Dr. K. S. Mathew (born 1939) is currently Professor of History in the Central University of Hyderabad. Earlier he was a Reader in the Department of History, M.S. University of Baroda. After obtaining his Master’s Degree in History, from the Poona University, he did his M. Phil and Ph.D. in the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. As a Fellow of the International Services of the gulbenkian Fcoundation, Protugal he conducted researches in various archives in Europe for three years. He has contributed research papers to various journals and participated in several national and international seminars and conferences. He has to his credit two books in Malayalam and three in English. He specialized in the history of Indo-Portuguese trade of the sixteenth century.