What is the Blue Water Policy? (Portuguese History)

The policy was introduced by Francisco de Almeida, who was appointed as the first Portuguese Viceroy of India in 1505.

When the Portuguese arrived in India, Almeida realized a crucial fact: Portugal was a tiny country with a small army. They did not have the manpower to conquer large territories on the Indian mainland and fight massive empires like the Delhi Sultanate, the Vijayanagara Empire, or the Mughals on land.

Therefore, his policy stated: "Do not build land empires; control the sea instead."

He believed that as long as Portugal had the most powerful Navy and controlled the "Blue Waters" (the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea, and the Persian Gulf), they could control all the trade and wealth of Asia without needing to own large pieces of land.

To enforce this naval supremacy, the Portuguese introduced the Cartaz System.

• A 'Cartaz' was a naval pass or license.
• Any Asian ship (Indian, Arab, or Chinese) sailing in the Indian Ocean had to buy this pass from the Portuguese.
• If a ship was caught sailing without a Cartaz, the heavily armed Portuguese galleons would confiscate the ship's cargo or simply sink it.
• Even the mighty Mughal Emperor Akbar, despite ruling almost all of India, had to quietly purchase a Cartaz from the Portuguese to send his pilgrim ships safely to Mecca!

Almeida's successor, Afonso de Albuquerque (the real founder of the Portuguese empire in the East), partially moved away from this strict Blue Water policy. He believed they needed strong coastal land bases to support the navy, which led him to capture Goa in 1510.