Book excerpt: " German merchants emerged as influential commercial partners of the Portuguese in the 16th Century. The trade in spices and precious metals was not the only line pursued by them in India, they also collected precious stones and ventured far into the interior of the country. The present study illustrates these activities which have so far not received adequate attention. Moreover, not all of the Germans coming to India were merchants, there were also many soldiers, among them artillerists (bombardeiros) who had skills to offer which had obviously not yet been acquired by the Portuguese military. The news about India which German merchants and soldiers conveyed to their home country contributed to the increase of German knowledge of the world. "