The Foral de Goa is considered the oldest Indo-Portuguese document on coexistence rules between different peoples and cultures. This document was granted by King John III in 1526, and this year marks its 500th anniversary.
The document was granted when Goa was under Portuguese dominion, establishing the norms and laws that regulated coexistence between the local population and the Portuguese colonizers in the region.
Historian Valentino Viegas, a native of Goa, serves as the source explaining the historical importance of this foral. His Goan origin allows him to offer a particular perspective on the significance of this document for the history of relations between Portugal and India.
