Casa da Guiné

For other uses, see Guinea company (disambiguation).

Casa da Guiné

Flag used by the Casa da Guiné.
Industry	International trade
Founded	1443
Defunct	1503 (1503)
Fate	Dissolved
Successor	Casa da Índia
Headquarters	Lisbon , Kingdom of Portugal
Area served	Portuguese Empire
Key people	Manuel I of Portugal

The Casa da Guiné (English: House of Guinea), later known as the Casa da Guiné e Mina and also referred to as the Portuguese Guinea Company, was a state-run Portuguese commercial institution, tasked with the management of the Portuguese Empire's economic interests and colonization in West Africa, particularly on the Gulf of Guinea, on the Gold Coast, and on the Slave Coast.

History

Founded in 1443, during the Age of Discoveries, under the auspices of Prince Henry the Navigator, the Casa da Guiné would later be absorbed into the Casa da Índia in 1503.

Operations

It monitored and enforced the Crown's monopoly, coordinated voyages, maintained warehouses, fixed prices, and performed other roles associated with the Spice trade. It was also where an average of 1,000 slaves were taken from Africa to be sold each year for nearly 50 years. (Alastair-Corston de Custance Maxwell Saunders, A Social History of Black Slaves and Freedman in Portugal, 1441-1555, Cambridge University Press, 1982, pp.19-21)

See also

• Casa da Índia
• Portuguese Guinea
• Mozambique Company
• Portuguese Empire
• List of Portuguese chartered companies

References

• Company of Guinea on the FOTW