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Casa da Índia ((:ˈkazɐ dɐ ˈĩdiɐ), ''India House'') was the Portuguese organization that managed all overseas territories during the heyday of the Portuguese Empire in the 16th century. It was both the central authority for managing all aspects of overseas trade, the central shipment point and clearing house. As an economic institution, it worked like a ''feitoria'' (factory, trading post),〔It was the Portuguese counterpart of the Spanish organization ''Casa de Contratación'' (est. 1503, abolished 1790).〕 being the most important economic institution in Portugal of the time. It was located at the Ribeira Palace, the royal palace in Terreiro do Paço square (modern Praça do Comércio), in Lisbon. ==Origin== The forerunners of ''Casa da Índia'' arose with the Portuguese exploration of the African coast, to manage new trade opportunities. As early as 1434 the ''Casa de Ceuta'' was founded in Lisbon, but it was not very successful because the Muslim merchants diverted the trade routes from Ceuta to other places. Around 1443 in Lagos, Algarve, the ''Casa de Arguim'' and ''Casa da Guiné'', were established to administer Prince Henry the Navigator's monopoly on African trade - essentially a set of sheds, warehouses and customs offices, dedicated to outfitting ships, hiring captains and crews, handing out trading licenses, receiving and selling goods and collecting dues. After the death of Henry the Navigator in 1460, both houses were moved by King Afonso V of Portugal from Lagos to Lisbon. The ascension of King John II of Portugal in 1481 revived the royal interest in African trade. In 1482, upon erecting the fortress of São Jorge da Mina to access the Akan goldfields and markets, John II overhauled the old houses and organized the system into two new institutions in Lisbon - the royal trading house, the ''Casa da Mina e Tratos de Guiné'', focused on commercial aspects of African trade (goods, licenses, dues), and the separate royal naval arsenal, the ''Armazém da Guiné'', to handle nautical matters (ship construction, nautical supplies, hiring of crews, etc.) In 1486, after the opening of contact with Benin, John II established the ''Casa de Escravos'', as a distinct slave-trading department of the ''Casa da Mina''. With the discovery of a sea route to India by Vasco da Gama in 1497-99, the spice trade became a new and important activity of the royal trading house, and old ''Casa'' was renamed ''Casa da Índia e da Guiné'' (the first written reference to a ''Casa da Índia'' was in a royal letter dated 1501). 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Casa da Índia」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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