Rahīmī


The Rahīmī was a 17th-century Indian trade vessel. It was owned by the mother of the Mughal emperor Jahangir, Mariam-uz-Zamani. It was one of the largest ships of its time and could be, as recorded by a subordinate of sir Henry Middleton, easily identified from miles away. It mainly acted as a Hajj ship and could carry 1000–1500 pilgrims at a time, though it also carried various Indian commodities for trading. Its home port was the western Indian city of Surat

Capture by the Portuguese

The ship was captured by the Portuguese in the year 1613, despite having the necessary pass issued by the Portuguese themselves that guaranteed protection to it. This act of piracy by the Portuguese caused an unusually severe outcry at the Mughal court. When it became clear that the Portuguese did not plan to return the ship, Emperor Jahangir, whose mother owned the Rahīmī, ordered the seizure of Daman, which was a Portuguese possession in India, halting of all traffic through the port of Surat, closure of the Jesuit church in Agra and also deprived the Portuguese priests of the allowances to which they had formerly been entitled. The Rahīmī was burned by the Portuguese in Goa on 16 December 1614.