James Baquet

It was the Age of Exploration — and colonization, and domination. The European powers with their new-found technology, as well as riches from the New World, set out to conquer the world — and they darned near did.

Foremost among these powers in the modern mind is the English, whose empire lasted longer and covered a wider area than the others. But the Spanish, Dutch and Portuguese were also prominent players at one time or another.

Today’s story is about the Portuguese and how their decisive victory over a navy of Muslim allies cleared the way for Europe’s long-lived but ultimately temporary dominion over Asian seas.

The Portuguese were shipping spices to Europe by a sea route that avoided the complications of crossing the Middle East overland. But the Sultanates of Gujarat and Egypt, along with the Zamorin of Calicut and the Republic of Venice, had other plans. The Portuguese trade had cut into their own business efforts, and they fought back.

The town of Diu is strategically located at the mouth of the Gulf of Khambhat (or Cambay) on the Arabian Sea. An expeditionary force of ships was supplied by the Venetians; it had been disassembled and transported through Egypt from the Mediterranean Sea to the Gulf of Suez. The ships were manned largely by Egyptian Mamluks, who were fierce fighters but had little experience at sea. The fleet sailed into Diu in 1507, upsetting the uneasy truce that had been achieved between Malik Ayyaz, the pragmatic ruler of Diu, and the Portuguese.

The Portuguese viceroy’s son was killed in a naval skirmish between the Muslim and Portuguese fleets in 1508, and the viceroy vowed revenge, reportedly saying, “He who ate the chick must also eat the rooster — or pay for it.” Despite being officially replaced before his fleet could sail, the viceroy refused to vacate his post until the job was finished.

And so, on Feb. 3, 1509, the Portuguese fleet met the Muslim alliance, despite pleas for leniency by Malik Ayyazof Diu. Fighting in and around the harbor of Diu, the Portuguese were victorious, completely wiping out the Muslims and establishing superiority in the area for a century.

Vocabulary:

Which words above mean:

1. an intensifier, like “very”

2. not by sea

3. king’s appointed representative

4. with regard to good planning

5. mercy

6. power, control

7. recently acquired

8. in first place

9. without regard (for)

10. promised, swore