The Foral of Goa, also known in academic circles as the Foral of Mexia, was granted by King D. João III on September 16, 1526, a date that will mark its quincentenary in 2026. The author, Valentino Viegas, justifies his preference for the designation "Foral of Goa" through a careful reading of the document, comparing it with the evolution of Portuguese policies in India since Vasco da Gama's arrival at Calicut in 1498, arguing that this designation is more appropriate and necessary.
The importance of the document lies in the fact that it was granted by the Portuguese monarch himself and not by a lay or ecclesiastical lord, which meant that Goa belonged directly to the king, meaning that the people of Goa, like any other Portuguese, were directly dependent on the crown and could always appeal to the monarch. This direct dependence was evidenced by the Marquis of Pombal in the Alvará of April 2, 1761, which reaffirmed the equality between the natives of India and the metropolitan Portuguese in matters of honor, consanguinity, and interests.
The Foral was intended for the inhabitants of the islands of Tissuari, Divar, Chorão, and Jua, with the gaocares, meaning governor, administrator, and benefactor, being its main beneficiaries. These held positions transmitted from generation to generation and Goan society functioned under their direction, with the most important matters of the islands being decided by them. The property regime was that of the village community, where the land belonged collectively to the gaocares, who were jointly responsible for its use, while women were excluded from any property rights.
With the conquest of Goa by Afonso de Albuquerque on November 25, 1510, and the subsequent granting of the Foral in 1526, Portugal made a change of great importance in the Indian subcontinent, founding a state in the East for the first time. The structure of the foral guaranteed the full collection of rent in favor of the donor, indicating the method of leasing and transfer of property, without neglecting the uses, traditional customs, and acquired privileges of the local populations. Responsibility was communal, with three levels of council: the village council, the island council, and the general council of all islands.
