Portuguese Conquest of Goa (1510)
Encyclopedia
The Portuguese
Conquest of Goa
occurred in 1510 on behalf of the Portuguese admiral Afonso de Albuquerque
. Goa (also Old Goa or Velha Goa) was not among the cities Albuquerque had received orders to conquer: he had only been ordered by the Portuguese king to capture Hormuz
, Aden
and Malacca
.
The city of Goa had been garrisonned since at least 1504 by Ottoman
troops: 400 soldiers under an "Osmani
Turkish
Mamluk
", a Persian from the northern Persia city of Sâva, named Yusuf Adil Shah
of Bijapur.
Albuquerque attacked Goa at the invitation of a local chieftain Thimayya
, an exiled Hindu from Goa who was admiral of the Honavar
fleet who had received appeals from the Hindu population of Goa to relieve them from Muslim rule. Goa was a great and prosperous trading port on the Indian coast.
Albuquerque first reached the city of Goa with his admiral António de Noronha in February 1510. Albuquerque triumphantly entered the city on 17 February 1510, with little conflict.
A Muslim force then approached to reconquer Goa. Besieged, the Portuguese finally abandoned Goa on 30 May 1510 to its former ruler Ismail Adil Shah
, the Muslim king of Bijapur.
Albuquerque sailed from Cannanore
(capital of Kolathunad) and returned three months later, on November 25, with a stronger fleet, composed of 34 ships, 1500 Portuguese and 300 Malabarese
. He again joined forces with Thimayya
in Honavar. He was fearing an alliance of Goa with Gujarat, Zamorin's Calicut and the Mamluk
Egyptians.
Albuquerque was then able to capture Goa in less than a day, from Ismail Adil Shah and his Ottoman allies, who surrendered on 10 December. Thereafter, Goa then supplanted Calicut in prosperity.
Albuquerque had captured Goa without Royal orders, and was opposed by his captains in doing so. The king challenged the Portuguese establishment at Goa, but the council of the fidalgo
s finally confirmed the possession, to the displeasure of the king. The city of Goa nevertheless constituted a strong position that reinforced the strategic presence of the Portuguese in India.
The Portuguese did continue to have misgivings about their possessions in India, as they discussed in 1542 and 1570 whether they should abandon the Estado da India in order to better concentrate on the conquest of Morocco
.
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...
Conquest of Goa
Old Goa
Old Goa or Velha Goa is a historical city in North Goa district in the Indian state of Goa. The city was constructed by the Bijapur Sultanate in the 15th century, and served as capital of Portuguese India from the 16th century until its abandonment in the 18th century due to plague...
occurred in 1510 on behalf of the Portuguese admiral 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...
. Goa (also Old Goa or Velha Goa) was not among the cities Albuquerque had received orders to conquer: he had only been ordered by the Portuguese king to capture Hormuz
Ormus
The Kingdom of Ormus was a 10th to 17th century kingdom located within the Persian Gulf and extending as far as the Strait of Hormuz...
, Aden
Aden
Aden is a seaport city in Yemen, located by the eastern approach to the Red Sea , some 170 kilometres east of Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000. Aden's ancient, natural harbour lies in the crater of an extinct volcano which now forms a peninsula, joined to the mainland by a...
and 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...
.
The city of Goa had been garrisonned since at least 1504 by Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
troops: 400 soldiers under an "Osmani
Osmani
Usmani or Osmani or Othmani or Uthmani is a large community , found mainly in South Asia. The word Usmani or Osmani is a surname adopted mainly by two castes in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.-Sheikh Usmani:The Shaikh Usmani are a Urdu speaking community, and many are found among the...
Turkish
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
Mamluk
Mamluk
A Mamluk was a soldier of slave origin, who were predominantly Cumans/Kipchaks The "mamluk phenomenon", as David Ayalon dubbed the creation of the specific warrior...
", a Persian from the northern Persia city of Sâva, named Yusuf Adil Shah
Yusuf Adil Shah
Yusuf Adil Shah , referred as Adil Khan or Hidalcão by the Portuguese, was the founder of the Adil Shahi dynasty that ruled the Sultanate of Bijapur for nearly two centuries...
of Bijapur.
Albuquerque attacked Goa at the invitation of a local chieftain Thimayya
Timmarusu
Saluva Timmarusu or simply Timmarasa was Prime minister of Krishna Deva Raya. He had also served as prime minister under Viranarasimha Raya. He belonged to a Niyogi Telugu Brahmin family....
, an exiled Hindu from Goa who was admiral of the Honavar
Honavar
Honavar or Honnavar , is a port town in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka, India. The town is the headquarters of Honnavar taluk.- History :...
fleet who had received appeals from the Hindu population of Goa to relieve them from Muslim rule. Goa was a great and prosperous trading port on the Indian coast.
A Muslim force then approached to reconquer Goa. Besieged, the Portuguese finally abandoned Goa on 30 May 1510 to its former ruler Ismail Adil Shah
Ismail Adil Shah
Isamail Adil Shah was the king of Bijapur who spent most of his time extending his territory. His short lived reign helped the dynasty establish a strong hold in the deccan.-Early years:...
, the Muslim king of Bijapur.
Albuquerque sailed from Cannanore
Kannur
Kannur , also known as Cannanore, is a city in Kannur district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of the District of Kannur and 518km north of state capital Trivandrum. During British rule in India, Kannur was known by its old name Cannanore, which is still in...
(capital of Kolathunad) and returned three months later, on November 25, with a stronger fleet, composed of 34 ships, 1500 Portuguese and 300 Malabarese
Malayali
Malayali is the term used to refer to the native speakers of Malayalam, originating from the Indian state of Kerala...
. He again joined forces with Thimayya
Timmarusu
Saluva Timmarusu or simply Timmarasa was Prime minister of Krishna Deva Raya. He had also served as prime minister under Viranarasimha Raya. He belonged to a Niyogi Telugu Brahmin family....
in Honavar. He was fearing an alliance of Goa with Gujarat, Zamorin's Calicut and the Mamluk
Mamluk
A Mamluk was a soldier of slave origin, who were predominantly Cumans/Kipchaks The "mamluk phenomenon", as David Ayalon dubbed the creation of the specific warrior...
Egyptians.
Albuquerque was then able to capture Goa in less than a day, from Ismail Adil Shah and his Ottoman allies, who surrendered on 10 December. Thereafter, Goa then supplanted Calicut in prosperity.
Albuquerque had captured Goa without Royal orders, and was opposed by his captains in doing so. The king challenged the Portuguese establishment at Goa, but the council of the fidalgo
Fidalgo
Fidalgo , from Galician and Portuguese filho de algo—sometimes translated into English as "son of somebody" or "son of some "—is a traditional title used in Portugal to refer to a member of the titled or untitled nobility...
s finally confirmed the possession, to the displeasure of the king. The city of Goa nevertheless constituted a strong position that reinforced the strategic presence of the Portuguese in India.
The Portuguese did continue to have misgivings about their possessions in India, as they discussed in 1542 and 1570 whether they should abandon the Estado da India in order to better concentrate on the conquest of Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
.