Cartaz

The Cartaz (plural cartazes, in Portuguese) was a special paper that let ships trade safely in the Indian Ocean during the 1500s. It was given out by the Portuguese Empire from about 1502 to 1750. People called it a "license" or a "pass" for their ships.

This paper had an important job. It helped control trade and made sure only some ships could travel in those waters. If a ship did not have a Cartaz, it might be stopped or taken by Portuguese ships.

The idea behind the Cartaz was like a system used later by the British called the navicert. This shows how some old ideas about trade and safety at sea are still remembered today.

Background

In 1443, Portugal began giving special licenses to ships. Prince Henry the Navigator started this with help from the king and the Pope. He wanted to control travel along the west African coast. This helped Portugal support more trips to explore new places. Ships paid Portugal a share of their profits, usually 20%, called "the fifth." This encouraged many people to invest in these adventures.

The cartazes

The cartazes system started in 1502 to help control trade in the Indian Ocean. These special papers, called cartaz, were given by the Portuguese to merchant ships. They protected ships from pirates and enemies in busy waters. The main goal was to make sure traders paid taxes at Portuguese trading spots like Goa, Malacca, and Ormuz. This helped the Portuguese control the spice trade and other valuable goods.

Ships without a cartaz could lose their goods or be attacked by the Portuguese. Every year during the monsoon, Portuguese ships would check for these papers along the coast. Later, as the Portuguese had less power, selling these papers became a way for them to earn money.

Trivia

The cartaz system helped create a new word in the Malayalam language of Kerala. The word kadalaas means paper today. Something similar happened in Thai, where the word krà.dàːt (กระดาษ) also means paper.