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ENCYCLOPAEDIA of Rebellions

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Pernem uprising 1758

Synopsis
The Pernem uprising was a successful rebellion against Portuguese rule in the regions that later became known as the New Conquests of Goa. Colonial expansion into these hinterland areas started in the 1740s, following the loss of the territories of the Northern Province. By the end of the decade, a campaign led by viceroy D. Pedro Miguel de Almeida, who would later become the Marquis of Alorna, annexed the provinces of Pernem, Bicholim, and Sanquelim from the local dynasty of the Bhonsle Sawants, desais of Kudal. The rebellion had various causes, including the opposition of the local population and elites to Portuguese fiscal demands and grievances over the abusive practices of the revenue farmers Trimbaka Sinai, Custam Sinai, and Antoba Sinai. The uprising began on the night of 9 April 1758. Taking advantage of the Portuguese defeat against the Marathas two years before in Ponda, the armies of the Bhonsle Sawants launched an attack on Pernem, where they were joined by local forces under the desai of Arabo and other Portuguese vassals. The garrison was forced to surrender and several Portuguese officials were captured. Subsequently, the rebellion spread to the neighbouring region of Bicholim and Sanquelim. The conflict dragged on until the signing of a peace treaty in July 1759, at which point these provinces were effectively ceded to the Bhonsle Sawants. They would remain under the control of the desais of Kudal until the Estado da Índia finally seized them in the 1780s.
Additional info

Starting date: . Ending: . Duration: 1,3 years. Name in sources: Sublevação de Perném, rebelião de Perném. Location: Perném, Goa Country (current): India-Goa. Monarchy: Portuguese. Main participants: Indigenous, Local elites. Number of participants: >500. Main reasons & motivations: Anti-colonial, Fiscal, Political. Leadership: Desai of Arabo. Relevance: medium.

Further reading
AHU, Conselho Ultramarino, Índia, cx. 217, “Carta do vice-rei conde da Ega” (15-12-1758). AHU, Conselho Ultramarino, Índia, cx. 316, “Carta de João Baptista Vaz Pereira (20-1-1766). MHAMAI, S. K. (1984). The Sawants of Wadi. Coastal Politics in the 18th and 19th centuries. New Delhi: Concept Publishing Co.
Cite this entry

Ferreira, José Miguel (2023). "Pernem uprising 1758", in J. V. Serrão and M. S. Cunha (coord), Encyclopaedia of Rebellions in the Early Modern Iberian World. https://mappingrebellions.com/revolt/pernem-uprising-1758/ (accessed on 12 March 2026).