Casa da Guiné
1443–1503 Portuguese colonial commercial institution
The Casa da Guiné (English: House of Guinea), later known as the Casa da Guiné e Mina and also referred to as the Portuguese Guinea Company, was a state-run Portuguese commercial institution, tasked with the management of the Portuguese Empire's economic interests and colonization in West Africa, particularly on the Gulf of Guinea, on the Gold Coast, and on the Slave Coast.
History
Founded in 1443, during the Age of Discoveries, under the auspices of Prince Henry the Navigator, the Casa da Guiné would later be absorbed into the Casa da Índia in 1503.
Operations
It monitored and enforced the Crown's monopoly, coordinated voyages, maintained warehouses, fixed prices, and performed other roles associated with the Spice trade. It was also where an average of 1,000 slaves were taken from Africa to be sold each year for nearly 50 years.
The public source identifies “Casa da Guiné” as 1443–1503 Portuguese colonial commercial institution. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Casa, Guiné and Portuguese.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Casa da Guiné”, the useful work is to connect “1443–1503 Portuguese colonial commercial institution” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The record creator and administrative purpose are central evidence, because official documentation reflects both action and institutional priorities. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 17, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2940769. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1443 and 1503.
Official terminology may obscure informal participation, dissent or communities documented only indirectly. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “Casa da Guiné” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.