Portuguese Capture of Goa, 1510



In February 28th 1510, a Portuguese fleet commanded by Afonso de Albuquerque took anchor off the Indian city of Bijapur, hitherto subject to the Sultan of Bijapur. The inhabitants surrendered without a fight, and the Portuguese entered the city. When a Bijapurese army of 50,000 men approached, the Portuguese withdrew to their ships (May 1510). The Monsoon winds being unfavourable, the Portuguese were stuck off Goa.
On August 16th 1510, the Portuguese fleet departed, united with reinforcements coming from Portugal. With a strengthened fleet of 23 ships, the Portuguese took Goa November 25th 1510. The inhabitants of the city, as far as they were Myslims, were massacred. Although Sultan Adil Shah of Bijapur continued trying to retake the city, the Portuguese would hold on to it until 1961, turning it to the capital of their colonial Empire in the Indian ocean (Portuguese India). De Albuquerque conquered Malacca in 1511 and Hormuz in 1515.




EXTERNAL
FILES 		The Portuguese in India : Goa, 'Rainha do Oriente", by Marco Ramerini
History of Goa, by N. Sequeira, from goacom
Afonso de Albuquerque, from Vidas Lusofonas, in Portuguese Years; from Readers Companion to Military History
DOCUMENTS
REFERENCE



This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted on March 9th 2004, last revised on November 18th 2004

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