde) blocked his return to prevent exploitation of the islands.
Dom Manoel endured ~30 days of starvation in Goa, eating bazaar food and begging for alms, unable even to buy shoes.
Barreto insulted him, deeming him unfit to govern "even a village" and offering minor housing instead of restoration—interpreted as a ploy to sideline him permanently.
He invokes prior royal orders from Viceroy Dom Afonso (the king's nephew), authorizing 30 men from Portuguese foists (light warships), a captain of his choice, and tribute limited to 500 bahars of coir. Officials ignored these, dispatched their own captains to embezzle tribute (claiming shortfalls of 10 bahars while pocketing 100), and forced him and guarantors to cover losses.His requests are direct: enforcement via royal patent with penalties, permission to visit his islands and wife annually, and recognition as king with support. Significance: A Window into Empire, Conversion, and BetrayalThis letter is exceptional as a rare firsthand voice from a non-European convert within the Portuguese padroado system. It exposes:
The personal toll of religious conversion in pursuit of power: spiritual redemption contrasted with material destitution and betrayal.
Widespread corruption in colonial administration, where officials prioritized personal gain over Crown directives.
The instrumental use of tribute and military aid in exchange for loyalty and conversion, emblematic of Portuguese strategies in Asia.
In Maldivian history, it marks a fleeting Christian interlude amid persistent Islamic resistance. Though nominally "restored" in absentia around 1558 via regent Andiri Andirin, Dom Manoel never returned effectively. Portuguese attempts at control (1558–1573) provoked revolts, culminating in expulsion by heroes like Muhammad Thakurufaanu. The letter underscores broader themes of the Age of Discoveries: cultural clashes, forced alliances, and the fragility of imperial promises. It humanizes a figure often reduced to a footnote, revealing the anguish of an exiled king pleading for justice from distant Lisbon. As a preserved artifact, it continues to inform discussions on Maldivian sovereignty, Portuguese colonialism, and the intersections of faith and empire in the 16th-century Indian Ocean world.
“‘They Want to Steal My Islands’: Hasan IX’s 1556 Indictment of Portuguese Greed” captures, with unsettling clarity, the earliest warnings about the colonial appetite that would later swallow the Chagos Archipelago. Long before modern borders were drawn, leaders like Hasan IX understood exactly what was at stake: sovereignty, dignity, and the right of island peoples to exist without foreign powers carving up their homelands for profit. His words echo across centuries because the pattern never changed—strategic islands coveted, communities displaced, and imperial greed dressed up as ‘civilization.’ The Chagos story is not an anomaly; it is part of a long, painful continuum that island nations have been forced to resist again and again.”