VIAGENS DE MANILA A MALACA, 1597-1602馬尼拉至馬六甲之旅 1597-1602
This article presents an excerpt from the autobiographical narrative of Jacques de Coutre, a Flemish merchant and soldier who lived approximately thirty years in the East in the service of the Portuguese empire. The text focuses specifically on the period between 1597 and 1602, detailing his voyage...
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| Published in: | Review of Culture |
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| Format: | Articles |
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Instituto Cultural de Macau
October 2004
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| Online Access: | https://www.icm.gov.mo/rc/viewer/pdfViewerParts/40012/3815 |
| Summary: | This article presents an excerpt from the autobiographical narrative of Jacques de Coutre, a Flemish merchant and soldier who lived approximately thirty years in the East in the service of the Portuguese empire. The text focuses specifically on the period between 1597 and 1602, detailing his voyage from Malacca to the Philippines, his stay in Manila, and his subsequent return to Southeast Asia. Based on the manuscript *Vida de Iaques de Coutre*, held at the Biblioteca Nacional de Madrid, the chronicle offers a privileged glimpse into European "encounters and disencounters" in the South China Sea at a moment of transition and conflict.
De Coutre describes in detail his interactions with the Dutch fleets of Jacob van Neck and Jacob van Heemskerck in Patane, following their clashes with Portuguese forces in Macau and Java. The narrative reveals the complex network of espionage, trade, and diplomacy that defined the era. The account highlights the author's extraordinary social and political mobility, whose ease in moving between Portuguese, Dutch, and Malay milieus raises questions about the ambiguity of his loyalties. Ultimately, the text illustrates the vulnerability of Portuguese strongholds in the face of the rising Dutch presence and the fundamental role of cosmopolitan intermediaries in maintaining strategic intelligence in the region. |
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| ISSN: | 1682-1106 |