BARROS, João de. Viseu (?), Portugal 1496? — São Lourenço 20.10.1570. Portuguese Humanist, Civil Servant, and Contemporary Historian of Early Colonial India. Attracted attention of the court with his literary products. In 1522 he was sent to Guinea by João III, then treasurer 1525-28. In charge of Casa da India…
PEREIRA, António Pinto. 15?? — 1587. S.J. Portuguese Historian of India. From Mogadour, Bragança. Apparently secretary of an officer in Goa. His work dealing with the contemporary history of Portuguese in India was published only posthumously. Publications: História da Índia no tempo em que a Governou o Visorei Dom Luís…
LAET, Joannes de (Latin: Ioannes Latius). 1581 or 1593 — buried 15.12.1649. Flemish Geographer, Philologist and Naturalist, who wrote from secondary sources a well known book on India. Son of a cloth merchant from Antwerpen, he was student of Erpenius and Scaliger at Leiden. Worked as merchant, in 1620 one…
STEPHENS (Stevens), Thomas (Thomaz/Tomás Estevão/Esteves, also known as Padre Busten/Buston). Bushton, Wiltshire 1549 (?) — Salcete 1619. S.J. British Missionary in India. Early Marathi scholar and author. Studied at Oxford. Adopting Catholic faith he went to Rome and joined Jesuits in 1575. Arrived in Goa in 1579 and remained in…
SASSETTI, Filippo. Florence 1540 — Goa 1588. Italian Traveller. Son of a merchant, he studied at Pisa 1568-73 and thus knew Latin well. As an agent of Florentine spice syndicate he stayed in Kerala in 1583-88. On way to India also spent 5 months in Brazil. In the letters he…
ROE, Thomas. Low Leyton near Wanstead in Essex 1580/81 — Bath 6.11.1644. Sir. British Diplomat in India. Son of Sir Robert Rowe and Elinor Jermy. After early studies at Oxford he became esquire of the body to Queen Elizabeth I and was knighted by James I in 1604. In 1610…
TERRY, Edward. Kent 1590 — 8.10.1660. Rev. British Traveller in India. After school in Rochester studied from 1608 at Oxford, Christ Church: B.A. 1611, M.A. 1614. In 1616 Sir Thomas Roe asked for a new chaplain after the death of John Hall and Terry took the offer. In 1617 he…
TEIXEIRA, Pedro. 15?? — after 1610. Portuguese Traveller. Born in a Portuguese Jewish family, probably in Lisbon, but without Jewish education. Of his life, little is know beyond the meagre information in his book. He spent a long time in the East, where he had arrived before 1587 (perhaps 1586…
PYRARD DE LAVAL, François. Laval c. 1578 — Paris c. 1623. French Traveller in Maldives and India. In May 1601 he sailed on Corbin, one of the two ships equiped by the burghers of St.Malo, Laval and Vitre in order to compete with the Dutch E.I.C. Passing St.Helena and the…
PIMENTA, Nicolaus. 1546 — Goa 1614. S.J. Portuguese Missionary in India. Joined Jesuits 1562. As Jesuit Visitor in India in December 1597 left Goa for Cochin, St. Thome and Bengal. His letters contain some interesting information about the princes of Kerala and Tamilnadu. Publications: a few letters sent to the…