Nobres Goesas / Noble Goans

Nobres Goesas / Noble Goans
MD to MCMX
This project complies people from the Portuguese Kingdom and its Empire who were classified as Noble Goans, bestowed with various titles. These people were from diverse origins and ancestries. Numerous people of the 21st century Goa are descended from these Noble Goans, if not all. This serves as a catalogue to help find your ancestry, the diversity of which could be combinations of below:

• Goan (Local residents) descendants who were from high society origins pre 1510. Their gentile ancestors were subjects of the Sultan. Yusuf Adil Shah Empire, Many of these were Gaocars (Gaunkars, Gancars) of their villages and in the local hierarchy system which is referred to as caste system, Gaocars were mainly: Chardós (main profession: Gentile warriors, aristocracy), Bamons, Brâmanes (main profession: Gentile priests, clergy). Both were of equal hierarchical ranking defined by different professions.
• Luso-Goans (Mestiços) of high-born ancestry. They had positions, status in the crown affairs of the Portuguese empire. These Mestiços were offspring's mostly from Chardó class with Iberians; as the converted Brahmins (Bamons) retained their pride of caste and race. The Bamons were an endogamous group and they very seldom intermarried with the Iberians (Portuguese, Spanish) before the early 18th century. One of the earliest marriages to form Bamon class Luso-Goan (Mestiço) ethnicity was in the late 18th century, an example of which are the descendants of Dr. Pedro António Álvares. An example from the 16th century of a Chardó class Luso-Goan (Mestiço) ethnicity are the descendants of D. Diogo Roiz.
• Descendants of Turko-Mongol women with Iberian men who were converted to Christianity.
• Descendants of high ranking Turko-Mongol men (only those who converted to Christianity and pledged loyalty to the Portuguese crown).
• Iberians settled in Goa for good with Iberian women, who then went on to marry (legitimate) or have affairs (illegitimate) with local Goan descendants.
• Iberians who made Goa as their new home (residence) with a new family from various territories of the newly conquered oriental territories (Malacca, Macau, Cochin, Damão, Diu, Cannor, Thane, Baçaim, Trapor, Onor, Ceilão, etc...) and established themselves as locals post the 1510 conquered territories.
• Descendants of Iberian Donzellas, Órfãs d'El-Rei (born illegitimately from high society, including European royalty, orphaned daughters of noble men lost in battle too) with local Goans who were given status and position in the Empire.
• Descendants from new converts, from Jewish ancestry and established as locals in Goa.
• Although rare, some other European settlers (non-Iberian) who were loyal to the Portuguese crown and married locally in Goa, an example D. Antoine Sauvage, Coronel das Milicias da Índia e Commandante da Provincia de Canacona.
• In the 19th century, new conquest (Novas Conquistas) territories local leaders, gaocars who offered their loyalty to the crown, such as D. Vassudeva Rogonata Porobo Desai Desporobo de Cassabém, 1.º Barão de Perném, etc......

From the 16th century to late 17th century, Politicos dos Casamentos encouraged mixing of Iberian settlers with locals and had numerous benefits, including taxation to the crown. Many of these Goan locals were daughters, sons of high ranks in the then Goan society from feudal rulers, aristocracy, advisors, tax collectors, warriors, gaocars, etc....

Most of the chardos, bamons from the rest of the gentile population of old conquest Gôa (Velhas Conquistas) converted to Christianity, their descendants were loyal to the Portuguese crown and had high positions in the governance of the territories. The rest, other local gentiles (Gaudos, Sudhirs, Mhars, Corumbins, etc...) generally followed the chardós and bamons as leaders of their respective villages. These other local gentiles were subjects of their landlords (Bhatkars). These bhatkars were most often Gancars. An example of gentiles wishing to become christians is when a group of chardós seeking conversion to christianity is mentioned in a letter of a jesuit missionary D. Luís Fróis, dated 13 November 1560:

"Mass baptisms in this village (Batim) took place on 25 August 1560. The priests who had been sent to make preparations for the christening were asleep when at midnight of the 24th (August) more than 200 persons (men, women and children) knocked at their door and declared that they wished to become Christians. The women were very well dressed and wore plenty of gold. The men were also well dressed with feathers in their caps and guns on their shoulders. This group was led by one man named Camotim (Kamat). He wore scarlet satin pants, had a silver sword at his waist and a gun on his shoulder. All of them were baptised on the above-mentioned day. These people belonged to the Chardo class, consisting of warriors, men of a much better personality than the Brahmins."

Further post the 18th century, many descendants continued to be achievers and receive various titles and honors for their contributions and loyalty to the Kingdom and its Empire. Some new achievers also rose from lower ranks of the hierarchy of the Goan society. These are also recorded.

Titles that were bestowed (not in particular order) :

• Barão.
• Conde.
• Visconde.
• Moço Fidalgo.
• Moço Escudeiro.
• Capelão Fidalgo.
• Moço da Câmara.
• Brasão de Armas.
• Fidalgo Cavaleiro.
• Escudeiro Fidalgo.
• Cavaleiro da Ordem de Aviz.
• Cavaleiro da Ordem de Christo.
• Fidalgo Cavaleiro da Casa Real.

Note: This project includes Luso, Luso-Asiaticos of Nobreza de Portugal based and born in Goa, Nobilia de Goa during Portuguese governance and the Nobility that already existed pre Portuguese conquests (i.e. Ruling Noble Cxatriyas/ Nobre Chardos who converted to Catholism and were entitled to use the prefix Dom) of ilhas de Gôa, Terras de Salcete, Terras de Bardes and other territories that became today's Goa. Those who were Rao Dessay, Rao SarDessay, Dessay Ranas, etc.... were the Portuguese equivalent of Rei, Dom. Nobility also includes Clergy men who were entitled to use Dom. Basically all categories of Nobility from Pre, during and Post Portuguese Goa.