Beschreibung
German merchants emerged as influential commercial partners of the
Portuguese in the 16th Century. The trade in spices and precious metals
was not the only line pursued by them in India, they also collected
precious stones and ventured far into the interior of the country. The
present study illustrates these activities which have so far not received
adequate attention. Moreover, not all of the Germans coming to India were
merchants, there were also many soldiers, among them artillerists
(bombardeiros) who had skills to offer which had obviously not yet been
acquired by the Portuguese military. The news about India which German
merchants and soldiers conveyed to their home country contributed to the
increase of German knowledge of the world.
