Methods used by the Portuguese to control the Mutapa State

• The Portuguese used a variety of methods to try and exert control on the Mutapa State and these included:
• Taking control of the trade in the Mutapa State for themselves.
• Controlling the mining activities in the state using forced labour.
• Converting some of the leaders and their subjections into Christianity e.g. Negomo (Sebastiao)
• Encouraged and intervened in civil wars.
• Carried out slave trade.
• Forced the Mutapa and his chiefs to pay tribute to them.
• Singed treaties and concessions.
• Created chikunda forces.
• Established private prisons to incarcerate, intimidate, flog and punish Africans.
• Took large swathes of land from the Africans.
• Married Mutapa women.
• Refused to pay their taxes.
• Adopted the Mutapa traditional religion and customs.
• Introduced the credit system.
• Forced the Mutapa to expel the Swahili traders.
• Established feiras in the Mutapa state.

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