Re-reading the acclamation of John IV of Portugal in Cochin 1641 as urban spectacle and literary text

Abstract

The primary focus of this study is Agostinho de Almeida Gato’s extensive account of the celebrations held for the acclamation of John IV of Portugal in 1641 in Cochin. Drawing on studies of the Iberian monarchies as polycentric spaces, intellectual culture in the Estado da Índia and the historiography of early modern Iberian festival culture Gato’s text is analysed as both a testimony to the spectacle that was staged in Cochin and a text addressed to John IV in Portugal. Concerning the history of Cochin, and Portuguese India more broadly, it is argued that the spectacle of kingship staged by the festivities sought to underscore the significance of the oath of loyalty sworn by the population of Portuguese Cochin and address the interweaving of the concerns of the imperial, colonial and indigenous elites. Furthermore, consideration is given to how Gato’s account served as a form of a petition to the king.