Francisco Serrão
Encyclopedia
Francisco Serrão was a Portuguese
explorer
and a cousin of Ferdinand Magellan
. His 1512 voyage was the first known Europe
an sailing east past Malacca
through Indonesia
and the Indies
. He became a member of the Sultan Bayan Sirrullah, the ruler of Ternate
, becoming his personal advisor. He remained in Ternate where he died around the same time Magellan died.
) sent from Malacca by Afonso de Albuquerque
to find the Spice Islands of Banda
in Maluku in 1511. Banda was the world's only source of nutmeg
and mace, spices used as flavourings, medicines, preserving agents, that were at the time highly valued in European markets. The Portuguese
sought to dominate the source, rather than relying on Arab traders who sold it to the Venetians
for exorbitant prices.
Malay pilots guided the expedition east via Java
and along the Lesser Sundas
before steering them north to Banda via Ambon
. When Serrão's ship had berthed at Gresik on Java, he married a Javanese woman as his wife, who then accompanied him on the expedition's further journey. In 1512 his ship was shipwrecked but managed to reach Luco-Pino island (Hitu), north of Ambon. The expedition remained in Banda for about one month, purchasing and filling their ships with nutmeg and mace, as well as and clove
s in which Banda had a thriving entrepôt
trade. Serrão left Banda in a Chinese junk
purchased from a regional trader to replace his lost ship. D'Abreu sailed through Ambon while Serrão went ahead towards Maluku islands.
With nine Portuguese crew and nine Indonesians, the ship foundered in a squall and broke up on a reef off a small island. When the island's inhabitants, notorious shipwreck scavengers, surveyed the wreck from a boat, Serrão's crew posed as unarmed and helpless but wealthy castaways. As the scavengers drew near, the Portuguese attacked and commandeered both their craft and crew. Their inadvertent rescuers were then forced to take them to Ambon, where they disembarked in Hitu.
Serrão's armour, musket
s and marksmanship impressed the powerful chiefs of Hitu who were warring against Luhu, the principal settlement on Seram
's Hoamal Peninsula near Hitu. The Portuguese were also welcomed in the area as buyers of food and spices during a lull in the spice trade due to a temporary disruption to Javanese and Malay sailings to the area following the 1511 conflicts in Malacca. The visitors were recruited as military allies and their subsequent exploits were heard in the rival neighbours of Ternate
and Tidore
who both rushed emissaries to induce the visitors to assist.
Supporting the territory of the Sultanate of Ternate
, the Portuguese strongest power, Serrão served as the head of a mercenary
band of Portuguese warriors under the service of the island's Sultan Bayan Sirrullah, one of two feuding powerful sultans who controlled the spice
trade. They became close friends and the Sultan appointed Serrão as his personal adviser for all matters, including military (Portuguese document purport) and family issues. Having been well received by the Sultan, Francisco Serrão decided to remain there, not making any efforts to return to Malacca.
. One theory suggests Serrão died of poison administered by the Sultan of Ternate. His family ties with João Serrão remain unclear in the historiography
of Portuguese expeditions to Southeast Asia
. The only written document is a list of captains' names in the fleet of Magellan's.
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
explorer
Age of Discovery
The Age of Discovery, also known as the Age of Exploration and the Great Navigations , was a period in history starting in the early 15th century and continuing into the early 17th century during which Europeans engaged in intensive exploration of the world, establishing direct contacts with...
and a cousin of Ferdinand Magellan
Ferdinand Magellan
Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese explorer. He was born in Sabrosa, in northern Portugal, and served King Charles I of Spain in search of a westward route to the "Spice Islands" ....
. His 1512 voyage was the first known Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an sailing east past Malacca
Malacca
Malacca , dubbed The Historic State or Negeri Bersejarah among locals) is the third smallest Malaysian state, after Perlis and Penang. It is located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, on the Straits of Malacca. It borders Negeri Sembilan to the north and the state of Johor to the south...
through Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
and the Indies
Indies
The Indies is a term that has been used to describe the lands of South and Southeast Asia, occupying all of the present India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and also Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Brunei, Singapore, the Philippines, East Timor, Malaysia and...
. He became a member of the Sultan Bayan Sirrullah, the ruler of Ternate
Ternate
Ternate is an island in the Maluku Islands of eastern Indonesia. It is located off the west coast of the larger island of Halmahera, the center of the powerful former Sultanate of Ternate....
, becoming his personal advisor. He remained in Ternate where he died around the same time Magellan died.
Voyage to the Indies
Serrão served as captain of one of three vessels (and second in overall command under António de AbreuAntónio de Abreu
António de Abreu was a 16th century Portuguese navigator and naval officer. He participated under the command of Afonso de Albuquerque in the conquest of Ormus in 1507 and Malacca in 1511, where he got injured...
) sent from Malacca by Afonso de Albuquerque
Afonso de Albuquerque
Afonso de Albuquerque[p][n] was a Portuguese fidalgo, or nobleman, an admiral whose military and administrative activities as second governor of Portuguese India conquered and established the Portuguese colonial empire in the Indian Ocean...
to find the Spice Islands of Banda
Banda Islands
The Banda Islands are a volcanic group of ten small volcanic islands in the Banda Sea, about south of Seram Island and about east of Java, and are part of the Indonesian province of Maluku. The main town and administrative centre is Bandanaira, located on the island of the same name. They rise...
in Maluku in 1511. Banda was the world's only source of nutmeg
Nutmeg
The nutmeg tree is any of several species of trees in genus Myristica. The most important commercial species is Myristica fragrans, an evergreen tree indigenous to the Banda Islands in the Moluccas of Indonesia...
and mace, spices used as flavourings, medicines, preserving agents, that were at the time highly valued in European markets. The Portuguese
Portuguese Empire
The Portuguese Empire , also known as the Portuguese Overseas Empire or the Portuguese Colonial Empire , was the first global empire in history...
sought to dominate the source, rather than relying on Arab traders who sold it to the Venetians
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
for exorbitant prices.
Malay pilots guided the expedition east via Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
and along the Lesser Sundas
Lesser Sunda Islands
The Lesser Sunda Islands or Nusa Tenggara are a group of islands in the southern Maritime Southeast Asia, north of Australia. Together with the Greater Sunda Islands to the west they make up the Sunda Islands...
before steering them north to Banda via Ambon
Ambon Island
Ambon Island is part of the Maluku Islands of Indonesia. The island has an area of , and is mountainous, well watered, and fertile. Ambon Island consists of 2 territories: The main city and seaport is Ambon , which is also the capital of Maluku province and Maluku Tengah Ambon Island is part of the...
. When Serrão's ship had berthed at Gresik on Java, he married a Javanese woman as his wife, who then accompanied him on the expedition's further journey. In 1512 his ship was shipwrecked but managed to reach Luco-Pino island (Hitu), north of Ambon. The expedition remained in Banda for about one month, purchasing and filling their ships with nutmeg and mace, as well as and clove
Clove
Cloves are the aromatic dried flower buds of a tree in the family Myrtaceae. Cloves are native to the Maluku islands in Indonesia and used as a spice in cuisines all over the world...
s in which Banda had a thriving entrepôt
Entrepôt
An entrepôt is a trading post where merchandise can be imported and exported without paying import duties, often at a profit. This profit is possible because of trade conditions, for example, the reluctance of ships to travel the entire length of a long trading route, and selling to the entrepôt...
trade. Serrão left Banda in a Chinese junk
Junk (ship)
A junk is an ancient Chinese sailing vessel design still in use today. Junks were developed during the Han Dynasty and were used as sea-going vessels as early as the 2nd century AD. They evolved in the later dynasties, and were used throughout Asia for extensive ocean voyages...
purchased from a regional trader to replace his lost ship. D'Abreu sailed through Ambon while Serrão went ahead towards Maluku islands.
With nine Portuguese crew and nine Indonesians, the ship foundered in a squall and broke up on a reef off a small island. When the island's inhabitants, notorious shipwreck scavengers, surveyed the wreck from a boat, Serrão's crew posed as unarmed and helpless but wealthy castaways. As the scavengers drew near, the Portuguese attacked and commandeered both their craft and crew. Their inadvertent rescuers were then forced to take them to Ambon, where they disembarked in Hitu.
Serrão's armour, musket
Musket
A musket is a muzzle-loaded, smooth bore long gun, fired from the shoulder. Muskets were designed for use by infantry. A soldier armed with a musket had the designation musketman or musketeer....
s and marksmanship impressed the powerful chiefs of Hitu who were warring against Luhu, the principal settlement on Seram
Seram
Seram is an island in the Maluku province of Indonesia. It is located north of Ambon Island. The chief port/town is Masohi.- Geography and geology :...
's Hoamal Peninsula near Hitu. The Portuguese were also welcomed in the area as buyers of food and spices during a lull in the spice trade due to a temporary disruption to Javanese and Malay sailings to the area following the 1511 conflicts in Malacca. The visitors were recruited as military allies and their subsequent exploits were heard in the rival neighbours of Ternate
Ternate
Ternate is an island in the Maluku Islands of eastern Indonesia. It is located off the west coast of the larger island of Halmahera, the center of the powerful former Sultanate of Ternate....
and Tidore
Tidore
Tidore is a city, island, and archipelago in the Maluku Islands of eastern Indonesia, west of the larger island of Halmahera. In the pre-colonial era, the kingdom of Tidore was a major regional political and economic power, and a fierce rival of nearby Ternate, just to the north.-Geography:Tidor...
who both rushed emissaries to induce the visitors to assist.
Supporting the territory of the Sultanate of Ternate
Sultanate of Ternate
The Sultanate of Ternate was originally named the Kingdom of Gapi, but later change the name base of its capital, Ternate. The sultanate is one of the oldest Muslim kingdoms in Indonesia, established by Baab Mashur Malamo in 1257...
, the Portuguese strongest power, Serrão served as the head of a mercenary
Mercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
band of Portuguese warriors under the service of the island's Sultan Bayan Sirrullah, one of two feuding powerful sultans who controlled the spice
Spice
A spice is a dried seed, fruit, root, bark, or vegetative substance used in nutritionally insignificant quantities as a food additive for flavor, color, or as a preservative that kills harmful bacteria or prevents their growth. It may be used to flavour a dish or to hide other flavours...
trade. They became close friends and the Sultan appointed Serrão as his personal adviser for all matters, including military (Portuguese document purport) and family issues. Having been well received by the Sultan, Francisco Serrão decided to remain there, not making any efforts to return to Malacca.
Final years
Franscisco Serrão's letters to Ferdinand Magellan, carried to Portugal via Malacca and describing the 'Spice Islands', helped Magellan persuade the King of Spain to finance his circumnavigation. Before they met each other, Serrão mysteriously died in Ternate at almost the same time Magellan was killed in the PhilippinesPhilippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. One theory suggests Serrão died of poison administered by the Sultan of Ternate. His family ties with João Serrão remain unclear in the historiography
Historiography
Historiography refers either to the study of the history and methodology of history as a discipline, or to a body of historical work on a specialized topic...
of Portuguese expeditions to Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
. The only written document is a list of captains' names in the fleet of Magellan's.