[1] Tangasseri was associated with the Chinese trade from the first millennium AD and later colonised by the Portuguese, Dutch and the British to become the "gold village".

St.Thomas Fort (once known as Fortaleza de São Tomé) was built by the Portuguese under Afonso de Albuquerque for the protection of the newly developed trade.

In 1795, the British East India Company took possession of the fort.

In 1823 Fort St. Thomas accepted a lease by Travancore from the British government for a period of twenty years.

At present, the fort is managed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).