7th Portuguese India Armada ( Almeida , 1505 ) The Seventh India Armada was assembled in 1505 on the order of King Manuel I of Portugal and placed under the command of D . Francisco de Almeida , the first Portuguese Viceroy of the Indies . The 7th Armada set out to secure the dominance of the Portuguese navy over the Indian Ocean by establishing a series of coastal fortresses at critical points - Sofala , Kilwa , Anjediva , Cannanore - and reducing cities perceived to be local threats ( Kilwa , Mombasa , Onor ) . Background . By 1504 , the Portuguese crown had already sent six armadas to India . The expeditions had unwisely opened hostilities with Calicut ( " Calecute " , Kozhikode ) , the principal entrepot of the Kerala pepper trade and dominant city - state on the Malabar coast of India . To counter the power of the ruling Zamorin of Calicut , the Portuguese had forged alliances and established factories in three smaller rival coastal states , Cochin ( " Cochim " , Kochi ) , Cannanore ( " Canonor " , Kannur ) and Quilon ( " Coulão " , Kollam ) . When the Portuguese India Armadas were in India ( August to January ) , the Portuguese position in India was safe - the Calicut fleet was no match against the superior Portuguese naval and cannon technology of the armada . But in the Spring and Summer months , when the armada was absent , the Portuguese factories were very vulnerable . The armies of the Zamorin of Calicut had nearly overrun Cochin twice in the intervening years . The Fifth Armada ( 1503 ) under Afonso de Albuquerque had erected a small timber fortress , ( Fort Sant ' Iago , soon to be renamed Fort Manuel ) , to protect the factory in Cochin . The Sixth Armada ( 1504 ) , under Lopo Soares de Albergaria had dropped off a larger Portuguese garrison and a small coastal patrol to harass Calicut and protect the allied cities . But this was not nearly enough against a Zamorin that could call on an army of tens of thousands . While the Zamorin ' s vast army had been humiliated at the Battle of Cochin ( 1504 ) , it was a close - run thing , and he might have better luck next time . The Zamorin was quick to realize the urgency of rectifying the imbalance in naval and cannon power . To this end , he called on his old partners in the spice trade . The Venetians had already dispatched a couple of military engineers to help the Zamorin forge European cannon . The Ottomans had dispatched some shipments of firearms . But the critical missing factor was a fleet that could match the Portuguese at sea . This was something only the Mameluke sultanate of Egypt could provide . The Mameluke sultan had several Red Sea ports available ( notably , Jeddah , recently expanded ) where a fleet could be built . But , despite the entreaties of the Zamorin , the Venetian Republic , the Sultan of Gujarat and the overseas Arab merchant community , the Mameluke sultan had been slow to react to the Portuguese threat in the Indian Ocean . It was really only in 1503 or 1504 , when his own treasury officers reported that the disruptive Portuguese activities were beginning to make a dent in the Mameluke treasury ( dwindling revenues from customs dues on the spice trade and pilgrim traffic ) , that the Mameluke sultan was finally roused to action . Secret preparations began for the construction of a coalition fleet in the Red Sea ports , to drive the Portuguese out of the Indian Ocean . In September / October 1504 ( or perhaps 1503 ? ) , the Mameluke sultan Al - Ashraf Qansuh al - Ghawri of Egypt dispatched an embassy to Rome , angrily demanding that the pope reign in the Portuguese , threatening to mete out the same treatment on Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land as the Portuguese had been handing Muslim pilgrims to Mecca . The sultan ' s complaint was forwarded to Lisbon by a worried Pope Julius II . But it only served to alert King Manuel I of Portugal that the sleeping Mameluke giant had been awakened , that something large was afoot , and that the Portuguese had better secure their position in the Indian Ocean before it was too late . The Portuguese position was indeed precarious - not only in India , but also in East Africa . The Portuguese had an old reliable ally in Malindi ( " Melinde " ) , but the stages up to Malindi were weak . The powerful city - state of Kilwa ( " Quíloa " ) , which dominated the East African coast , was inherently hostile to the Portuguese interlopers , but had thus far restrained her hand for fear of reprisals . ( Kilwa had been forced to pay tribute by Vasco da Gama in 1502 ) . But should a serious Muslim fleet challenge the Portuguese in the Indian Ocean , Kilwa would likely take the opportunity for action . As putative overlord of the Swahili Coast , Kilwa could probably close down all the Portuguese staging points in East Africa - including the all - important Mozambique Island ( the critical stop after the Cape crossing ) and the attractive port of Sofala ( the entrepot of the Monomatapa gold trade , which the Portuguese were trying to tap into ) . Mombasa ( " Mombaça " ) , would only be too happy to overrun its neighbor and rival Malindi , depriving the Portuguese of their only ally in the region . So the Almeida expedition of 1505 , the 7th Armada to the Indies , had the double objective of securing the Portuguese position in India against Calicut and in East Africa against Kilwa , before the Egyptian - led coalition cobbled their naval strike force together . Appointment of Almeida . The 7th Armada was to be an expedition like no other before - it was going to establish a Portuguese government in the Indian Ocean , a Viceroy of the Indies This had been a long - gestating and controversial idea in the Portuguese court . When King John II of Portugal devised the plan of opening a sea - route to India , he thought primarily in terms of personal enrichment . An ambitious and centralizing monarch , John II saw wealth as a means to break the crown ' s dependence on the feudal nobility , and concentrate power in the king ' s hands . The spice trade was merely a means to build up the royal treasury . John II ' s successor , King Manuel I of Portugal , was a more traditional monarch , happy in the company of high nobles , with a more Medieval outlook , including an eagerness to spread religion and pursue ' holy war ' . For the first few years of Manuel ' s reign , the India armadas had been largely handled by the ' pragmatic ' party inherited from John II . They saw the India run largely as he had - a commercial venture - and tailored the missions accordingly . But the success of the early Portuguese armadas had now attracted other parties . The ' Medievalists ' in the Portuguese court , notably Duarte Galvão , now wanted to give the India expeditions the glitter of a crusade , presenting it as the opening of a ' new front ' in a holy war on Islam , a resumption of the old " reconquista " . Galvão openly romanticized about King Manuel personally conquering Jerusalem and even Mecca . The old pragmatists naturally balked at the prospect of turning their lucrative cash - making enterprise into a quixotic venture for holy glory . Court pragmatists like D . Diogo Lobo , Baron of Alvito , the powerful " vedor da fazenda " , fought hard to keep the India armadas from being diverted into messianic pursuits by Duarte Galvão ' s clique . The decision to establish a Portuguese ' Vice - roy ' of the Indies , to oversee all Portuguese establishments in the Indian Ocean , had been conceived as early as 1503 . It represented something a victory for the Medievalists . In effect , it announced that the Portuguese would no longer be content to merely trade for spices , that they were going to establish a Christian state in the east , to spread religion , make alliances and launch a Holy War on the eastern flank of Islam . In Manuel & Galvão ' s vision , it would be a two - pronged Christian offensive that would converge on the Holy Land itself . The attack on the western flank was taken up by Manuel that very same year , with the resumption of expeditions against Morocco ( Agadir , Mogador , etc . ) . The first designated vice - roy , the commander of the 7th armada , was decided around 1504 to be Tristão da Cunha . A powerful high noble , courtier and royal counselor of Manuel I , Cunha had sufficient pragmatic instincts to be acceptable to the older party ( Cunha had participated in outfitting ships in previous armadas ) . However , in early 1505 , Tristão da Cunha was struck by an affliction to his eyesight rendering him temporarily blind . As a result , the choice for his replacement fell upon " Dom " Francisco de Almeida . D . Francisco de Almeida was a younger son of the D . Lopo de Almeida , Count of Abrantes . The Almeida family was one of the most powerful , resolute and vocal opponents of Manuel I of Portugal in these years , and the primary supporters of Manuel ' s main rival , D . Jorge de Lencastre . But Francisco had always been a bit of a black sheep in the Almeida family . In his youth , he entered into at least two conspiracies against King John II of Portugal ( to whom the Almeidas were devoted ) , and was even exiled for a spell . Francisco de Almeida ' s ambivalent loyalties might have been regarded by Manuel as a political opportunity . If he cultivated the cadet , Manuel might yet lure the rest of the Almeida family over to his side , or at least weaken their opposition . Francisco de Almeida , bubbling with ambition , seemed prepared to do anything to receive the appointment . In January 1505 , he scandalously abandoned Lencastre ' s Order of Santiago to join Manuel ' s Order of Christ . He received his appointment letter from Manuel I shortly after , on February 27 , 1505 . Manuel I designated D . Francisco de Almeida as captain - major of the 7th Armada , with the obligation to remain in India for three years . He would only be allowed to assume the title of ' Vice - Roy ' upon the construction of four crown fortresses in India at Anjediva , Cannanore , Cochin and Quilon . In the prelude , Almeida outlined his plan to King Manuel I in modest terms , steering clear away from Medievalist fantasies . Almeida ' s plan was to only open a few critical coastal and island fortresses at strategic locations , just enough to allow the Portuguese navy to range over the length and breadth of the Indian Ocean , rather than attempt ruinous large territorial conquests . The king approved the plan and chose the locations of the fortresses himself It is common to wonder why Vasco da Gama was overlooked for the position . Gama was available and , by royal letter , he was entitled to a say in Indies matters , so why wasn ' t he chosen for viceroy ? In effect , he was just beaten to the prize . Like Almeida , Gama was connected to the opposition party , Santiago , etc . , but had been too slow to switch over to the king ' s party and did not promise the king what he wanted to hear . Moreover , Almeida was of higher blood and patronizing the mighty Almeidas promised bigger political returns for the king than the lowly Gamas . More pertinently , Gama ' s judgment was also questioned in whispers through the court . The 4th Armada that Vasco da Gama had commanded to India in 1502 had not been a success . He had failed to bring the Zamorin to terms and , more egregiously , the coastal patrol he left behind , under his uncle Vicente Sodré , had nearly cost the Portuguese their position in India . While the fault should be properly assigned to the Sodré brothers for dereliction of duty , there was a sense in the royal court that the patrol ' s failure was at least partly Gama ' s fault . He had insisted on the appointment of the Sodrés , he was their familiar and their superior , and could not have been wholly ignorant of their plans . Finally , Gama was a bit distracted - he was still trying to secure his hold on the granted town of Sines , and pestering the king to no end about it , with the result that Gama was not , at that moment , particularly welcome in Manuel ' s court . The Fleet . The Seventh Armada was the largest Portuguese armada yet sent to India - 21 ships ( or 22 , if " Bom Jesus " is counted separately ) , carrying 1500 armed men and additional 1000 in crew and others . The following list should not be regarded as authoritative . It is a tentative list compiled from various conflicting accounts : There is quite some conflict in various chronicles over the exact composition and names of captains . Chronicler João de Barros reports 22 ships and 20 captains ; Castanheda reports 15 carrack s and 6 caravel s , 20 captains ; Gaspar Correia says 8 large carracks ( " naus " ) , 6 small ships ( " navetas " ) , 6 caravels , and 21 captains ; " Relacão das Naos " 14 carracks , 6 caravels , 22 captains . Ship and captain names are not always in concordance with each other . The large carracks ( " naus " ) are ships of 300 - 400t or more . The 11 naus were all designated to return . The small carracks ( " navetas " ) ( 150 - 250t ) and caravels ( less than 100t ) were designated to stay in the Indies in various patrol duties . There is some confusion over the flagship of the fleet . Most sources suggest it was the " São Jerónimo " , but some claim it was the " São Rafael " . The confusion may be caused by the fact that Fernão Soares ( " São Rafael " ) was indeed designated to be the captain - major ( " capitão - mor " ) of the " return " fleet of early 1506 . But , in the outward journey , it seems vice - roy Almeida was aboard the " São Jerónimo " . A few sources identify the flagship as " Bom Jesus " , but since a ship of this name is not given in most lists , that may just be a nickname for the " S . Jeronimo " . Some ship names are repeated from earlier fleets : the " São Jeronimo " , known to be a carrack of large class ( 400t or more ) , may have been the same as the flagship of Vasco da Gama in the 4th Armada ( 1502 ) . The " Flor de la Mar " , the renowned 400t beauty , and the " Lionarda " , were veterans of that same expedition . There was significant private participation in the Seventh Armada . At least two of the ships , " São Rafael " and " Lionarda " , and very likely a third ( the very flagship , " São Jerónimo " ) were privately owned and outfitted by foreign merchants . German financiers , representatives of the powerful silver merchant families of Augsburg and Nuremberg , had begun arriving in Lisbon in 1500s , keen to enter into the Portuguese spice trade . They had been largely kept out of prior fleets , but with the crown now keen on assembling the largest armada possible for Almeida , the Germans finally secured contracts in late 1504 . A consortium of Welser and Vöhlin , represented by Lucas Rem ( who had arrived in Lisbon in late 1503 ) , sunk 20 , 000 cruzados in this expedition , another German consortium composed of Fugger s , Hochstetter s , Imhof s , Gossembrods and Hirschvogels , entered with 16 , 000 . An Italian consortium , primarily Genoese , headed by the expatriate Florentine financier Bartolomeo Marchionni , invested 29 , 400 . At least one ship , probably the " Judia " ( alternatively , possibly the " Botafago " ) , was outfitted by native consortium headed by the Lisbon merchant Fernão de Loronha ( by natural transcription error , the " Judia " is sometimes recorded as " India " ) . The terms of private participation would become an item of contention . The private participants secured the crown ' s permission to send their own private factors to buy spices in India ( rather than rely on the royal factor ) . But then , on January 1 , 1505 , after the contracts were signed and most of the money sunk , King Manuel I issued a decree requiring that henceforth all private participants , upon return , would sell their spice cargoes at fixed prices through the king ' s agents , rather than allow the merchants to sell it on the open market at their own discretion ( that is , after paying the king ' s share , the Belem " vintena " and other applicable customs duties , some 30 % of the cargo ' s value ) . The private outfitters of the Seventh Armada would launch a legal suit , claiming the decree should not apply retroactively to them . The foundering of Pêro de Anaia ' s " Sant ' Iago " ( sometimes referred to as the " Nunciá " ) in the Tagus harbour upon departure , prompted the immediate assembly of another six - ship fleet that set out a month later . Although it never caught up with Almeida ' s fleet , it is sometimes considered part of it . Pêro de Anaia was responsible for erecting a fortress in Sofala , and then , retaining two ships for a local patrol , to send the remaining four on to India to place themselves under D . Francisco de Almeida . Finally , a third small two - ship expedition was sent out from Lisbon in September ( or November ) 1505 , under the command of Cide Barbudo . This was on a search - and - rescue mission to seek out the fates of three ships of earlier armadas thought to have been lost in South Africa . It was then to check up on the existing fortresses of the Indian Ocean and deliver letters from King Manuel I to the viceroy Almeida with further instructions . So , overall , 29 ships left Portugal in 1505 for the Indian Ocean - 22 under Almeida , 6 under Anaia , and 2 under Barbudo . The Mission . The mission of the 7th fleet was nothing short of permanently securing the Portuguese position in the Indian Ocean , before the imminent Egyptian - led coalition fleet set to sea . That meant doing whatever was necessary to knock out the main regional threats to Portuguese power - specifically , the city - states of Calicut ( India ) and Kilwa ( Africa ) . Simultaneously , the fleet should shore up regional Portuguese allies - Cochin , Canannore and Quilon in India , and Malindi and Sofala in Africa - and establish and garrison forts at the key staging posts ( e . g . Angediva ) to ensure the Portuguese navy could operate across the Indian Ocean . As noted , D . Francisco de Almeida was given commissions as captain - major of the 7th Armada upon departure , with permission to assume the title of ' Viceroy of the Indies ' ( and associated privileges ) only upon the erection of the fortresses . Accompanying Almeida were several other nobleman , designated to serve as captains of the fortresses to be established . As per King Manuel I ' s instructions ( " regimento " ) , these should be , in order : ( 1 ) Pêro de Anaia for the fort in Sofala , ( 2 ) Pêro Ferreira Fogaça for the fort in Kilwa , ( 3 ) Manuel Paçanha for the fort of Anjediva island and / or , if a fortuitous location could be found , a fortress to be established at the mouth of the Red Sea ; ( 4 ) D . Álvaro de Noronha for the already - existing fort of Cochin , ( 5 ) D . Lourenço de Brito for a fort to be erected in Quilon ( not , as it ultimately turns out , Cannanore ) . The 6th Armada of 1504 had left Manuel Telles de Vasconcelos as captain of a small three ( or four ) ship India coastal patrol . The ten smaller ships ( navetas and caravels ) coming with the Seventh Armada were to be distributed between Africa and India . Manuel I gave João da Nova ( the old Galician admiral of the 3rd armada of 1501 ) a commission to take over the Indian coastal patrol from Manuel Telles . Vasco Gomes de Abreu had a commission to head a patrol off Cape Guardafui , with instructions prey on Arab shipping around the mouth of the Red Sea and keep an eye out for the Egyptian fleet . The Indian patrol is instructed to sail the length of the Indian coast up to Cambay and beyond , offering peace to any ruler who desires it in return for tribute . The East African patrols operating out of Sofala and Kilwa are to prey on all Muslim shipping ( except Malindi ) , and to seize their cargoes , esp . of gold ( under the excuse of the general ' holy war ' between Muslims and Christians . ) Almeida is also under instructions to collect the annual tribute imposed in 1502 from Kilwa , and to attack the city if refused . He is also ( unlike his predecessor ) authorized to make peace with the Zamorin of Calicut , but only if sought by the Trimumpara Raja of Cochin and only on the condition that the Zamorin expel all expatriate Arabs ( ' Moors of Mecca ' ) , from his cities and ports . Part of the expedition was purely commercial , a conventional spice run . The " S . Jeronimo " , " S . Rafael " , " Lionarda " , " Judia " and / or " Botafogo " , were ( at least in part ) owned and outfitted by private merchants , the other large naus owned and outfitted by the royal Casa da India . In all , the eleven large carracks ( naus ) that set out with the Seventh Armada were expected to return immediately . Almeida had instructions to organize the return voyage of the merchant ships in groups of three , as they became filled with spices . Fernão Serrão ( " São Rafael " ) was pre - designated as captain - major of the first return fleet . Finally , Almeida was also instructed to begin arrange expeditions " to discover Ceylon and Pegu and Malacca , and any other places and things of those parts . " The foundering of Pêro de Anaia ' s ship ( " Sant ' Iago " ) at the mouth of the Tagus upon departure led to a slight revision of the plans . A new fleet of six ships under Anaia was quickly assembled and set out for Sofala separately , carrying material to build a fortress there . Two of those ships would remain behind on local African coastal patrol under Anaia ' s son Francisco de Anaia , while the remaining four were to be sent on to India for a spice run . Finally , the end - of - year ships of Cide Barbudo and Pedro Quaresma , after conducting their search - and - rescue mission , were to check up on the fortresses and deliver letters with further instructions from the king to the fortress captains and viceroy Almeida . Outward Voyage . March 25 , 1505 - The 7th Armada sets off from Lisbon . Immediately at departure . Pêro de Anaia ' s ship , the " Sant ' Iago " , founders at the mouth the Tagus , and has to be hauled back into Lisbon harbour . Rather than wait for it to be repaired , it was decided to allow Almeida to press on . A new squad of six ships will be assembled around Anaia , and depart later . April 6 , 1505 7th Armada sails through Cape Verde and makes a brief stop at Porto de Ale ( Senegal ) to resupply . Hearing of the massive India squadron , a local Wolof chieftain appears by the shore with his entourage . João da Nova is dispatched to parlay with the king and secures supplies , including fresh cattle beef , for the fleet . April 25 , 1505 Departing Senegal , Almeida splits the armada into two separate squads . He assembles a fast squadron , composed of two naus , the ships of Sebastião de Sousa ( " Concepção " ) and Lopo Sanchez ( unknown name ) , plus five caravels . Almeida appoints nobleman D . Manuel Paçanha ( or Pessanha - a descendant of the famous Luso - Genoese admiral ) ) as admiral of the fast squadron ( it is said Almeida gave Paçanha that honor on the erroneous assumption that King Manuel had secretly designated Paçanha as Almeida ' s successor . ) The other slower squadron , to be led by Almeida himself , is composed of the other 12 naus and the remaining one caravel ( that of Gonçalo de Paiva , which is to serve as forward lamp and scout for the slower ships ) . May 4 , 1505 Around the equator , one of the ships in Almeida ' s squadron , the " Bella " ( under captain Pêro Ferreira Fogaça ) springs a leak and begins to founder . The crew and cargo are distributed among other ships . Almeida ' s squadron is now reduced to 11 naus plus the caravel of Gonçalo de Paiva . The two squadrons at sea at this stage are summarized in the following table ( fl = flagship , all large naus , except nta = naveta , cv = caravel ) May 18 , 1505 Pêro de Anaia sets out with six - ship fleet ( 3 naus , 3 caravels ) , which can be considered as a third squadron of the Seventh Armada . This squadron is destined for Sofala . ( See Anaia ' s expedition to Sofala ) June 26 , 1505 - Almeida ' s squadron doubles the Cape of Good Hope with some difficulty , meeting a violent storm on the other side , during which some ships are separated . . He proceeds into the Mozambique Channel and lands at the Primeiras islands ( off Angoche ) , where he repairs his masts and awaits the missing ships of his squadron . During this interlude , Almeida dispatches the caravel of Gonçalo de Paiva up to the Portuguese factory on Mozambique Island to collect any letters left by any Portuguese ships returning from earlier expeditions , which might contain the latest news about the situation in India . July 18 , 1505 After a couple of weeks stay on the Primeiras , Almeida ' s squadron is reassembled . Of the 12 ships in his squadron , Almeida finds himself missing only two ships - João Serrão ( " Botafogo " ) and Vasco Gomes de Abreu ( " São Gabriel " ) . Hearing of neither of them , nor of Gonçalo de Paiva ( still on errand to Mozambique ) , nor , for that matter , any news of the squadron of Manuel Paçanha by July 18 Almeida decides to press on and sets sail north . Skirting past Mozambique , Almeida dispatches the naveta of Fernão Bermudez to the island to check on what has been delaying Paiva , while he proceeds with the rest of the fleet on towards Kilwa . Manuel Paçanha ' s squadron is considerably less lucky in the Cape crossing . Of the seven ships , only three manage to stay together - the nau of Sebastião de Sousa ( " Concepão " ) and the caravels of Antão Vaz and Gonçalo Vaz de Goes . The remaining four ships are scattered . Their fates , as was later discovered : Capture of Kilwa , Fort Sant ' Iago . July 23 , 1505 - Francisco de Almeida arrives on the island - state of Kilwa ( " Quíloa " ) with only eight ships . Intent on collecting the annual tribute ( imposed 1502 ) owed to the king of Portugal , Almeida fires his guns in salute , but , after receiving no reply for the courtesy , sends João da Nova to lead inquiries into why . Messages are shuttled back and forth between Francisco de Almeida and Kilwa ' s strongman ruler Emir Ibrahim ( " Mir Habraemo " ) , the latter of whom seems to be doing his utmost to avoid a meeting . At length , Almeida decides to attack the city . Almeida lands 500 Portuguese soldiers in two groups , one under himself another under his son , Lourenço de Almeida on either side of the island , and march on the Emir ' s palace . There is little opposition - Emir Ibrahim flees the city , along with a good part of his followers . Once inside , Almeida sets about organizing the political settlement for Kilwa . As Emir Ibrahim ( " Mir Habraemo " ) was an usurper , a minister who had recently overthrown and murdered the rightful sultan al - Fudail ( " Alfudail " , see Kilwa Sultanate ) , Almeida decides to impose his own ruler . His choice falls on Muhammad ibn Rukn ad Din ( " Arcone " or " Anconi " ) , a wealthy Kilwan noble who had earlier promoted a Portuguese alliance and more recently , during the message phase , secretly entered into contact with João da Nova . Muhammad Arcone accepts the position and agrees to honor the tribute to Portugal . Almeida even produces a golden crown ( intended for Cochin ) to conduct a formal coronation ceremony . But Muhammad Arcone , not being of royal blood , knows it is constitutionally improper for him to assume the Kilwa Sultan ' s throne . As a result , he insists on appointing Muhammad ibn al - Fudail ( " Micante " , son of the late sultan murdered by Emir Ibrahim ) as his successor , claiming he , Arcone , is only holding the throne ' temporarily ' . That is good enough for Almeida . The Portuguese set about erecting a fortress in the city , which they name Fort Sant ' Iago ( or " São Thiago " , now Fort Gereza ) on Kilwa island . It is the first Portuguese fort in East Africa . Almeida installs a Portuguese garrison of 550 ( half his men ? ) in Kilwa , under the command of Pêro Ferreira Fogaça ( former captain of the shipwrecked " Bella " ) , with Francisco Coutinho as magistrate . Fernão Cotrim is appointed factor , with instructions to do what he can to tap into the inland gold trade . While the final details are being arranged in Kilwa , Gonçalo de Paiva and Fernão Bermudes finally arrive from their side - trip to Mozambique Island . They bring the letters left behind by Lopo Soares de Albergaria of the returning 6th Armada , with the latest news of conditions in India . It is probably from Lopo Soares ' s letters that Almeida learns of the recent Mombasan attack on Portuguese - allied Malindi ( 1503 , broken up by Ravasco and Saldanha ) While in Kilwa , one of the missing ships of Almeida ' s squadron , João Serrão ( " Botafogo " ) arrives in Kilwa harbour . But Abreu ' s " São Gabriel " is still missing , and there is still no news of any of the ships of Manuel Paçanha ' s squadron . Wary of the monsoon timing , Almeida makes up his mind to move on . He leaves behind a copy of his itinerary in Kilwa , so the missing ships can catch up with him . He also leaves behind instructions for Manuel Paçanha to leave one of his caravels in Kilwa to serve as a local patrol . The rest of the fleet leaves Kilwa on August 8 . Sack of Mombasa . August 13 , 1505 - Almeida ' s fleet menacingly anchors before the island - city of Mombasa ( " Mombaça " ) , the old rival of Portuguese - allied Malindi . The caravel of Gonçalo de Paiva , which had gone forth to sound the harbour , is fired upon by Mombasan coastal cannons ( apparently salvaged from earlier Portuguese ship wrecks ) Return fire silences the cannons . Almeida sends out an ultimatum to Mombasa , offering peace in return for vassalship and tribute to Portugal . This is rejected out of hand , replying that the " warriors of Mombasa are not the hens of Kilwa " . Having heard of the attack on Kilwa , Mombasa had already mobilized its forces and hired large numbers of Bantu archers from the mainland , who were already deployed around the city ( and more soon expected ) . Almeida initiates a shore bombardment to little effect on the defended city . A Portuguese raid on the docks ( led by João Serrão ) and another at the central beach ( led by Almeida ' s son Lourenço ) are thrown back , yielding up the first Portuguese casualties . Frustrated , Almeida lays out a different plan of attack . At dawn the next day , young Lourenço once leads a large force on the central beach again , while simultaneously , a smaller force in a rowboats sneaks into the dock area and sets about raiding noisily there . It looks like a repeat of previous day ' s attacks , and Mombasan defenders are drawn to those two points . But it is a mere feint , allowing Francisco de Almeida himself to sail around and land the bulk of his assault force in a relatively undefended part of island - city . Unlike at Kilwa , the Mombasans put up a fierce fight in the narrow streets of the city . But eventually Almeida reaches and seizes the sultan ' s palace ( albeit finding it empty ) . The fighting dissolves soon after as the Bantu archers begin to withdraw back to the mainland , and the Mombasan population tries to flee with them . Great numbers of people are cut down in flight by Portuguese musket and crossbow perched on vantage points around the sultan ' s palace . In the aftermath , Almeida gives the emptied city over to the sack by the Portuguese troops . Some 200 Mombasan captives ( mostly women and children ) are taken as slaves by the Portuguese . Although the plunder is plentiful , the Portuguese have also taken significant casualties - at least 5 are dead , and numerous wounded . Among the slain are Francisco de Sá ( or Fernão Deça ) , captain of the caravel " São Miguel " . His ship passes to the knight Rodrigo Rabello ( or Botelho ) . Unlike Kilwa , Almeida has no intention of holding Mombasa . But he is kept for a while in harbour by difficult winds . During this interlude , the last remaining ship of Almeida ' s squadron , Vasco Gomes de Abreu ( " São Gabriel " ) hobbles into Mombasa harbour , with a broken mast . Still no news of the Paçanha squadron , however . Unable to visit Malindi himself , Almeida dispatches two captains , Fernão Soares ( " São Rafael " ) and Diogo Correia ( " Lionarda " ) , to Malindi to pay his respects to the sultan and report the raid on Mombasa . They return shortly after , bringing not only fresh supplies and the Sultan of Malindi ' s congratulations and rewards , but , much to Almeida ' s surprise , also Lopo Chanoca and João Homem , captains of two of the caravels of Paçanha ' s squad . They report how they were swept into a bay near Malindi and made their way overland into the town , where Almeida ' s captains found them . Almeida orders the two caravels to be picked up from the bay and joined to his squadron for the Indian Ocean crossing . August 27 , 1505 Unwilling to wait any longer for the rest of the Paçanha squadron , Almeida sets sail on the Indian Ocean crossing with the 14 ships currently under his command . Almeida in India . Fort São Miguel of Anjediva . September 13 , 1505 - Almeida alights on the Indian coast at the island of Anjediva ( " Angediva " , Anjadip ) . As per the orders received in Lisbon , Almeida immediately begins the construction of a Portuguese fortress on the island - Fort São Miguel of Angediva , principally with local stone and clay . He also erects the Church of Our Lady of Springs ( " Nossa Senhora das Brotas " ) ( depending on exactly when the Cochin church was erected , this might very well be the first Roman Catholic church in Asia . ) During the construction , Almeida dispatches two caravels under João Homem to speed down the coast and visit the Portuguese factories at Cannanore , Cochin and Quilon to announce the 7th Armada ' s arrival in India . Another two caravels , those of Gonçalo de Paiva and Rodrigo Rabello , are dispatched on a piratical mission in the vicinity , to seize any Calicut - bound vessels . Anjediva island lies around the frontier between the large enemy states of Muslim Bijapur and Hindu Vijayanagar . As a result , the area is a tense zone , littered with fortifications and pirates . Noticing that a new borderland fort was being erected on the mainland , Almeida dispatches a well - armed squadron under his own son , Lourenço de Almeida , to inspect it and ensure it was not going to be a threat to Anjediva . This gesture ( and news of the fate of Kilwa & Mombasa ) prompts the governors of Cintacora and Onor ( Honnavar ) to quickly dispatch emissaries to Almeida at Angediva , with gifts and promises of a truce with the Portuguese . Late September / Early October - During the construction period , the remainder of Manuel Paçanha ' s Second Squadron - now reduced to two ships , Sebastião de Sousa ' s " Concepção " ( carrying Paçanha ) and Antão Vaz ' s caravel - reaches Angediva . As per the instructions Almeida left back in Kilwa , Paçanha had left his third ship , Gonçalo Vaz de Goes ' s caravel , on patrol in Kilwa . Naturally Paçanha is delighted to find two of his missing caravels - João Homem and Lopo Chanoca - are safely with Almeida , but there is still no news of the remaining two - Lopo Sanchez ( aground near Quelimane ) and Lucas da Fonseca ( by now probably safely in Mozambique , but the monsoon season too late to allow him an ocean crossing ) Construction finished , Almeida appoints Manuel Paçanha as captain of Fort São Miguel of Anjediva , with a garrison of 80 troops , a galley and two brigantines ( acquired locally ? ) , under the command of João Serrão . He also leaves behind a factor Duarte Pereira . Raid on Onor . October 16 , 1505 As Almeida ' s fleet sets out of Angediva , he decides to take another look at Onor ( Honnavar ) , at the mouth of the Sharavathi River . Onor was the homebase of the Hindu corsair known as Timoja ( or " Timaya " ) , who had caused some trouble to earlier armadas , and whom Almeida feared might yet cause trouble for Anjediva . Almeida believes his suspicious are confirmed when he sees a significant number of Arab ships , alongside Timoja ' s own , in Onor harbour . Almeida accuses Onor ' s rulers of breaking the proferred truce and orders an attack on the port city . Resistance is fierce , but the Portuguese manage to sack and burn the harbour and break into the city . As they approach the palace , the governor pleads for peace . Almeida , who had been wounded in the process , suspends the fighting . In the aftermath , the corsair Timoja and the governor of Onor ( a vassal of the Vijayanagara Empire ) agree to swear an oath of vassalage and promise not to molest the Portuguese in Anjediva . Fort Sant ' Angelo of Cannanore . October 24 , 1505 - From Onor , Francisco Almeida sails south to Cannanore and visits the old Portuguese factory . With the assistance of the old factor Gonçalo Gil Barbosa , he secures permission from the Kolathiri Raja of Cannanore to build a Portuguese fort in the city . [ Timing is a bit difficult to determine . Ferguson ( 1907 : p . 302 ) suggests that it was begun soon after their arrival in October 1505 , but Gaspar Correia says it was only begun in May , 1506 . As , according to Damião de Góis ( p . 150 ) , Almeida ' s " regimento " did not actually specify the construction of a fort in Cannanore , but rather of a fort in Quilon , it is likely permission was not sought until " after " the Quilon events outlined below , that is , around November 1505 . ] Upon the completion of Fort Sant ' Angelo of Cannanore , Almeida hands it over to the captain pre - designated originally for Quilon , D . Lourenço de Brito ( a high noble , apparently a cup - bearer of King Manuel I ) , and a new factor Lopo Cabreira ( replacing the long - serving Gonçalo Gil Barbosa ) and a certain Castillian nobleman known as ' Guadalajara ' as magistrate ( " alcaide - mor " ) of Cannanore . Almeida leaves Brito with a garrison of 150 men and two patrol ships , the navetas of Rodrigo Rabello ( " São Miguel " ? ) and Fernão Bermudez . At this point , having erected three fortresses ( Kilwa , Anjediva , Cannanore ) , D . Francisco de Almeida formally opens the seal on his credentials and assumes the title of " Viceroy of the Indies " , formally inaugurating his three - year term as the first governor of Portuguese India . While in Cannanore , Almeida receives an embassy from Narasimha Rao ( called " Narsinga " by the Portuguese ) , the ruler of Vijayanagar , the Hindu empire in south India , with a proposal for a formal alliance between the Portuguese and Vijayanagar empires ( to be cemented by a royal marriage ) . Having recently acquired a small stretch of the Malabar Coast around Bhatkal ( " Batecala " ) , Narasimha Rao is probably anxious to ensure the Portuguese do not molest the importation of warhorse s from Arabia and Persia , so essential for his armies . Quilon Massacre . October , 1505 - While Almeida is busy in Onor and Cannanore , the advance caravel of João Homem arrives in Quilon ( " Coulão " , Kollam ) , right into the middle of a quarrel between the local Portuguese factor António de Sá and the regents of Quilon . De Sá had been fruitlessly trying to persuade the Quilon authorities to freeze out a group of Muslim spice merchants that had recently arrived from Calicut , but to no avail . Seeing Homem ' s caravel arrive in harbour , de Sá quickly persuades the captain to assist him in a hare - brained scheme to board the Muslim ships in harbour and cut down their masts and sails . Homem readily agrees , and this is swiftly done , much to the shock of the Quilon authorities , whose orders not to molest the ships were blatantly ignored . As soon as Homem sets sail out of Quilon harbour to rejoin Almeida , an anti - Portuguese riot erupts in Quilon . The Portuguese in the city , including the factor and his assistants barricade themselves in a local Syrian Christian church - but the church is burned down by the mob and the Portuguese are massacred . October 30 , 1505 - Leaving Cannanore , Almeida proceeds to Cochin . But immediately upon arrival , Almeida receives the dramatic news of the Quilon massacre , and the provocative role of João Homem in the events . The furious Almeida demotes João Homem , and passes his caravel , the " São Jorge " , over to a new captain Nuno Vaz Pereira . Hoping to mend relations , Almeida immediately dispatches an expedition to Quilon under his 20 - year old son Lourenço de Almeida , with three naus and three caravels , under instructions to pretend as if nothing has happened , and hopefully negotiate a resolution . But seeing the approach of the Portuguese squadron , the city of Quilon rallies its defenses and prevent the Portuguese from disembarking . Lourenço limits himself to bombarding the town and burning down the ( mostly Calicut - owned ) merchant ships in Quilon harbour , before returning sullenly to Cochin . Quilon , one of the three principal Portuguese factories and allies in India , is now lost to the Portuguese . It is a tremendous blow , as Quilon , by its proximity to Ceylon and points east , had the best spice markets of the three . There is a strong likelihood that the construction of Fort Sant ' Angelo of Cannanore ( see above ) really only began now , after Quilon ( the original fort destination ) was no longer an option . Coronation in Cochin . December , 1505 - In the meantime , back in Cochin , Almeida reinforces Fort Manuel ( erected in 1503 ) at Cochin , placing the garrison under D . Álvaro de Noronha , the new captain of Cochin ( relieving Manuel Telles de Vasconcelos , who came with the 6th Armada in 1504 ) . As the old factor Diogo Fernandes Correia is set to return to Lisbon , Almeida elevates Correia ' s long - serving assistant , Lourenço Moreno , as the new factor of Cochin . Almeida produces the golden crown dispatched by Manuel I of Portugal as a gift for his loyal ally , the Trimumpara Raja of Cochin . But the old Trimumpara seems to have since abdicated by this time , so Almeida uses the golden crown in a formal coronation ceremony of his successor , whom Barros calls " Nambeadora " , but probably the same person as Unni Goda Varda ( " Candagora " ) as King of Cochin , formally dissolving whatever remaining allegiance he might owe to the Zamorin of Calicut . Anaia in Sofala , Fort São Caetano . September 4 , 1505 , Pêro de Anaia ' s six - ship Sofala fleet ( ' Third Squadron ' ) doubles the Cape of Good Hope , also with some difficulty . But it eventually anchors in Sofala harbour . One of his ships finds , near Quelimane , five famished half - dead survivors of Lopo Sanchez ' s caravel , with their tale of woe . Pêro de Anaia secures an audience with the elderly blind sheikh Isuf of Sofala ( " Yçuf " in Barros " Çufe " in Goes ) . Although formerlya vassal of the Kilwa Sultanate , Isuf had been tying to chart an independent course , and had already signed a commercial treaty in 1502 with Vasco da Gama ( 4th Armada ) . Anaia now requests Isuf ' s permission to establish a permanent Portuguese factory and fortress in the city . News of Almeida ' s attacks on Kilwa and Mombasa persuade the Isuf that a similar fate might await Sofala if he shows any sign of recalcitrance , so the deal is struck . As a sign of goodwill , Isuf hands over to Anaia another twenty Portuguese survivors of the Lopo Sanchez caravel he had collected . Construction immediately proceeds on the Portuguese Fort São Caetano in Sofala . As per their credentials , Pêro de Anaia assumes command as ' captain - major ' of the fort of Sofala and Manuel Fernandes ( de Meireles ? ) as factor . Barbudo ' s search - and - rescue mission . In September ( or November ) 1505 , the ships of Cide Barbudo ( nau " Julioa " ) and Pedro Quaresma ( caravel of uncertain name ) left Lisbon , carrying instruction letters from King Manuel I of Portugal for Anaia in Sofala and Almeida in India . But before delivering these letters , the Barbudo and Quaresma were instructed to conduct a search and rescue operation on the South African coast . They were looking for three missing ships of the earlier armadas lost around Cape Correntes - specifically , the ships of Francisco de Albuquerque and Nicolau Coelho ( both of the 5th Armada ( 1503 ) ) and the ship of Pêro de Mendonça ( of the 6th Armada ( 1504 ) ) . The two rescue ships spent the next few months scouring the length of the South African coast , from the Cape of Good Hope to Natal . They found what seemed like the burnt hull of Pêro de Mendonça ' s ship near Mossel Bay , but no survivors . There were no traces of the other two ships . Return Fleets . As viceroy , D . Francisco de Almeida is to remain in India for a three year term ; but the large ships of the 7th Armada are supposed to return to Lisbon with spice cargoes . Although the Quilon factory is now closed to them , the Portuguese ships nonetheless manage to find enough spices at Cannanore and Cochin ( and from piracy ) to begin returning . Almeida has ten large naus in India - nine that came with him , and one left behind by the 6th Armada . The instructions drafted in Lisbon recommended Almeida send them back in groups of three as they become loaded . January 2 , 1506 - 1st Return Fleet - The first return fleet is ready to sail out of Cochin . Although there is some variation in the chronicles , it seems it is composed of five ships under the overall command of Fernão Soares : All are taken back by the same captains who brought them , with the exception of the " Botafogo " , which is being taken back by the relieved Cochin captain Manuel Telles ( installed by 6th Armada in 1504 ) . The " Botafogo " ' s original captain , João Serrão , stays behind in India , in command of a caravel of the Indian coastal patrol . Notice that of this fleet , two ships are German - owned ( " São Rafael " and " São Jerónimo " ) , one is owned by Fernão de Loronha ( prob . the " Judia " , alternatively the " Botafogo " ) , and two are owned by the crown ( " Concepção " , and Botafogo / Judia - whichever one Loronha doesn ' t own ) . January 21 , 1506 - Second Return Fleet A couple of weeks after the first , the second return fleet set sail out of Cannanore , three ships under the overall command of Diogo Correia ( " Lionarda " - the third German ship ) . This fleet is carrying back the two old factors , Gonçalo Gil Barbosa of Cannanore ( originally installed in Cochin by Second Armada in 1500 ) and Diogo Fernandes Correia of Cochin ( installed by 4th Armada in 1502 - not to be confused with the captain of the fleet ) . February , 1506 Third Return Fleet Finally , the third Return fleet sets out . It is composed of two ships only , carrying D . Francisco de Almeida ' s official report to King Manuel I and a baby Indian elephant . According to his instructions , both Vasco Gomes de Abreu and João da Nova should have remained on patrol duty . But Almeida cancelled Abreu ' s appointment to patrol the Red Sea , with the justification that it was impractical until a permanent Portuguese base was established in that area . Almeida edged out João da Nova , who had a commission to take over the Indian coastal patrol , by noting that Nova ' s ship , the " Flor de la Mar " , a 400t + behemoth , was useless as an Indian patrol ship . It wouldn ' t be able enter the Vembanad lagoon or any of the Kerala backwaters . Almeida offers Abreu and Nova the option to remain in India themselves and sending their ships back under other captains . Both Abreu and Nova elected to return to Lisbon . As a result , Almeida is left with around 9 or 10 small naus / caravels on coastal patrol in India without a patrol captain . In his capacity as viceroy , Almeida appoints his own energetic son , Lourenço de Almeida , as " capitão - mor do mar da India " , captain - major of the seas of India . Arrival in Lisbon . The three return fleets arrive at different times in Lisbon in 1506 , with different incidents . May 23 , 1506 - First Return Fleet under Fernão Soares arrives in Lisbon , to much sensation ( partly for having arrived so quickly , partly because it was primarily well - loaded private ships , generating a lot of correspondence back to Germany and Italy ) . One of the ships , the " Botafogo " under Manuel Telles , who got separated earlier , will arrive in June . Another significant note is that the return fleet of Fernão Soares is said to have charted a homeward route " east " of Madagascar ( " ilha de São Lourenço " ) . This makes it the first time the outer route from the East Indies has been used on a return journey and possibly the first time the east coast of Madagascar was sighted and confirmed to be an island . November 15 , 1506 - Second Return Fleet under Diogo Correia arrives in Lisbon . However , its third ship , the " Madalena " of Lopo de Deus , is delayed for repairs in Mozambique Island and will arrive only in January , 1507 . December , 1506 - Third return fleet arrives in Lisbon - actually , only nau " São Gabriel " of Vasco Gomes de Abreu , carrying Almeida ' s official report and the baby elephant . João da Nova ' s " Flor de la Mar " encountered problems near Zanzibar , where he is forced to stay for eight months for repairs . Nova will not return to Lisbon , but be picked up in February 1507 in Mozambique and annexed by the outbound 8th Armada of 1506 . Naturally , all three return fleets arrive too late to influence the outfitting of the next armada , the 8th India Armada , which set out under Tristão da Cunha in April , 1506 . Although scheduled to arrive in India that August , the 8th Armada will miss the monsoon winds and be forced to winter in Africa , arriving only in 1507 . Aftermath . The 7th Armada of D . Francisco de Almeida placed the Portuguese in a strong position in the Indian ocean . The Portuguese now have five fortified strongpoints in the Indian Ocean : Kilwa and Sofala in Africa , and Anjediva , Cannanore and Cochin in India . A new Portuguese state had been erected in the Indian Ocean . By and large , it had been a successful armada . Three new forts were erected , a couple of potential enemies knocked out ( Kilwa , Mombasa ) , and the return fleets brought back substantial cargoes of spices . But the seemingly smooth operation quickly developed wrinkles in 1506 , as serious problems emerged in Cannanore , Anjediva , Sofala and Kilwa . Sources . Secondary :