Calicut's enemy welcomed Portugal at Cochin

Cabral sailed south from the smoldering port toward Cochin, whose ruler was a long-standing rival of the Zamorin. The destruction at Calicut made Portuguese firepower attractive despite Cabral's earlier interception of Cochin-linked trade. Cochin's ruler treated an enemy's enemy as a useful partner rather than viewing Portugal only as an outside invader. The resulting factory gave Portugal a replacement commercial base and embedded its expansion in an existing regional rivalry.