The center and the periphery in the administration of the Royal Exchequer of the Estado da Índia ( 1517 - 1640 )

This study focuses upon the financial governance mechanism set up in the Portuguese Estado da Índia, which is examined from both a structural and dynamic perspective over the period from 1517 to 1640. It seeks to provide a general outline of the peripheral extensions of this system—taking the form of a network of feitorias (trading posts) and recebedorias (tax collection offices)—as well as the successive configurations of the central institutions located in Goa. Since it is clear that this mechanism served to guarantee the material and financial flows necessary to sustain the political and commercial projects of the Portuguese monarchy in Asia, the aim of the study is to assess the constraints placed upon the relationship between the center and the periphery and to consider the challenges faced by central institutions in controlling the tax revenue of the Estado da Índia.