Q. Which of the following military innovation/s or contribution/s made by Portuguese in India?
1.Use of body Armour
2.Matchlock men
3.System of drilling groups of infantries
Choose the correct answer from below given codes:

[A] 1 only

[B] 1 and 2 only

[C] 2 and 3 only

[D] 1, 2 and 3

Answer: D
Notes:

Explanation: In the Malabar of the sixteenth century, the Portuguese showed military innovation in their use of body Armour, matchlock men, and guns landed from the ships.

  • The Portuguese may have contributed by example to the Mughal use of field guns, and the ‘artillery of the stirrup’.
  • However, an important military contribution made by the Portuguese onshore was the system of drilling groups of infantries, on the Spanish model, introduced in the 1630s as a counter to Dutch pressure.
  • The practice was adopted first by the French and English, and later taken up by the Marathas and Sikhs, and such armies of sepoys became new tools of empire in India.

Source: Spectrum Modern India