Bombay Castle, Mumbai: How did the East India Company take control of the Castle and the Isles off the coast of Bombay?

1666 Bombay Castle /upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia

 Above image: Image of Bombay Castle in 1666. Image taken from: Title: "Bombay and Western India. A series of stray papers" Author(s): Douglas, James, of Bombay [person] British Library shelfmark: https://www.flickr.com/photos/britishlibrary/ 11128396474......................

Bombay castle, MH Alamy.com

Damaged Bombay castle, MH housing.com/new

Above image: Remnants of Bombay Castle.  A wall was built by the english company around the growing town between 1716 and 1723, however, as part of city development undertaken  during the 1800s the wall was pulled down in 1865. Now, one can see the remnants of the old wall.

Bombay Castle, also known as Casa da Orta, is one of the oldest defensive structures in Mumbai, a city with a rich colonial past. Originally built on the site of a manor house constructed by the Portuguese nobleman Garcia de Orta, the castle marks a significant chapter in the city’s history. Orta took the island of Bombay on lease from the King of Portugal between 1554 and 1570, establishing the early foundations of a strategic stronghold. Landed in Goa in September1534, he was a Portuguese Renaissance Sephardi Jewish physician, herbalist and naturalist. forcibly converted to Christianity in 1497,

Portuguese Sundial, Damaged Bombay castle, Mumbai, MH
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Constructed from local blue Kurla stone and red laterite stone that is formed due to chemical leaching of iron that makes the stone strong and sturdy) sourced from the Konkan region, the structure reflects the ingenuity and resourcefulness of its builders in designing a fortified structure. 

 Wedding of  king Charles II and Catherine Braganza commons.wikimedia.org

king Charles II and Catherine Braganza of Portugal

                                                                thehistorypress.co.uk

In 1665, the islands came under English control. The story behind is:  A marriage treaty between King Charles II of England and Portuguese princess  Catherine of Braganza ( she was  8 years junior to King Charles II). was  signed on  23 June 1661. Catherine brought a dowry of £500,000, as well as Bombay, Tangier and the right of free trade with the Portuguese colonies, and also popularised tea-drinking in Britain.  A loveless marriage, it was for the first time in world history a  sort of arranged  marriage was made for political and economic reasons. The union of poor Charles and Catherine and her  dowry benefited England with  full trading privileges for England in the Indies and a very large sum of money for the impoverished Charles.  They were married as per Catholic tradition at Portsmouth and later were re-married  at a grand ceremony in London in May 1662. They shared the throne of England as king and queen and, ultimately, they also shared her Roman Catholic faith.

Seven isles of Bombay (Mumbai), MH
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The Bombay Island including the  Bombay Castle was then leased to the East India Company in 1668 by King Charles II for an annual sum of just £10. In the same year EIC  had taken possession of the castle. Over the following decade, they fortified the manor by constructing defensive bastions around it.

Developed Bombay into a major commercial center and capital of Bombay Presidency,  the East India company by  1845, merged all the seven islands into one landmass through land reclamation projects. 

The castle originally featured four bastions: the Flag Staff Bastion, where a British flag was hoisted; the Flower Tree Bastion; the Tank Bastion; and the Brab Tree Bastion, which faced west near a notable Brab tree. Though few records of the original Portuguese castle remain, surviving elements such as gates within INS Angre and an ancient sundial offer glimpses into its past. Today, the structure houses the offices of the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command, preserving its historical Portuguese as well as British legacy. 

Currently, the fort is restored and houses the headquarters of the Archaeological Survey of India. The fort is under the control of the State Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, Maharashtra (SDA).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombay_Castle#

https://thehistorypress.co.uk/article/charles-ii-and-catherine-of-braganza-a-loveless-marriage

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shifting-gears/208500-pics-history-bombay-castle-fort-area.html

https://www.navrangindia.in/2017/12/bombay-castle-earliest-colonial.html