The Dutch Attack on Kodungallur Fort – AD 1662

The Dutch East India Company decided to fulfil the ambition of Veera Kerala Varma, the prince of the senior branch of the royal family who had laid claim to the throne of Cochin. Before attacking Cochin Fort, Governor Van Goens planned to attack Kodungallur, which was under Portuguese control.

The ruler of Kodungallur was favourably disposed towards the Dutch. The Dutch knew that 500 Portuguese soldiers were stationed in the town of Kodungallur as a garrison. If the Dutch captured Kodungallur Fort, those 500 soldiers would lose their place of refuge. The Dutch believed that the attitude of the local ruler would make an attack on Kodungallur Fort easier than an attack on Cochin Fort.

Kodungallur was situated 20 miles north of Cochin and 80 miles south of Calicut. The town was situated near the mouth of the Periyar River. Kodungallur Fort was built two miles inland from the river mouth. The Periyar and Chalakudy rivers flowed together, forming a backwater before reaching the sea.

The fort stood on the northern bank, to the east of Valiya Panikkenturuthu. It was built of hard-cut laterite stone and surki made from lime and jaggery, making it capable of withstanding various kinds of attack. It was a strong military establishment with square-shaped, heavily fortified walls and circular bastions at its four corners. In some places, the walls were as much as 18 feet thick. The fort's defensive arrangements enabled cannon fire to be directed towards the backwaters and the surrounding areas.

During the period of Portuguese supremacy, Kodungallur was the seat of an archbishop. Since Archbishop Francisco Garcia Mendes had died in 1662, the position of archbishop was vacant when the Dutch captured the fort.

The town also had an important monastery with a large library. In addition to a Franciscan church, there was a cathedral with a cemetery where the archbishops had been buried.

Apart from Kodungallur, the Portuguese also had a seminary at Chendamangalam. Known as the Vaippicotta Seminary, it trained priests of the Saint Thomas Christians and educated local Christians.

The priest Baldæus was concerned that all of this would come to an end if the Dutch captured Kodungallur. The Dutch East India Company, however, did not have the same acceptance of Catholic missionary activities. Moreover, the local Christians showed contempt towards their Protestantism.

After Dutch ships appeared at the mouth of Kodungallur, the Zamorin and the ruler of Kodungallur, accompanied by several nobles of Malabar and their retinues, came to greet Dutch Governor Van Goens and offered their assistance.

They offered to provide information about the best routes from the land for attacking Kodungallur Fort. They also agreed to supply sufficient food for the army. They promised to send a large contingent of Nair soldiers to assist the Dutch.

Meanwhile, Commander God arrived with the ships Raadhuys and Bours, and the naval preparations were completed.

On 2 January 1662, the Dutch landed on the shore of Kodungallur. As the soldiers passed in front of the palace of the ruler of Kodungallur, the princes and nobles came out and lined up to watch their march.

They camped on the first day under the shade of trees near a large pond. As they approached the enemy's position, they realised that capturing it would require more effort and bloodshed than they had expected.

On the landward side, the Portuguese had constructed a new earthen wall around the old fort. The Dutch brought ashore all the equipment required to remove it and immediately began their work.

The Dutch gradually began to realise that all the Zamorin's promises of assistance were meaningless. They had to bring provisions from their own ships. They had only a small quantity of bread made from grain and some cheese.

Commander Wouter Schouten was suffering severely from hunger. His attempt to obtain more provisions from his ship failed. The slave whom he had appointed to bring the supplies joined the slaves of the other commanders and consumed all the provisions.

They argued that they had eaten the food because their masters would otherwise have destroyed the surplus. However, Van Goens arranged for the necessary provisions to be brought from the ships, and therefore the army did not have to suffer from a food shortage for long.

The Zamorin attempted to justify his failure to provide assistance by saying that his soldiers, fearing that they might come to harm, had not dared to join the Dutch army.

The Dutch were given permission to purchase the supplies they needed from territories under the authority of the ruler of Kodungallur. The Zamorin complained that he had been exposed to enemy retaliation because the Dutch had left the area without any warning the previous year.

The Dutch dug trenches outside the fort, one after another, in several lines. From within these trenches, they fired heavily at the fort walls, bastions and churches. The Dutch soldiers continued firing day and night without receiving any assistance from the Zamorin.

When the Dutch positioned their cannons and began firing, the Portuguese also began returning fire with their cannons.

The circumstances were unfavourable for the Dutch. The intense cold at night and the severe heat during the day were unbearable. Without any shelter, the soldiers were forced to remain in the trenches like burrowing rats underground.

This situation could not continue for long. It was evident that the fear of the soldiers, who had almost no experience of warfare, was increasing. Leaving only their commanders on the battlefield, the soldiers fled before the enemy could even see them.

As an exemplary punishment, two of those who had fled were captured and hanged.

The naval forces also cooperated with the military operations as much as possible. Small vessels were ordered to move upstream through the backwaters in order to prevent the Portuguese from receiving supplies required for the fort.

Fierce exchanges of gunfire continued between the two sides. The Portuguese did not dare even put their heads outside the fort until bullets from the Dutch trenches struck them. Once they were hit by gunfire, however, they responded courageously.

The Dutch advanced very close to the fort through the trenches they had extended. They could hear the cries and shouts of the Portuguese.

Once a cannon was positioned very close to the fort, the intensity of the firing increased tenfold. Every evening, the Portuguese attempted to cross the outer defences of the fort and advance to confront the Dutch.

However, all their attempts failed at every stage. As a result of the Dutch's heavy gunfire, the enemy was forced to retreat with heavy losses.

The enemy repeatedly attempted to advance towards the area where God Skae was stationed rather than towards the positions occupied by Van Goens or Ruddhuys.

The young Schouten was not at the battlefield. He had been given responsibility for caring for wounded soldiers.

The Dutch built a hospital using bamboo and coconut fronds. Major Surgeon D'Arsicourt served both the ships and the camp. He had fifteen years of practical experience on the battlefield and considerable expertise in treating illnesses.

After dressing the wounds of those injured in the attacks, Major D'Arsicourt instructed Schouten to move them to the hospital built alongside Van Goens's troops.

Two surgeons had prepared a shelter east of God Skae, away from the trenches. They constructed a hut from branches and leaves and thatched it with coconut leaves. The hut provided them with shelter from the severe cold at night and the scorching heat during the day.

As a result of the enemy's continuous attacks, Surgeon Schouten had to treat many wounded men. Amid the tremendous noise of exploding cannonballs, he had to dress their wounds and move them to the hospital.

The Dutch had reached the riverbank near the fort, behind the walls. Inside the fort were some men who had deserted from the Dutch army and joined the enemy.

They not only fired cannons at Van Goens's soldiers but also hurled abusive words at them.

Finally, the Zamorin sent some Nair warriors to assist the Dutch in the war. However, they were of little use to Van Goens. The weapons they were familiar with were daggers and swords. They had no experience in using firearms.

As soon as Van Goens received information from a spy about the desperate condition of the Portuguese at Kodungallur, he decided to intensify the attack.

On Sunday, 15 January, around midday, an attack was launched under the intense heat of the sun.

At the Kodungallur church, Mass was being celebrated and the Portuguese soldiers were engaged in worship. As a result, the atmosphere was extremely quiet.

The Dutch soldiers silently advanced towards the place that a spy had identified as the most vulnerable. After a short while, they created a disturbance at another part of the town to draw the enemy's attention there.

Taking advantage of the smoke from the cannon fire, the Dutch charged towards the outer fortification, shouting loudly and raising their battle cries. Soldiers with greater experience in warfare encouraged those who were less courageous.

The Dutch soldiers received a fierce reception from Portuguese muskets, fireballs and cannonballs from the large guns. The Portuguese strongly resisted the advancing Dutch.

Ignoring the flames, smoke, weapons and violence of the enemy, the Dutch reached the outer fortification.

They carried ladders to a defensive structure built on the banks of the Periyar to resist an attack. The Portuguese forces, however, fought fiercely.

The Portuguese commander, Urbanofiel Hafferera, confronted the Dutch in order to assist his soldiers. Eventually, he was wounded, fell to the ground and was taken prisoner.

The Portuguese could no longer continue the war.

Van Goens's forces captured all the defensive structures along the riverbank. Three hundred and fifty Portuguese soldiers laid down their arms and surrendered before Van Goens.

More than fifty Portuguese soldiers had been killed in the battle. Some Portuguese soldiers escaped by boat along the Periyar towards Chendamangalam. Some who jumped from the fort into the river in an attempt to board the boats drowned.

The Nairs suffered terrible losses. No fewer than five or six hundred of them were killed or drowned in the river.

The remaining Nairs, including Kotha Varma, the brother of the ruler of Cochin who had led the Nair army, escaped with their lives.

The Dutch also suffered severe losses. Twenty of them were killed and eighty were wounded. Among the wounded were the captains Poelman and Schuylenburgh, six lieutenants and four ensigns.

Schouten and his colleagues were occupied day and night dressing the wounds of the injured and removing cannonballs.

Since the hospital was very small, after the fort and town were captured, the wounded were taken to the largest church and a nearby monastery.

The dispensary and operating theatre were established directly in front of the altar where the priest had been celebrating Mass.

The peace terms offered by the Dutch to the Portuguese were moderate.

The Portuguese were permitted to surrender completely by laying down all their weapons before the Dutch commander and to return to Portugal. They were also allowed to depart with their flags flying and drums beating.

Interpreters known as thuppayis and free local inhabitants were allowed to continue living in the town.

Roman Catholic priests were not permitted to remain in the town for a longer period. Many of them were sent to Goa.

All free married and unmarried women were transferred to Cochin and Goa.

The Dutch East India Company took possession of all the Portuguese property in the town, including their military equipment and slaves.

The Dutch entered the captured town. They gathered in one of the churches they had taken over for worship according to the Reformed tradition.

They used a church built by the Portuguese themselves to give thanks to God for their victory over the Portuguese.

Rev. Baldæus conducted a service consisting of thanksgiving and prayer.

A few days later, on 18 January 1662, the Zamorin, accompanied by the ruler of Kodungallur, several princes and many prominent nobles, visited the Admiral and paid their respects.

The Dutch escorted them around the town with cannon fire and every form of ceremony to see the new sights of the town.

During this visit, they also went to the hospital. There were none of the Zamorin's subjects among the wounded.

Van Goens asked the Zamorin:

"How many of your soldiers have you seen wounded here?"

The Zamorin hesitated before answering.

"None..." came the delayed reply.

Van Goens then said:

"You surely would not hesitate to provide sufficient fruits, meat and grain to these poor Dutch soldiers, who have shed their blood not only for the Dutch East India Company against the common enemy, the Portuguese, but also for the Zamorin and the people of this land."

The Dutch subsequently demolished all the defensive structures that the Portuguese had built in the town.

They collected the remaining military equipment and safely destroyed it by fire. They repaired the bastions and walls.

However, if Nieuhoff's account is to be believed, very little remained in Kodungallur after the town had been captured and plundered.

The Dutch took the wounded Portuguese to the hospital adjoining the church and treated them well.

Surgeon Major himself treated Fialho Pereira, a senior Portuguese military commander who had suffered wounds all over his body.

However, the treatment was of no avail. He died soon afterwards as a result of the deep wounds he had suffered. Van Goens arranged for his body to be given a proper burial.

After capturing Kodungallur, the Dutch prepared to attack Cochin. They loaded cannons, firearms and other necessary weapons onto their ships.

Only about 200 Dutch soldiers, including the sick and wounded, remained at Kodungallur.