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checkers09's review against another edition
2.25
Conquerors: How Portugal forged the first global empire, tells the story of Portugal's thirty-year period between 1486-1515 where they kickstarted the 'age of discovery' and established extensive trade along the Indian and Arabian coast via conquest and diplomacy.
Finding a book on this subject is quite hard to come by, despite this being an extremely important point in history and a fascinating one at that it hasn't quite captured the public consciousness the way the Spanish invasions in South America have. Unfortunately, I don't think this book was a good attempt at reconciling that Crowley in my opinion was slighly biased in his approach to the Portuguese painting them as a backwater that committed atrocities again the natives without much regard for diplomacy and often lacking in discipline. I listened to some of the book on Audible and whenever the portugese spoke he put on this gruff cruel voice clearly signalling the portugese to be 'the bad guys' and tacking a neutral sounding tone for any other group of people. of course, whenever in history two cultures have come into conflict they have been violence perpetrated by both sides and just wish he had explained that more instead of constantly laying the blame on the Portuguese own cruelty and incompetence whenever something went wrong.
The book follows a linear format starting with Portugal's conflict with Morocco and their first forays into unexplored lands at the behest of John II. Portugal explored the African coast with many expeditions gradually moving further down the continent before finally reaching the south African cape which they hoped to circumnavigate to reach the spices of India. I would have liked Crowley to have given a more detailed explanation of the motives behind Portugal's persistence to find new trade routes to India such as the Ottoman and Mamluk Empires blocking of move easily accessible trade routes. after they reached east India they established forts and protectorates along the coast and over numerous voyages became a powerful force in east India taking control of trade via the conquest of territories such as Goa and Calicut. Although the expedition's primary aim was establishing trade routes to import spices king Manuel and religious leaders also had hopes of coming into contact with 'Prester John' a mythical Christan king in the East, they also sought to weaken the Mamluk sultanate and other Islamic nations which were mostly unsuccessful. The book ends with the death of Albuquerque in 1515 which also coincided with the beginning of a consolidation period and effectively a slowing down of expansion for the Portuguese empire.
As well as the military and economic benefits Crowley also shows the improvements in cartography and navigation brought on by the expansion and mapping of distant lands, the Portuguese maps became the most accurate in Europe and their sailors were known for their great navigational skills. in fact, the only way they were able to round the South African cape was due to their expertise in this area.
The reactions of other powers to the Portuguese explorations weren't explained very well other than some of the Italian states which were economically threatened by Portugal none of the main European states like France and Britain were mentioned. I also would have preferred if more of King Manuels and Albuquerque's letters were included as they sum up the story of the voyages quite well, he sometimes includes quotes from them but he could have simply added the letters to the text as their usually quite short and the quotes he uses sometimes lack context.
Overall I enjoyed some parts of the book like how the Portuguese rounded the cape and the intrigue between the Indian kingdoms but I felt a lot of context was missing and there was too much focus on individual characters instead of the political and economic results of the conquests.
Finding a book on this subject is quite hard to come by, despite this being an extremely important point in history and a fascinating one at that it hasn't quite captured the public consciousness the way the Spanish invasions in South America have. Unfortunately, I don't think this book was a good attempt at reconciling that Crowley in my opinion was slighly biased in his approach to the Portuguese painting them as a backwater that committed atrocities again the natives without much regard for diplomacy and often lacking in discipline. I listened to some of the book on Audible and whenever the portugese spoke he put on this gruff cruel voice clearly signalling the portugese to be 'the bad guys' and tacking a neutral sounding tone for any other group of people. of course, whenever in history two cultures have come into conflict they have been violence perpetrated by both sides and just wish he had explained that more instead of constantly laying the blame on the Portuguese own cruelty and incompetence whenever something went wrong.
The book follows a linear format starting with Portugal's conflict with Morocco and their first forays into unexplored lands at the behest of John II. Portugal explored the African coast with many expeditions gradually moving further down the continent before finally reaching the south African cape which they hoped to circumnavigate to reach the spices of India. I would have liked Crowley to have given a more detailed explanation of the motives behind Portugal's persistence to find new trade routes to India such as the Ottoman and Mamluk Empires blocking of move easily accessible trade routes. after they reached east India they established forts and protectorates along the coast and over numerous voyages became a powerful force in east India taking control of trade via the conquest of territories such as Goa and Calicut. Although the expedition's primary aim was establishing trade routes to import spices king Manuel and religious leaders also had hopes of coming into contact with 'Prester John' a mythical Christan king in the East, they also sought to weaken the Mamluk sultanate and other Islamic nations which were mostly unsuccessful. The book ends with the death of Albuquerque in 1515 which also coincided with the beginning of a consolidation period and effectively a slowing down of expansion for the Portuguese empire.
As well as the military and economic benefits Crowley also shows the improvements in cartography and navigation brought on by the expansion and mapping of distant lands, the Portuguese maps became the most accurate in Europe and their sailors were known for their great navigational skills. in fact, the only way they were able to round the South African cape was due to their expertise in this area.
The reactions of other powers to the Portuguese explorations weren't explained very well other than some of the Italian states which were economically threatened by Portugal none of the main European states like France and Britain were mentioned. I also would have preferred if more of King Manuels and Albuquerque's letters were included as they sum up the story of the voyages quite well, he sometimes includes quotes from them but he could have simply added the letters to the text as their usually quite short and the quotes he uses sometimes lack context.
Overall I enjoyed some parts of the book like how the Portuguese rounded the cape and the intrigue between the Indian kingdoms but I felt a lot of context was missing and there was too much focus on individual characters instead of the political and economic results of the conquests.
anti_formalist12's review
4.0
A really riveting account of one of the least studied empires in world history. Crowley makes the story move and tells the tale with real skill.
davidsandilands's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.25
dereksilva's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
3.5
An easy-to-read overview of Portugal's voyages to India and its empire in the Indian Ocean. I think more maps would've made tracking events easier for me and sometimes the descriptions of battles were hard to follow.
I did expect a bit more on how Portugal's empire-building affected other European kingdoms or even the Portuguese populace itself. Instead the book focused almost exclusively on the actions of the Portuguese monarchs, explorers, and seamen.
As for the audiobook, I wish they'd gotten someone who actually spoke Portuguese. The pronunciation of many names was comically bad.
I did expect a bit more on how Portugal's empire-building affected other European kingdoms or even the Portuguese populace itself. Instead the book focused almost exclusively on the actions of the Portuguese monarchs, explorers, and seamen.
As for the audiobook, I wish they'd gotten someone who actually spoke Portuguese. The pronunciation of many names was comically bad.
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape, Murder, and Slavery
r2bone's review against another edition
5.0
A marvelous concise and vivid picture of the discoveries carried out by the Portuguese in the 15 and 16 th century. At times you can almost hear the wood in the ships bending in the storms or battles. Highly recommend .
overheat4600's review against another edition
4.0
Portugal's exploits often do get overshadowed by Spain's conquistadors, but this book has done good stories. Some of the battle scenes lack colour, but that's okay.
tasmanian_bibliophile's review against another edition
5.0
‘How Portugal seized the Indian Ocean and forged the First Global Empire’
Portugal had a population of about one million people at the beginning of the fifteenth century. A tiny country, with an economy which largely depended on fishing and subsistence farming. A country where the kings were too poor to mint their own gold coins. But, as Mr Crowley writes, a country with big aspirations.
‘In August 1415, a Portuguese fleet sailed across the Strait of Gibraltar and stormed the Muslim port of Ceuta, in Morocco, one of the most heavily fortified and strategic strongholds in the whole Mediterranean.’
In Ceuta, the Portuguese saw a glimpse of the wealth of Africa and the Orient, and dared to dream of expansion, of conquering infidels, and of trade like that enjoyed by Genoa and Venice. After Ceuta, Prince Henrique (Prince Henry the Navigator) began to sponsor expeditions down the coast of Africa in search of gold, slaves and spices. The Portuguese also explored inland Africa for the mythical Christian king Prester John. Portugal was also driven by a desire to eradicate Islamic culture, and to establish a Christian empire in the Indian Ocean.
Mr Crowley has drawn on letters and eyewitness accounts to write of Portugal’s rapid rise to power. Some of the major characters portrayed in this account of the Portuguese empire were King Manuel (the Fortunate), João II (the Perfect Prince), the governor Afonso de Albuquerque, and the explorer Vasco da Gama.
How did Portugal achieve such dominance in such a short period? By discovering a route to India around the horn of Africa – achieved by sailing out west from the African coast in order to use the Atlantic winds to sail east around the Cape of Good Hope into the Indian Ocean.
‘Though its supremacy lasted little more than a century, Portugal’s achievement was to create the prototype for new and flexible forms of empire, based on mobile sea power, and the paradigm for European expansion. Where it led, the Dutch and the English followed.’
I found Mr Crowley’s account fascinating. While I knew some of the history of Prince Henry the Navigator, of Vasco da Gama and (later) of Ferdinand Magellan, I had not focussed on the detail and the impact of the Portuguese empire. The history of Portuguese exploration is well worth reading: it is an epic tale of courage, endurance and brutality, of skilled navigation, of diplomacy and of religious zealotry. And, supporting the public figures we can name and read about, are many unknown sailors who suffered illness, disease and frequently death. Afonso de Albuquerque became the first European since Alexander the Great to found an Asian empire.
‘The Iberian powers who had carved up the world at Tordesillas in 1494 were conditioned to believe in monopoly trading and the obligation to crusade.’
Portuguese supremacy may have only lasted just over a century, but during that period the Portuguese reached India in 1498, Brazil in 1500, China in 1514 and Japan in 1543.
Note: My thanks to Netgalley and the Random House Publishing Group for an opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith