People / group
Topasses
The Topasses were a Portuguese-speaking Catholic community of mixed Portuguese, Indian and Southeast Asian descent who dominated much of Timor from the 17th century. Led by the rival Hornay and da Costa families from their base at Lifau, they controlled the sandalwood trade and fought the Dutch at Kupang. Their power declined in the 18th century as Portugal took more direct control of East Timor.
Mentioned in 2 state histories
See also
Cite this entry
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Topasses. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/topasses
- MLA
- “Topasses.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/topasses. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Topasses.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/topasses.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Topasses’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/topasses (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻