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Why did King Charles II receive Mumbai as part of a marriage settlement?
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Mumbai
Entrance to Mumbai Harbour, marked by the Gateway of India (right foreground).
King Charles II received Mumbai (then known as Bombay) in 1661 as part of the marriage settlement between himself and Catherine of Braganza, a Portuguese princess and sister of the king of Portugal.12
The transfer of the island was a key component of an important alliance between England and Portugal, in which England pledged to support Portuguese independence from Spain. In addition to Mumbai, the dowry included trading privileges and the port city of Tangier. King Charles II later awarded the island to the East India Company in 1668.312