The Conquerors: How Portugal Seized the Indian Ocean and Forged the First Global Empire

by Crowley Roger

Genres: History

Hardcover

Published January 1, 2016

Reviews

[Michel Van Roozendaal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reread “Conquerors” as I’m now spending time in Portugal and wanted to understand the details around the very early phases of European colonialism in Asia better.

The title is somewhat misleading (“how Portugal forged the first global empire”), and should rather be something like “30 years of Portugal trying to go East” (more or less finishing with the death of Afonso de Albuquerque in 1515).

But it does leave you wondering how a small country like Portugal with a few vessels and not many people was able to expand in a fairly short period of time over vast areas in Asia (Brasil doesn’t really get mentioned too much).

As said the book stops more or in 1515 and misses out on the continued expansion after that year. Also, the book is rather detailed in describing the various battles, which takes maybe a little too much space.

Still, it gives you a good insight in that episode. If one is interested in the European expansion in Asia most literature is focused on the British EIC and much less has been written about the Portuguese and the Dutch activities. This book fills some of that void, and wants me to read and learn more about what the Portuguese all achieved in the 16th century.

[Harry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've written probably far too much on the dangers and weaknesses of narrative history. Crowley's Conquerors is a masterclass in the opposite: the narrative itself is intently focused on Portuguese activities between the Tejo and the Indian Ocean, and covers a span of barely thirty years. The key result of Crowley's rigorous scope-control is that Conquerors works in many ways more like a novel than is typical of sprawling, incompetent narrative histories. Continuing in the novelistesque vein Crowley has evidently taken time to determine the key themes of his story, and establishes them early: this isn't a book about everything that happened as the Portuguese discovered the Indian Ocean; it's a book fundamentally about how that discovery rebalanced the world: it's about that process of knitting the world together and the worlds that were eclipsed and collapsed as a result; the power and importance of individual personalities in those historical-crux moments; the ways that societies recoil and respond to disruptions of the status quo and the significance of strong leadership in a world changing underfoot. It's a book about what the narrative means, in other words, not just the narrative itself: a masterclass in writing narrative history worth reading.

[Gonçalo Lourenço · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read to better understand the motivation and all the politics behind the Portuguese sea discoveries in the beginning of the 16th century.

[Iisa 🧚‍♀️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

the imagery with the pastel del nata at the end was cheffs kiss also proud of myself for reading my first non fiction book out of academia/work context

[Carrissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my typical genre, which is why 3 stars, but pretty engaging for it being fully history.