175:
127:
142:
that he should flee
Thalassery. Nevertheless, Moosa and the other principal merchants remained, where they thought they were best able to protect their interests and, albeit to a diminished level, continue trading with the Europeans. They remained until the conclusion of the Third Anglo-Mysore War in 1792.
201:
Wellington seems to have had little grasp of Indian affairs and the complex considerations at play in servicing the lucrative pepper contracts. On the other hand, the
Company officials would have understood that Moosa held a virtual monopoly of supply and, therefore, was obliged to negotiate with the
141:
seized
Malabar in 1786, he coveted the valuable mercantile interests of Moosa and other merchants of the region, but he also realised that they were central to Malabar's ongoing prosperity. Moosa was warned by friends, who were close to Tipu Sultan, that his assets were in danger of being seized and
170:
Although Moosa was considered by the East India
Company to be one of its most important Indian allies, Moosa did have difficulty in his relationships with certain senior British figures. He came into conflict with British entrepreneur, Murdoch Brown. Moosa took Brown to court for debt and won, even
205:
Moosa, was consistently pro-British when dealing with Indian leaders. On occasion, he is reported as going so far as to describe the East India
Company to fellow Keralites as ‘our own company’. He also seems to have sought to strengthen his connections with the British through marriage. One of his
85:
The eighteenth-century mercantile profile of Moosa has generated considerable attention. Early economic historians argued that his comprador-like functions vis-à-vis the
Tellicherry establishment (or the 'out-factory' of Tellicherry) as having more or less parasitical relations in the pre-colonial
225:
The Keyi family continued to enjoy its good fortune. In 1813, Moosa's son and main heir was described as ‘the richest man on the
Malabar Coast’. The Moosa family, which is still prominent in Thalassery, runs a nineteenth-century guest house, which, it is claimed, once belonged to their ancestor's
195:
There is a fellow, by the name of Mousa, at
Tellicherry who supplies the Rajah with rice, to my certain knowledge. A hint might be given to him that I am in the habit of hanging those whom I find living under the protection of the Company and dealing treacherously towards their interests; that I
73:
Once he had redeemed his financial position, Moosa returned to
Thalassery (c. 1780) and eventually took over his uncle's business, supplying rice, pepper (known as ‘Malabar gold’) and other goods to the Europeans. Critical to their success, was the family's large mercantile fleet, which included
56:
Very little is known about Moosa's origins, but he certainly benefitted from his uncle's patronage in his early years. Aluppi sponsored Moosa's first solo business enterprise in
Thalassery, which proved to be a disaster. Undaunted, Moosa then sought the support of the Rajah of
117:
in 1796 by the Rajah, he forced the issue, reminding the ruler of his exceptional influence with the British. The Rajah backed down. On other occasions, he threatened adversaries with the possibility that his interests might even be backed up with British military muscle.
86:
economy. Recently, there was an attempt to locate Moosa's contracting enterprise and its role in the broader context of early-modern capitalism. It is argued that Moosa, along with many of his contemporaries, had a role in economic dispossession.
145:
After the British were reestablished in the area, Moosa benefited from the declining fortunes of local aristocracies and the difficulties they faced in the changing landscape of British rule. For example, he was the mortgagee of valuable
171:
being able to rely on the testimony of British officials in his defence. Nevertheless, in 1799, Brown was appointed the leading British official in Thalassery and Moosa had to be careful with his adversary in control.
53:. This was the home of his maternal uncle and benefactor, the rich spice merchant, Aluppi, who brought Moosa and his brother, Bappan, to Thalassery to exploit the emerging trade opportunities with the Europeans.
318:
82:. But the basis of Moosa's success as a businessman seems to have been his reliability in troubled times and the sustained good faith in which he acted with his Indian and British business partners.
218:
In the early 1800s, Moosa's fortune, fleet and mercantile interests continued to grow. He died in 1807, one of Malabar's most wealthy and influential figures. He is interred in a mausoleum in the
113:
Eventually, Moosa became so wealthy that he lent money to the East India Company, itself. He was also not afraid to use his connections to get an advantage. When his fleet was barred entry at
162:
Islands. Moosa, a Moghul, also indirectly benefited from the British suppression of Hindu rule in Malabar, as cultural imperatives had, at times, been an impediment with certain non-Muslims.
507:; J. McDonald, 'Migration as an Opportunity for Reinvention: Alfred and Margaret Rich of Gundaroo', Obituaries Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University,
78:
and deployed senior agents in the main commercial centres in India and even as far away as London, Paris and Amsterdam. At about this time, he also became a board member of the
464:
A. Wellesley, The Dispatches of Field Marshall the Duke of Wellington, vol. 2, Cambridge, 1844, pp. 1615-1617. The passage was even quoted in full and out of context in the
263:, Abingdon, 2000, pp. 38, 41-48, 51, 72, 77, 93, 283; M.P. Mujeebu Rehiman, ‘Merchants and Colonialism: the Case of Chovvakkaran Moosa and the English East India Company’,
196:
spare neither rank nor riches; but that, on the contrary, I punish severely those who by their example create the evils for which the unfortunate people suffer.
186:, for his efforts to support his suppliers (many of them, rebels) whilst also juggling commitments to the British authorities. Wellington, whose elder brother
74:
European-built ocean-going vessels. He constructed the Moosakakka Canal to improve shipping. Moosa also fostered a strong network of suppliers throughout
246:, Thalaserry, 1916, pp. 185-208; M.P. Mujeebu Rehiman, 'Merchants and Colonialism: the Case of Chovvakkaran Moosa and the English East India Company',
202:
rebels, who held much of the pepper territory. Moreover, there were hostile foreign traders poised to take advantage. Wellington's advice was ignored.
399:, Abingdon, 2000, p. 42; M.P. Mujeebu Rehiman, ‘Merchants and Colonialism: the Case of Chovvakkaran Moosa and the English East India Company’,
187:
33:(formerly, ‘Tellicherry’) in 1807. He is also known, more parochially, as 'Moosakakka Keyi' (i.e. the honourable Moosa of the
190:
was Governor-General, wrote to Colonel Sartorius in 1800 suggesting that Moosa be executed for his dealings with the rebels.
550:
358:"Credit and Worth: Country-Merchants, Commodity Production and the Land Regime in Late Eighteenth Century North Malabar"
524:, vol. 1, London, 1813, p. 322; cf. p. 329. However, Milburn may have been referring, posthumously, to Moosa, himself.
477:
M.P. Mujeebu Rehiman, ‘Merchants and Colonialism: the Case of Chovvakkaran Moosa and the English East India Company’,
451:
M.P. Mujeebu Rehiman, ‘Merchants and Colonialism: the Case of Chovvakkaran Moosa and the English East India Company’,
438:
M.P. Mujeebu Rehiman, ‘Merchants and Colonialism: the Case of Chovvakkaran Moosa and the English East India Company’,
412:
M.P. Mujeebu Rehiman, ‘Merchants and Colonialism: the Case of Chovvakkaran Moosa and the English East India Company’,
540:
94:
Moosa dominated trade in the north of Malabar from about 1783 until the first decade of the 1800s. After the
174:
319:"From Kolattunad to Chirakkal: British Merchant Capital and the Hinterland of Tellicherry, 1694-1766"
545:
106:, guaranteeing the exclusive supply of all their pepper. By 1800, he dominated the whole of the
98:
in December 1793, he is listed as the first of five pepper merchants from the northern half of
95:
61:, who agreed to give him seed funding for his next venture and to provide a regular supply of
290:
Swai, Bonaventure (July 1978). "East India and Moplah Merchants of Tellicherry: 1694-1800".
555:
8:
338:
299:
183:
103:
342:
330:
182:
Moosa also had the distinction of having angered Arthur Wellesley, who became the
334:
207:
131:
79:
534:
219:
178:
Major-General Arthur Wellesley in India, 1804. Later, the Duke of Wellington.
107:
99:
23:
357:
110:
and held monopoly contracts with the East India Company for most key goods.
22:(Anglicized as ‘Choacara Mousa’) was a wealthy Indian pepper merchant and ‘
508:
159:
138:
34:
303:
58:
30:
380:
A Collection of Treaties, Engagements and Other Papers of Importance
511:, originally published 19 November 2015, accessed 3 December 2015.
155:
126:
468:(25 March 1845, p. 2) as an example of Wellington’s 'character'.
89:
114:
75:
50:
46:
147:
62:
26:
68:
121:
532:
165:
481:(working paper series, August 2006), pp. 10-11.
416:(working paper series, August 2006), pp. 8-10.
403:(working paper series, August 2006), pp. 4-7.
267:(working paper series, August 2006), pp. 2-3.
222:mosque, which he built sometime before 1806.
206:daughters, Mussooruat Sauer Nhaunus, married
90:Contracts with the British East India Company
442:(working paper series, August 2006), p. 10.
102:Province to sign a treaty with the British
455:(working paper series, August 2006), p. 8.
250:(working paper series, August 2006), p. 2.
173:
125:
45:Moosa was born around 1745, probably in
509:http://oa.anu.edu.au/essay/18/text32361
355:
276:E.g. Papers of the East India Company,
533:
395:, Thalassery, 1916, p. 192;A. Bulley,
69:Dominating trade on the Malabar Coast
316:
289:
492:The Bombay Country Ships, 1790-1833
397:The Bombay Country Ships, 1790-1833
261:The Bombay Country Ships, 1790-1833
13:
14:
567:
210:, Magistrate of Patna (c. 1798).
29:’ of southern India, who died in
429:, Thalassery, 1916, pp. 106-107.
514:
497:
484:
471:
458:
445:
432:
419:
122:Relationship with Indian rulers
406:
385:
372:
349:
310:
283:
270:
253:
236:
213:
150:assets owned by Junumabe, the
40:
1:
229:
226:bitter rival, Murdoch Brown.
166:Relationship with the British
7:
503:Will of W.H. Tippet in the
10:
572:
551:British East India Company
356:Malayil, Abhilash (2015).
335:10.1177/025764308500100107
317:Swai, Bonaventure (1985).
278:Tellicherry Consultations
494:, Abingdon, 2000, p. 42.
382:, London, 1891, p. 212.
541:People from Thalassery
179:
158:and her family on the
134:
96:Third Anglo-Mysore War
16:Indian pepper merchant
466:Sydney Morning Herald
177:
129:
505:UK National Archives
280:, 1807, pp. 531-532.
130:Tipu Sultan of the
425:A.P. Ummer Kutty,
391:A.P. Ummer Kutty,
323:Studies in History
242:A.P. Ummer Kutty,
184:Duke of Wellington
180:
135:
104:East India Company
20:Chovvakkaran Moosa
522:Oriental Commerce
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525:
518:
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292:Social Scientist
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124:
92:
71:
43:
17:
12:
11:
5:
569:
559:
558:
553:
548:
546:Indian Muslims
543:
527:
526:
513:
496:
483:
479:History Farook
470:
457:
453:History Farook
444:
440:History Farook
431:
427:Keyi Charitram
418:
414:History Farook
405:
401:History Farook
393:Keyi Charitram
384:
371:
362:Indian History
348:
309:
282:
269:
265:History Farook
252:
248:History Farook
244:Keyi Charitram
234:
233:
231:
228:
215:
212:
208:William Tippet
199:
198:
167:
164:
132:Mysore Kingdom
123:
120:
91:
88:
80:Bank of Madras
70:
67:
42:
39:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
568:
557:
554:
552:
549:
547:
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409:
402:
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388:
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375:
367:
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359:
352:
344:
340:
336:
332:
329:(1): 87–110.
328:
324:
320:
313:
305:
301:
298:(12): 58–70.
297:
293:
286:
279:
273:
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220:Odathil Palli
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172:
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149:
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108:Malabar coast
105:
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87:
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81:
77:
66:
64:
60:
54:
52:
48:
38:
36:
32:
28:
25:
21:
521:
520:W. Milburn,
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447:
439:
434:
426:
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368:(1): 87–142.
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136:
112:
93:
84:
72:
55:
44:
19:
18:
556:1807 deaths
490:A. Bulley,
259:A. Bulley,
214:Final Years
160:Lakshadweep
139:Tipu Sultan
41:Early years
35:Keyi family
535:Categories
378:W. Logan,
230:References
59:Travancore
31:Thalassery
343:161182476
304:3520242
188:Richard
156:Arakkal
100:Malabar
341:
302:
115:Cochin
76:Kerala
51:Kannur
47:Chovva
24:Moghul
339:S2CID
300:JSTOR
137:When
49:near
152:Bibi
148:coir
63:teak
27:Baig
331:doi
154:of
37:).
537::
364:.
360:.
337:.
325:.
321:.
294:.
65:.
366:2
345:.
333::
327:1
306:.
296:6
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