Latest / The History of Portugal: The Small Nation That Built a Global Empire — Fexingo History / The Portuguese and the Battle of Diu: How a Tiny Fleet Changed Asia
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've talked a lot about the Carreira da Índia, the spice trade, the forts. But there's one moment that really cemented Portuguese power in the Indian Ocean, and it happened before most of those forts were even built. I'm talking about the Battle of Diu, in 1509. Luna: I've heard that called the Portuguese Trafalgar. But I don't actually know what happened. Lucas: It's a good comparison. A small fleet against a huge coalition, and the outcome determined who controlled the sea for generations. But unlike Trafalgar, this wasn't two European navies — it was Portugal, a tiny kingdom at the edge of Europe, against a combined force of the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt, the Sultanate of Gujarat, and the Zamorin of Calicut. Lucas: And here's the thing — by 1509, Portugal had been in the Indian Ocean for about a decade. They'd set up feitorias, they'd bombarded Calicut, but they were still a newcomer. The established powers like the Mamluks and the Gujaratis had had enough. Luna: Right, because the spice trade was their livelihood. Portugal was cutting into that. Lucas: Exactly. The Mamluks in particular — they controlled the Red Sea route, which was the traditional way spices got to Europe. The Portuguese coming around Africa was a direct threat. So the Mamluk sultan, al-Ashraf Qansuh al-Ghawri, decided to build a fleet to drive them out. Lucas: He sent ships from Suez, commanded by a Kurdish admiral named Amir Husain al-Kurdi. They joined forces with the Sultan of Gujarat, Mahmud Begada, and the Zamorin of Calicut. Together they assembled a fleet of over a hundred vessels — some big carracks, but mostly galleys and smaller craft. And they fortified the port of Diu, on the Gujarat coast. Luna: And the Portuguese? How many ships did they have? Lucas: About eighteen. That's not a typo. Eighteen ships under Dom Francisco de Almeida, the first Viceroy of Portuguese India. He was an experienced soldier, not a sailor — he'd fought in North Africa — but he knew how to fight. Lucas: Quick honest thing — a small group of listeners chip in monthly through buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo, and that's literally what funds making episodes like this. Keeps it ad-free and lets us dig into these stories. Luna: Yeah, it's a good reminder that this is listener-supported. And honestly, it's worth it for the detail you bring. Lucas: Appreciate that. So back to Diu — Almeida had a problem. His son, Lourenço, had been killed in an earlier skirmish near Chaul, and he was out for revenge. But he also had strategic sense. He knew he couldn't let that combined fleet threaten Portuguese shipping. Lucas: On February 2, 1509, he sailed into the channel off Diu. The allied fleet was anchored under the protection of the fort. Almeida divided his ships into three squadrons: one to attack the fort, one to engage the main fleet, and a reserve. Luna: What kind of ships were they? We've talked about caravels, but these were bigger, right? Lucas: The Portuguese had naus — carracks, heavily armed with cannons. The allies had mostly galleys, which were fast and maneuverable but low in the water. And their cannons were lighter. That made a huge difference. Lucas: The battle started with a Portuguese bombardment. They aimed for the flagship of the Gujarati commander, Malik Ayyaz. But the real damage came when the Portuguese closed in. They had these heavy cannons that could fire through the sides of the galleys. Luna: So it was a mismatch in firepower. Lucas: Completely. The allies fought bravely — Amir Husain's ship was boarded and taken after fierce hand-to-hand combat. But the Portuguese gunners just kept punching holes in the enemy ships. Within hours, the allied fleet was destroyed. The survivors tried to beach their ships, but the Portuguese pursued them. Lucas: After the battle, Almeida did something brutal. He had the captured prisoners — hundreds of them — executed. He hanged some from the yardarms, burned others alive. It was a message: resist and die. Luna: That's horrific. But I guess he was making sure no one would challenge them again. Lucas: Exactly. And it worked. The Battle of Diu broke the naval power of the Mamluks and Gujaratis in one afternoon. The Mamluks never rebuilt their Indian Ocean fleet. The Gujarati sultan submitted to Portuguese terms. The Zamorin of Calicut had to sue for peace. Lucas: The historian Gaspar Correia, who wrote an eyewitness account, said that the sea was red with blood for days. He also recorded that the Portuguese captured a massive carrack called the 'São Jerónimo' that had been the Mamluk flagship. Luna: Wait, Gaspar Correia was actually there? I thought he was a later chronicler. Lucas: He arrived in India just a few years after the battle, and he interviewed people who were there. His 'Lendas da Índia' is one of our best sources. He gives incredible detail — like how Almeida personally led the boarding of Amir Husain's ship, and how the admiral was wounded and captured. Lucas: But here's the thing that often gets overlooked. The Battle of Diu didn't just secure Portuguese dominance — it also set the stage for the decline of the Mamluk Sultanate. Within a decade, the Ottomans conquered Egypt. And the Ottomans, unlike the Mamluks, had the resources to challenge Portugal later on. Luna: So in a way, Diu indirectly led to the Ottoman entry into the Indian Ocean. Lucas: Exactly. But that's another episode. For the moment, the Portuguese had unchallenged control of the sea lanes. They set up a system of cartazes — naval passes — that forced every ship in the Indian Ocean to pay tribute. And they built the fortress of Diu itself, which became a key base. Lucas: Almeida, though, didn't get to enjoy his victory. He was killed later that year in a skirmish with the Khoikhoi near the Cape of Good Hope, on his way back to Portugal. But his legacy was the foundation of the Estado da Índia. Luna: That's a dramatic end. So the battle really is the turning point — before Diu, the Portuguese were a nuisance; after, they were the masters. Lucas: Absolutely. And it's worth noting how small the margin was. If the Mamluks had managed to concentrate their forces earlier, or if they'd had more heavy guns, things might have gone differently. But they didn't, and the Portuguese were ruthless in exploiting that. Lucas: So next time you hear about the spice trade or the Portuguese empire, remember Diu. A few ships, a determined commander, and a lot of gunpowder changed the course of Asian history. Luna: Yeah. And it's a reminder that naval power isn't just about numbers — it's about technology and tactics. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the kind of detail we love to dig into.