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{{EngvarB|date=March 2014}}
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'''Francisco Luís Gomes''' ([[Konkani language|Konkani]]: फ़्रान्सिस्को लूईस गोमॆस) (Portuguese: [[Help:IPA/Portuguese|[fɾãˈsiʃku ˈlwiʃ]] gome[[Help:IPA/Portuguese|ʃ]]]; [[Goa]], [[Portuguese India]], 31 May 1829 – [[Atlantic Ocean]], 30 September 1869) was a Goan physician, writer, historian, economist, [[Political Science|political scientist]] and [[Member of Parliament|MP]] in the [[Assembly of the Republic (Portugal)|Portuguese parliament]]. A classical liberal by political orientation, Gomes represented [[Portuguese India]] in the ''Cortes Gerais'' (parliament) from 1861 to 1869. His outstanding contributions towards the fields of classical liberal philosophy and economics led him to be widely hailed as "The Prince of Intellectuals" in Europe.<ref name="Vaz1">{{harvnb|Vaz|1997|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=7DJLxYBYA-YC&pg=PA250#v=onepage&q&f=false 250]}}</ref>

== Early life ==
[[File:Bust of Francisco Louis Gomes (F.L. Gomes) in Margao, Goa.jpg|thumb|Bust of Francisco Louis Gomes in [[Margao, Goa]].]]
Francisco Luís Gomes was born on 31 May 1829 in the Colmoroddo ''vaddo'' (deanery of a parish) of [[Navelim]] village in [[Salcette]], the son of a [[Goan Catholics|Goan Catholic]] ''[[Roman Catholic Kshatriya|Chardo]]'' couple, Francisco Salvador Gomes and Deodata Furtado.<ref name="de Souza3">{{harvnb|de Souza|1989|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=ruTu9oaUgUgC&pg=PA135#v=onepage&q&f=false 135]}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Couto|2004|p=145}}</ref> His father was a physician and civic leader.<ref name="Navelim1"/> Gomes spent his early years in Navelim and during this period, displayed a flair for languages. He was a [[Polyglot (person)|polyglot]]; highly proficient in the use of Konkani, [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] and French, and additionally possessed a good understanding of English, Italian, Spanish, [[Latin]] and [[Marathi language|Marathi]].<ref name="Vaz1"/> At the age of 21, he completed his medical course at the ''[[Goa Medical College|Escola Médico–Cirúrgica de Goa]]'' in [[Panjim]].<ref name="Navelim1"/> He was soon appointed professor of the institution in view of his academic merits, and also granted a commission in the [[Portuguese Army]].<ref name="de Souza3"/> Gomes eventually rose to become the institution's Chief Surgeon in 1860.<ref name="Vaz1"/>

== Member of Parliament (1861–1869) ==
Gomes saw it as his life's mission to advance the cause of freedom, truth and justice, and thus followed in his father's footsteps by taking part in civic affairs.<ref name="Vaz1"/><ref name="Navelim1">{{harvnb|de Souza|1985|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=yjXJOFEIIMkC&pg=PA203#v=onepage&q&f=false 203]}}</ref> In 1860, he stood for election in the Portuguese parliament ''Cortes Gerais'' from the constituency of [[Margao]].<ref name="Navelim1"/> He was elected to the parliament in 1861 and took a seat with ''[[Regenerator Party|Partido Regenador]]'' (Renewing Party), a liberal party.<ref name="Borges1">{{harvnb|Borges|Stubbe|2000|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=diISslZgIAkC&pg=PA205#v=onepage&q&f=false 205]}}</ref> His first speech in parliament made him renowned as a great orator and parliamentarian.<ref name="Vaz1"/> Gomes represented [[Portuguese India]] until his death in 1869.<ref name="Borges1"/> He was thrice offered a seat in the Cabinet as a Minister, but declined as he found it to be incompatible with his independent views.<ref name="Vaz1"/>

Francisco Luís Gomes fought against slavery and defended the cause of the ''[[Padroado]]''. He strove for the creation of a society based on the principles of [[liberty]], [[Equality before the law|equality]] and [[fraternity]], and campaigned against socio-economic injustices committed on the colonised peoples across the [[Portuguese Empire]].<ref name="Borges2">{{harvnb|Borges|Stubbe|2000|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=diISslZgIAkC&pg=PA205#v=onepage&q&f=false 206]}}</ref> He campaigned to ameliorate the conditions of his constituents and his efforts towards this end succeeded in placing colonial public servants on equal standing as public servants in [[Portugal]].<ref name="Borges2"/> Gomes laid down the principles of a Goan budget and expunged it of several illegal items of expenditure.<ref name="Borges2"/>

== Works ==
{{rquote|right|It is said that the law of Christ governs European civilization. That is a lie. It shines on its surface, but does not penetrate to its entrails.| Quote from his novel, ''Os Brâmanes'' (1866)<ref name="European"/>}}

Gomes became internationally renowned as an eminent economist and political scientist due to his principal works which were published while he was incumbent in the ''Cortes Gerais''.<ref name="Navelim1"/> His view was that economics was inseparable from politics, and as such, he devoted a large part of his life to its study.<ref name="Vaz2">{{harvnb|Vaz|1997|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=7DJLxYBYA-YC&pg=PA251#v=onepage&q&f=false 251]}}</ref> In 1861, Gomes wrote his first work; a 34-page treatise on the subject in French entitled ''"De la question du cotton en Angleterre et dans les possessions portugaises d' Afrique Occidentale"'' (The issue of cotton in England and the Portuguese possessions of West Africa).<ref name="Navelim3">{{harvnb|de Souza|1985|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=yjXJOFEIIMkC&pg=PA204#v=onepage&q&f=false 204]}}</ref> This work earned him recognition in Europe as an eminent economist.<ref name="Vaz2"/>

A second work on the agricultural and rural economy of [[Goa]] ''A liberdade da terra e a economia rural da India portugueza'' (The freedom of the land and the rural economy of Portuguese India) was published in Portuguese the following year. This work is generally considered to be his ''[[wikt:magnum opus|magnum opus]]''.<ref name="Borges2"/> In it, Gomes discussed the impact of Portuguese colonial policy on Goan agriculture, as well as the various handicaps of the native agriculturist.<ref name="Borges3"/> He advocated colonial autonomy and a uniform system of colonial administration throughout the Portuguese Empire and suggests a scheme of economic and financial reforms, such as the establishment of [[credit union|Credit societies]], which would save the country from [[economic stagnation]].<ref name="Borges2"/><ref name="Vaz2"/> He argued that the ''[[comunidade]]s'' were no longer suited to the exigencies of the time and instead called for the liberation of the lands under their control, and its replacement by individual ownership of the tenant.<ref name="Borges3">{{harvnb|Borges|Stubbe|2000|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=diISslZgIAkC&pg=PA151#v=onepage&q&f=false 151]}}</ref> He also advocated the sale of all public lands, as well as those that belonged to religious institutions.<ref name="Borges4">{{harvnb|Borges|Stubbe|2000|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=diISslZgIAkC&pg=PA152#v=onepage&q&f=false 152]}}</ref>

A third work published in French in 1867, ''Essai sur la théorie de l'économie politique et de ses rapports avec la morale et le droit'' (Essay on the theory of political economy and its relationship with morality and the law) was widely praised by European economists.<ref name="Vaz2"/> It is generally recognised as one of the most important in the history of Portuguese economic thought recognised by eminent European societies such as ''Societe d'Economie Politique'' of Paris, Society of Medical Sciences of [[Lisbon]] and the Economic Society of [[Cadiz]].<ref name="Borges2"/>

In 1866, Gomes published his famous historical novel ''Os Brâmanes'' (The Brahmins), the first novel by a Goan,<ref>Ben Antao, 'Goan Literature in English', ''Muse India'', 64 (November–December 2015), http://www.museindia.com/focuscontent.asp?issid=50&id=4273 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305010241/http://www.museindia.com/focuscontent.asp?issid=50&id=4273 |date=5 March 2016 }}.</ref> which focused on the practise of caste-based discrimination in [[India]], particularly of untouchability among the Hindus.<ref name="Vaz2"/> The novel has a purely Indian background and was inspired by the French playwright [[Victor Hugo]].<ref name="Borges2"/> Its theme is centred on the love of liberty, justice and concern for the downtrodden, and focuses on the life of the [[Anglo-Indian]] community in the [[Faizabad district]] and its relationship with the native inhabitants.<ref name="Borges2"/><ref name="de Souza5"/> It vividly portrays the traditional festivities in [[Kanpur|Cawnpore]], and discusses the causes and effects of the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857]] in great detail.<ref name="de Souza5">{{harvnb|de Souza|1989|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=ruTu9oaUgUgC&pg=PA137#v=onepage&q&f=false 137]}}</ref> In it, Gomes also alluded to the anti-colonial uprisings by the [[Rane (Maratha clan)|Ranes]] in Goa in the statement: "Impartial men who are moved by justice and not by racialism want India to be ruled by Indians".<ref>{{harvnb|Das|1995|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=sqBjpV9OzcsC&pg=PA101#v=onepage&q&f=true 101]}}</ref> He also criticised the European nations for their perceived lack of adherence to Christian values.<ref name="European">{{harvnb|Nazareth|1974|p=24}}</ref>

Gomes' other notable works included a biography written in Portuguese of the brigadiers Henrique Carlos Henriques and Joaquim Xavier Henriques, and in French of [[Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, 1st Marquess of Pombal]] (1869).<ref name="de Souza3"/> He cherished his mother-tongue, Konkani, and made significant contributions towards a revised edition of ''[[Arte da lingoa Canarim]]'' (Art of the Canarim language), the Konkani grammar by the 16th-century English [[Society of Jesus|Jesuit]], [[Thomas Stephens (Jesuit)|Fr. Thomas Stephens]].<ref name="Vaz1"/> He also wrote an unpublished Konkani grammar dedicated to the Portuguese civil servant and Konkani revivalist [[Joaquim Heliodoró da Cunha Rivara]].<ref name="Navelim3"/>

== Political views ==
{{rquote|right|I was born in the East Indies, once the cradle of poetry, philosophy and history and now their tomb. I belong to that race which composed the [[Mahabharata]] and invented [[chess]]. But this nation which made codes of its poems and formulated politics in a game is no longer alive! It survives imprisoned in its own country. I asked for India liberty and light; as for myself, more happy than my countrymen, i am free – ''civis sum''.| Quote from a letter to the French politician, [[Alphonse de Lamartine]]<ref name="Desai">{{harvnb|Desai|2000|p=}}</ref>}}

Gomes was a [[Romanticism|Romanticist]] who cherished the concept of [[liberty]].<ref name="Navelim1"/> He was a devout [[Roman Catholicism|Roman Catholic]] who judged the world according to the ethical standards of his faith, tracing his philosophy of equality to [[Jesus Christ]].<ref name="Navelim1"/><ref name="Borges2"/> Gomes took great pride in his Indian ancestry and advocated the right of ''[[Swaraj]]'' or self-governance for Indians.<ref name="Vaz2"/> On the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857]], he famously stated in ''Os Brâmanes'':<ref name="Vaz2"/>
{{quote|text="The movement was throttled because it was a revolt. The revolt was the [[sepoy]]; the revolution would have been the people; the revolt was revenge; the revolution would have been the Idea; the revolt was the cruel [[Vishnu]]; the revolution would have been the mild [[Shiva]]."}}

Gomes was a staunch [[Indian nationalism|Indian nationalist]], and contrarily to his Hindu counterparts within Goa and the Indian mainland, based his nationalism within the framework of his Christian religious beliefs and his faith in the superiority of [[Western culture]].<ref name="Desai"/> He believed the main instruments of civilisation to be two, namely Christianity and education.<ref name="Desai"/> He was appalled by the perceived "social evils" he found to be prevalent in Hindu society, and saw European civilisation as a panacea for them.<ref name="Desai"/> While Gomes bemoaned the loss of India's ancient cultural heritage, he believed that the only chance left for the Indian people to have a civilisation of their own laid on colonial rule.<ref name="Desai"/> At the same time, however, he decried attempts by the Western colonial powers to use their dominant status for the purpose of exploiting, rather than guiding and educating their subjects.<ref name="Desai"/> Gomes further believed that the European colonial powers should eventually leave and entrust the governance of India to its people, once the period of "tutelage" was over.<ref name="Desai"/>

Gomes envisioned the building of an invincible nation with both Christian and liberal values of an "enlightened" Europe.<ref name="Desai"/> He believed that the cause of India's subjugation by European colonial powers laid on India being ridden with rivalries of different dynasties, caste hatred and religious antagonisms. He further believed that with only one religion, only one dynasty, only one caste, India would have been invincible.<ref name="Desai"/> To this end, he suggested that the [[British Empire|British]] emulate in India the [[Portuguese Empire|Portuguese]] example of [[Christianisation of Goa|Christianising Goa]] in the 16th century, with the exception of resorting to force.<ref name="Desai"/>

== Honours ==
Gomes was the recipient of numerous honours, in view of his significant contributions in the fields of literature, history, economy and political science. Due to his significant contributions towards the study of [[political economy]], the Society of Economists of Paris appointed him as an Associate Member, a rare honour which he shared with four other eminent personages, namely, [[William Ewart Gladstone]], Mungueti, [[John Stuart Mill]] and [[Richard Cobden]].<ref name="Vaz2"/> Upon his visit to France on the occasion of the [[World's Fair|Universal Exhibition]] held in Paris in 1867, the elite among the French economists and philosophers paid a public tribute to Gomes for his contributions to the study of political economy. The French monarch [[Napoleon III]] received him in a special audience and felicitated him for his achievements.<ref name="Vaz2"/>

Among other honours, Gomes was appointed Member of the [[Asiatic Society of Mumbai|Royal Asiatic Society of Bombay]], Member of the Society of Medical Sciences of [[Lisbon]], Member of the Society of Political Economy of [[Cadiz]], Member of the Royal Academy of Sciences of Lisbon, and was awarded the Doctorate of Social and Political Sciences of the [[Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968)|Catholic University of Leuven]] in Belgium.<ref name="Vaz2"/> His loyalty to the Portuguese Empire coupled with his love and enthusiasm for the Portuguese language and culture resulted in him being honoured with the knighthood of the ''[[Order of Christ (Portugal)|Ordem Militar de Nosso Senhor Jesus Cristo]]'' by the Portuguese government.<ref name="de Souza2">{{harvnb|de Souza|1989|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=ruTu9oaUgUgC&pg=PA134#v=onepage&q&f=false 134]}}</ref>

== Death ==
In 1869, Gomes was afflicted with a debilitating illness and his body began to waste. He hoped to spend his remaining days in Goa, and left Europe for India by the ''S.S. Messalia'' on 25 September. 36 hours after entering the [[Atlantic Ocean]], he died on board the ship on 30 September, aged 40.<ref name="Vaz3">{{harvnb|Vaz|1997|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=7DJLxYBYA-YC&pg=PA252#v=onepage&q&f=false 252]}}</ref> The eminent Portuguese writer, [[Júlio Dantas]] commented about Gomes' legacy:<ref name="de Souza4">{{harvnb|de Souza|1989|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=ruTu9oaUgUgC&pg=PA136#v=onepage&q&f=false 136]}}</ref>
{{quote|text="The thinkers or the wise live beyond their death. Theirs is an eternal youth, like trees forever blossoming. I wish to pay my respects to the thinker in him, as well as to the brilliance and immortality in the eternal youth of knowledge."}}

== Bibliography ==
* {{Cite book
|year=1861
|title=De la question du coton en Angleterre et dans les possessions portugaises de l'Afrique occidentale
|publisher=Typ. Universal
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z3BNAAAAcAAJ
|language=fr}}
* {{Cite book
|year=1862
|title=A liberdade da terra e a economia rural da India portugueza
|publisher=Typ. Universal
|language=pt}}
* {{Cite book
|year=1863
|title=Os brigadeiros Henrique Carlos Henriques e Joaquim Xavier Henriques
|publisher=Typ. Universal
|language=pt}}
* {{Cite book
|year=1866
|title=Os Brâmanes: Romance
|publisher=Typ. Universal
|language=pt}}
* {{Cite book
|year=1867
|title=Essai sur la théorie de l'économie politique et de ses rapports avec la morale et le droit
|publisher=Guillaumin
|language=fr}}
* {{Cite book
|year=1869
|title=Le marquis de Pombal, esquisse de sa vie publique
|publisher=Imprimerie franco-portugaise
|language=fr}}

== Citations ==
{{reflist}}

== References ==
{{refbegin}}
* {{Cite book
|last=Couto
|first=Maria Aurora
|author-link=Maria Aurora Couto
|year=2004
|title=Goa, a daughter's story
|publisher=Viking Press
}}.
* {{Cite book
|last=Das
|first=Sisir Kumar
|year=1995
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sqBjpV9OzcsC
|title=History of Indian Literature: .1911–1956, struggle for freedom: triumph and tragedy
|publisher=Sahitya Akademi
|isbn=978-81-7201-798-9
|access-date=3 May 2011}}
* {{Cite journal
|last1=Desai
|first1=Nishtha
|publisher=Brill Academic publishers
|url=http://www.lusotopie.sciencespobordeaux.fr/desai.pdf
|title=The Denationalisation of Goans: An Insight into the Construction of Cultural Identity
|journal=Lusotopie
|year=2000
|pages=469–476
|access-date=3 May 2011
|url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322225837/http://www.lusotopie.sciencespobordeaux.fr/desai.pdf
|archive-date=22 March 2012
}}
* {{Cite book
|last2=Stubbe
|first2=Hannes
|last1=Borges
|first1=Charles J.
|editor2-last=Stubbe
|editor2-first=Hannes
|editor1-last=Borges
|editor1-first=Charles J.
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=diISslZgIAkC
|title=Goa and Portugal: history and development
|publisher=Concept Publishing Company
|year=2000
|isbn=978-81-7022-867-7
|access-date=3 May 2011}}
* {{Cite book
|last=de Souza
|first=Teotonio R.
|author-link=Teotonio R. de Souza
|year=1989
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ruTu9oaUgUgC
|title=Essays in Goan history
|publisher=Concept Publishing Company
|isbn=978-81-7022-263-7
|access-date=3 May 2011}}
* {{Cite book
|last=de Souza
|first=Teotonio R.
|author-link=Teotonio R. de Souza
|year=1985
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yjXJOFEIIMkC
|title=Indo-Portuguese history: old issues, new questions
|publisher=Concept Publishing Company
|access-date=3 May 2011}}
* {{Cite book
|last=Nazareth
|first=Peter
|author-link=Peter Nazareth
|year=1974
|title=An African view of literature
|publisher=Northwestern University Press
|isbn=978-0-8101-0432-7
|url-access=registration
|url=https://archive.org/details/africanviewoflit0000naza
}}.
* {{Cite book
|last=Vaz
|first=J. Clement
|year=1997
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7DJLxYBYA-YC
|title=Profiles of eminent Goans, past and present
|publisher=Concept Publishing Company
|isbn=978-81-7022-619-2
|access-date=3 May 2011}}
{{refend}}

== Further reading ==
{{Wikiquote|Francisco Luís Gomes}}
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book
|title=Francisco Luis Gomes
|last=Gomes
|first=Olivinho J.F.
|isbn=978-81-237-5801-5
|year=2010
|publisher=National Book Trust
|location=New Delhi}}
{{refend}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gomes, Francisco Luis}}

[[Category:1829 births]]
[[Category:1869 deaths]]
[[Category:Medical doctors from Goa]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian medical doctors]]
[[Category:Portuguese people of Goan descent]]
[[Category:Portuguese surgeons]]
[[Category:Portuguese politicians of Indian descent]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:Portuguese male writers]]
[[Category:19th-century Portuguese historians]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian economists]]
[[Category:Portuguese economists]]
[[Category:Indian Roman Catholics]]
[[Category:Portuguese Roman Catholics]]
[[Category:Indian classical liberals]]
[[Category:Portuguese classical liberals]]
[[Category:19th-century Portuguese physicians]]
[[Category:19th-century Portuguese writers]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian historians]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian male writers]]

Francisco Luís Gomes - Revision history

UpdateBot at 10:32, 15 June 2022