Turkish-Portuguese War (1509)

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Turkish-Portuguese War (1509)

Part of the Turkish-Portuguese Wars

Date	1509
Location	the Indian Ocean, near Diu and Africa
Result	Portuguese victory

Belligerents

Kingdom of Portugal

Ottoman Empire

Mamlûk Sultanate of Egypt
Zamorin Raja

Republic of Venice

Republic of Ragusa

Commanders

Viceroy Dom Francisco de Almeida
Admiral Afonso de Albuquerque

Amir Husain Al-Kūrdī
The Zamorin

v • d • e Portuguese–Turkish Wars

First • Tunis (1535) • Second Third • Fourth • Turkish–Venetian

The First Portuguese-Turkish War was an armed military conflict between Portugal and Ottoman Empire in 1509, in the Indian Ocean. It was an attempt by the Mamluk Egyptian state supported by Turkish ships and local Indian allies to prevent Portugal from setting up a regular trade connection between South Asia and Europe in the process of the expansion of the Portuguese Empire. Previously all trade had passed through the Middle East but since the discovery of the Cape of Good Hope sea route from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean by Vasco da Gama, in 1498, this monopoly could now be broken. Moreover, Portugal had begun to impose a licensing system on Indian Ocean trade that threatened to ruin many Muslim merchants and tried to divert trade to ports it controlled.^[1]

Turkish forces also assisted the Sultan of Gujarat at certain points in the war against Portugal.

In February 3, in the Battle of Diu the Portuguese fleet, under Dom Francisco de Almeida won over a combined Ottoman, Gujarati, and Egyptian fleet.

The Portuguese, using muskets which were the very latest technological innovation and also thanks to the more manoeuvrable sails on their ships were successful everywhere.

This victory assured Portuguese naval dominance over the Indian Ocean trade until it was threatened in the 17th century by Omani Empire and the Dutch East India Company. They went on to capture Goa in 1510 which they retained until 1961.

In addition, the reliance of the Mameluk Empire on Ottoman support helped the Ottomans defeat and conquer the Mameluk Empire in 1517.