Afonso de Albuquerque Afonso de Albuquerque ( Alhandra ca . 1453 - December 16 , 1515 , at sea ) , commonly known as Albuquerque the Great , " O Grande " ( " Portuguese : " Afonso de Albuquerque , also spelt Aphonso d ' Albuquerque and Alfonso ) , was a Portuguese general , and a " great conqueror " , a statesman , and a leading empire builder . Albuquerque advanced the three - fold Portuguese grand scheme of combating Islam , spreading Christianity and securing the trade of spices and the establishment of a vast Portuguese Asian empire . He was the first European to enter the Persian Gulf and led the first voyage by a European fleet into the Red Sea . His military and administrative achievements are generally regarded as among the most vital to building and securing the Portuguese Empire in the Orient , the Middle East , and the spice routes of the Eastern Oceania . Albuquerque is generally considered a military genius , and " probably the greatest naval commander of the age " given his successful strategy : he attempted to close all the Indian Ocean naval passages to the Atlantic , Red Sea , Persian Gulf , and to the Pacific , transforming it into a Portuguese " mare clausum " established over the opposition of the Ottoman Empire and its Muslim and Hindu allies . In the expansion of the Portuguese Empire , Albuquerque initiated a rivalry that would become known as the Ottoman – Portuguese war , which would endure for many years . Many of the Ottoman – Portuguese conflicts in which Albuquerque was directly involved took place in the Indian Ocean , in the Persian Gulf regions for control of the trade routes , and on the coasts of India . It was Albuquerque ' s military brilliance in these initial campaigns against the much larger Ottoman Empire and its allies that enabled Portugal to become the first global empire in history . He had a record of engaging and defeating much larger armies and fleets . For example , his capture of Ormuz in 1507 against the Persians was accomplished with an army fifty times smaller . Other famous battles and offensives led by Albuquerque include the conquest of Goa in 1510 and the capture of Malacca in 1511 . He became admiral of the Indian Ocean , and was appointed head of the " fleet of the Arabian and Persian sea " in 1506 . During the last five years of his life , he turned at last to organization and administration , proving to be skilled in this respect also . His administrative abilities as second governor of Portuguese India were crucial to the longevity of the Portuguese Empire . He diplomatically pioneered European sea - trade with China during the Ming Dynasty with envoy Rafael Perestrello , also Thailand with Duarte Fernandes as envoy , and with Timor , passing through Malaysia and Indonesia in a voyage headed by António de Abreu and Francisco Serrão . He also aided diplomatic relations with Ethiopia using priest envoys Joao Gomes and João Sanches , and settled diplomatic ties with Persia , during the Safavid dynasty . He became known as " the Terrible " , " the Great " , " the Caesar of the East " , " Lion of the Seas " , and " the Portuguese Mars " . Early life . Afonso de Albuquerque , was born in 1453 in Alhandra , near Lisbon . He was the second son of Gonçalo de Albuquerque , Lord of Vila Verde dos Francos and Dona Leonor de Menezes . His father held an important position at court and was connected by remote illegitimate descent with the Portuguese monarchy . He was educated in mathematics and Latin at the court of Afonso V of Portugal , where he befriended Prince John , the future King John II of Portugal . Albuquerque ’ s early training is described by Diogo Barbosa Machado : " “ D . Affonso de Albuquerque , surnamed the Great , by reason of the heroic deeds wherewith he filled Europe with admiration , and Asia with fear and trembling , was born in the year 1453 , in the Estate called , for the loveliness of its situation , the Paradise of the Town of Alhandra , six leagues distant from Lisbon . He was the second son of Gonçalo de Albuquerque , Lord of Villaverde , and of D . Leonor de Menezes , daughter of D . Álvaro Gonçalves de Athayde , Count of Atouguia , and of his wife D . Guiomar de Castro , and corrected this injustice of nature by climbing to the summit of every virtue , both political and moral . He was educated in the Palace of the King D . Afonso V , in whose palaestra he strove emulously to become the rival of that African Mars ” . Albuquerque served 10 years in North Africa , where he gained military experience in fierce campaigns against Muslim powers and Ottoman Turks . In 1471 , under the command of Afonso V of Portugal , he was present at the conquest of Tangier and Arzila in Morocco , serving there as an officer for some years . In 1476 , he accompanied Prince John in wars against Castile , such as the Battle of Toro . He participated in the campaign on the Italian peninsula in 1480 to rescue Ferdinand II of Aragon from the Ottoman invasion of Otranto that ended in victory . On his return in 1481 , when Prince John was crowned as King John II , Albuquerque was made Master of the Horse for his distinguished exploits , chief equerry ( " estribeiro - mor " ) to the King , a post Albuquerque held throughout John ' s reign ( 1481 – 95 ) . In 1489 , he returned to military campaigns in North Africa , as commander of defence in the fortress of Graciosa , an island in the river Luco near the city of Larache , and in 1490 was part of the guard of King John II , returning to Arzila in 1495 , where his younger brother Martim died fighting by his side . Albuquerque made his mark under the stern John II , and won military campaigns in Africa and the Mediterranean sea , yet Asia is where he would make his greatest impact . First expedition to India , 1503 . When King Manuel I of Portugal was enthroned , he showed some reticence towards Albuquerque , a close friend of his dreaded predecessor and seventeen years his senior . Eight years later , on April 6 , 1503 , after a long military career and at a mature age , Albuquerque was sent on his first expedition to India along with his cousin Francisco de Albuquerque . Each commanded three ships , sailing with Duarte Pacheco Pereira and Nicolau Coelho . They engaged in several battles against the forces of the Zamorin of Calicut ( " Calecute " , Kozhikode ) and succeeded in establishing the King of Cohin ( " Cohim " , Kochi ) securely on his throne . In return , the King gave them permission to build a Portuguese fort at Cochin and establish trade relations with Quilon ( " Coulão " , Kollam ) . This laid the foundation for the eastern Portuguese Empire . Second expedition to India , 1506 . Albuquerque returned home in July 1504 , and was well received by King Manuel I . After Albuquerque assisted with the creation of a strategy for the Portuguese efforts in the east , King Manuel entrusted him with the command of a squadron of five vessels in the fleet of sixteen sailing for India in early 1506 headed by Tristão da Cunha . Their aim was to conquer Socotra and build a fortress there , hoping to close the trade in the Red Sea . Albuquerque went as " chief - captain for the Coast of Arabia " , sailing under da Cunha ' s orders until reaching Mozambique . He carried a sealed letter with a secret mission ordered by the King : after fulfilling the first mission , he was to replace the first viceroy of India , Francisco de Almeida , whose term ended two years later . Before departing , he legitimated a natural son born in 1500 and made his will . First conquest of Socotra and Hormuz , 1507 . The fleet left Lisbon on April 6 , 1506 . Albuquerque piloted his ship himself , having lost his appointed pilot on departure . In Mozambique Channel , they rescued Captain João da Nova , who had had difficulties on his return from India ; Nova and his ship , the " Frol de la mar " , joined the fleet . From Malindi , da Cunha sent envoys to Ethiopia , which at the time was thought to be closer than it actually is . Those included the priest João Gomes , João Sanches and Tunisian Sid Mohammed who , having failed to cross the region , headed for Socotra ; from there , Albuquerque managed to land them in Filuk . After a series of successful attacks on Arab cities on the east Africa coast , they conquered Socotra and built a fortress at Suq , hoping to establish a base to stop the Red Sea commerce to the Indian Ocean . At Socotra , they parted ways : Tristão da Cunha sailed for India , where he would relieve the Portuguese besieged at Cannanore , while Albuquerque took seven ships and five hundred men in an unrequested advance towards Ormuz in the Persian Gulf , one of the chief eastern centers of commerce . On his way , he conquered the cities of Curiati ( Kuryat ) , Muscat in July 1507 , and Khor Fakkan , accepting the submission of the cities of Kalhat and Sohar . On September 25 , he arrived with a fearsome reputation at Ormuz and soon captured the city , which agreed to become a tributary state of the Portuguese king . A few days later , the King of Ormuz was met by an envoy demanding the payment of tribute to Shah Ismail I from Persia . He was sent back with the answer that the only tribute would be in cannonballs and guns , thus beginning the connection between Albuquerque and Shah Ismail I ( often named Xeque Ismael ) . Immediately Albuquerque began building the Fort of Our Lady of Victory ( later renamed Fort of Our Lady of the Conception ) , engaging his men of all ranks in the work . However , some of his officers revolted against the heavy work and climate and , claiming that Albuquerque was exceeding his orders , departed for India . With the fleet reduced to only two ships and left without supplies , he was unable to maintain this position for long . Forced to abandon Ormuz in January 1508 , he raided coastal villages to resupply the settlement of Socotra , returned to Ormuz , and only then headed to India . Arrest at Cannanore , 1509 . Albuquerque arrived at Cannanore on the Malabar coast in December 1508 , where he immediately opened before the viceroy , Dom Francisco de Almeida , the sealed letter he had received from the King appointing him governor . The viceroy , supported by the officers who had left Albuquerque at Ormuz , had a matching royal order , but declined to yield , protesting that his term ended only in January and stating his intention to avenge his son ' s death by fighting the Mamluk fleet of Mirocem , refusing Albuquerque ' s offer to fight him himself . Afonso de Albuquerque avoided confrontation - which could have led to civil war - and moved to Kochi , pending instructions from Portugal , maintaining his entourage himself . He was described by Fernão Lopes de Castanheda as patiently enduring open opposition from the group that had gathered around Almeida , with whom he kept formal contact . Increasingly isolated , he wrote to Diogo Lopes de Sequeira , who arrived in India with a new fleet , but was ignored as Sequeira joined the Viceroy . At the same time , Albuquerque refused approaches from opponents of the Viceroy , who encouraged him to seize power . On February 3 , 1509 , Almeida fought the naval Battle of Diu against a joint fleet of Mamluks , Ottomans , the Zamorin of Calicut and the Sultan of Gujarat , regarding it as personal revenge for the death of his son . His victory was decisive : the Ottomans and Mamluks abandoned the Indian Ocean , easing the way for Portuguese rule there for over 100 years . In August , after a petition from Albuquerque ' s former officers with the support of Diogo Lopes de Sequeira claiming him unfit for governance , he was sent in custody in an old ship to St . Angelo Fort in Cannanore . There he remained under what he considered to be imprisonment . In September 1509 , Sequeira tried to establish contact with the Sultan of Malacca but failed , leaving behind 19 Portuguese prisoners . Governor of Portuguese India , 1509 - 1515 . Albuquerque was released after three months ' confinement , on the arrival at Cannanore of the Marshal of Portugal with a large fleet . He was the most important Portuguese noble ever to visit India and he brought an armada of fifteen ships and 3 , 000 men sent by the King to defend the rights of Albuquerque and take Calicut . On 4 November 1509 , Albuquerque became the second Governor of the State of India , a position he would hold until his death . Almeida , having returned home in 1510 , Albuquerque speedily showed the energy and determination of his character . He intended to dominate the Muslim world and control the Spice trade . Initially King Manuel I and his council in Lisbon tried to distribute the power , outlining three areas of jurisdiction in the Indian Ocean : in 1509 , the nobleman Diogo Lopes de Sequeira was sent with a fleet to Southeast Asia , with the task of seeking an agreement with Sultan Mahmud Shah of Malacca , but failed and returned to the kingdom . To Jorge de Aguiar was given the region between the Cape of Good Hope and Gujarat . He was succeeded by Duarte de Lemos , but left for Cochin and then for the kingdom , leaving his fleet to Albuquerque . Conquest of Goa , 1510 . In January 1510 , obeying the orders from the kingdom and knowing of the absence of Zamorin , Albuquerque advanced on Calicut . The attack was unsuccessful , as Marshal D . Fernando Coutinho ventured into the inner city against instructions , fascinated by its richness , and was ambushed . During the rescue , Albuquerque received a severe wound and had to retreat . Soon after the failed attack , Albuquerque hastened to assemble a powerful fleet of 23 ships and 1200 men . Contemporary reports state that he wanted to fight the Egyptian Mamluk Sultanate fleet in the Red Sea or return to Hormuz . However , he had been informed by Timoji ( a privateer in the service of the Hindu Vijayanagara Empire ) that it would be easier to fight them in Goa , where they had sheltered after the Battle of Diu , and also of the illness of the Sultan Yusuf Adil Shah and war between the Deccan sultanates . So he invested by surprise in the capture of Goa to the Sultanate of Bijapur . He thus completed another mission , for Portugal wanted not to be seen as an eternal " guest " of Kochi and had been coveting Goa as the best trading port in the region . A first assault took place in Goa from March 4 to May 20 , 1510 . After initial occupation , feeling unable to hold the city given the poor condition of its fortifications , the cooling of Hindu residents ' support and insubordination among his ranks following a severe attack by Ismail Adil Shah , Albuquerque refused a truce offered by the Sultan and abandoned the city in August . His fleet was scattered , and a palace revolt in Kochi hindered his recovery , so he headed to Fort Anjediva . New ships arrived from Portugal , which were intended for the nobleman Diogo Mendes de Vasconcelos at Malacca , who had been given a rival command of the region . Only three months later , on November 25 , Albuquerque reappeared at Goa with a renovated fleet , Diogo Mendes de Vasconcelos compelled to accompany him with the reinforcements for Malacca and about 300 Malabari reinforcements from Cannanore . In less than a day , they took Goa from Ismail Adil Shah and his Ottoman allies , who surrendered on 10 December . It is estimated that 6000 of the 9000 Muslim defenders of the city died , either in the fierce battle in the streets or by drowning while trying to escape . Albuquerque regained the support of the Hindu population , although he frustrated the initial expectations of Timoja , who aspired to become governor . Albuquerque rewarded him by appointing him chief " Aguazil " of the city , an administrator and representative of the Hindu and Muslim people , as a knowledgeable interpreter of the local customs . He then made an agreement to lower the yearly dues . In Goa , Albuquerque started the first Portuguese mint in the East , after complaints from merchants and Timoja about the scarcity of currency , taking it as an opportunity to announce the territorial conquest . The new coin , based on the existing local coins , showed a cross on one side and the design of an armillary sphere ( or " esfera " ) , King Manuel ' s badge , on the other . Gold , silver and bronze coins were issued , respectively gold cruzados or " manueis " , " esferas " and " alf - esferas " , and " leais " . Another mint was established at Malacca in 1511 . Despite constant attacks , Goa became the centre of Portuguese India , with the conquest triggering the compliance of neighbouring kingdoms : the Sultan of Gujarat and the Zamorin of Calicut sent embassies , offering alliances and local grants to fortify . Conquest of Malacca , 1511 . Afonso de Albuquerque explained to his armies why the Portuguese wanted to capture Malacca : In February 1511 , through a friendly Hindu merchant called Nina Chatu , Albuquerque received a letter from Rui de Araújo , one of the nineteen Portuguese held at Malacca since 1509 . It urged moving forward with the largest possible fleet to demand their release , and gave details about the fortifications . Albuquerque showed it to Diogo Mendes de Vasconcelos , as an argument to advance in a joint fleet . In April 1511 , after fortifying Goa , he gathered a force of about 900 Portuguese , 200 Hindu mercenaries and about eighteen ships . He then set sail from Goa to Malacca against orders and despite the protest of Diogo Mendes , who claimed the command of the expedition . Albuquerque eventually centralized the Portuguese government in the Indian Ocean . After the conquest of Malacca , he wrote a letter to the King where he explained his disagreement with Diogo Mendes , suggesting that further divisions could be harmful to the Portuguese in India . Under his command was Ferdinand Magellan , who had participated in the failed embassy of Diogo Lopes de Sequeira in 1509 . After a false start towards the Red Sea , they sailed to the Strait of Malacca . It was the richest city that the Portuguese tried to take , and a focal point in the trade network where Malay traders met Gujarati , Chinese , Japanese , Javanese , Bengali , Persian and Arabic , among others , described by Tomé Pires as of invaluable richness . Despite its wealth , it was mostly a wooden - built city , with few masonry buildings but was defended by a mercenary force estimated at 20 , 000 men and more than 2000 pieces of artillery . Its greatest weakness was the unpopularity of the government of Sultan Mahmud Shah , who favoured Muslims , arousing dissatisfaction amongst other merchants . Albuquerque made a bold approach to the city , his ships decorated with banners , firing cannon volleys . He declared himself lord of all the navigation , demanding the Sultan release the prisoners , pay for the damage , and asking to build a fortified trading post . The Sultan eventually freed the prisoners , but was unimpressed by the small Portuguese contingent . Albuquerque then burned some ships at the port and four coastal buildings as a demonstration . The city being divided by the Malacca River , the connecting bridge was a strategic point , so at dawn on 25 July the Portuguese landed and fought a tough battle , facing poisoned arrows , taking the bridge in the evening . After waiting for the reaction of the Sultan , they returned to the ships . As the Sultan did not respond , they prepared a junk offered by Chinese merchants , filling it with men , artillery , sandbags . Commanded by António de Abreu , it sailed upriver at high tide to the bridge . The day after , all had landed . After a fierce fight during which the Sultan appeared with an army of war elephant s , the defenders were dispersed and the Sultan fled . Albuquerque rested his men for a week and waited for the reaction of the Sultan . Merchants approached , asking for Portuguese protection . They were given banners to mark their premises , a sign that they would not be looted . On 15 August , the Portuguese attacked again , but the Sultan had fled the city . Under strict orders , they looted the city , but respected the banners . Albuquerque prepared Malacca ' s defences against any Malay counterattack , immediately building a fortress , assigning his men to shifts and using stones from the mosque and the cemetery . Despite the delays caused by heat and malaria , it was completed in November 1511 , its surviving door known as " A Famosa " ( ' the beautiful ' ) . It was possibly then that Albuquerque had a large stone engraved with the names of the participants in the conquest . To quell disagreements over the order of the names , Albuquerque had it set facing the wall , with the single inscription " Lapidem quem reprobaverunt aedificantes " ( Latin for " The stone the builders rejected " , from prophecy of David , Psalm 118 : 22 - 23 ) on the front . He settled the Portuguese administration , reappointing Rui de Araújo as factor , a post assigned before his 1509 arrest , and appointing rich merchant Nina Chatu to replace the previous " bendahara " , representative of the " Kafir " people and adviser . Besides assisting in the governance of the city and first Portuguese coinage , he also provided the junks for several diplomatic missions . Meanwhile , Albuquerque arrested and had executed the powerful Javanese merchant Utimuti Raja who , after being appointed to a position in the Portuguese administration as representative of the Javanese population , had maintained contacts with the exiled royal family . Albuquerque also shipped over many Orfas del Rei to Portuguese Malacca . Missions from Malacca . Embassies to Pegu , Sumatra and Siam , 1511 . Most Muslim and Gujarati merchants having fled the city , Albuquerque now invested in diplomatic efforts demonstrating generosity to Southeast Asian merchants , like the Chinese , to encourage good relations with the Portuguese . Trade and diplomatic missions were sent to continental kingdoms : Rui Nunes da Cunha was sent to Pegu ( Burma ) , from where king Binyaram sent back a friendly emissary to Kochi in 1514 and Sumatra , Sumatran kings of Kampar and Indragiri sending emissaries to Albuquerque accepting the new power , as vassal states of Malacca . Knowing of Siamese ambitions over Malacca , Albuquerque immediately sent Duarte Fernandes in a diplomatic mission to the Kingdom of Siam ( Thailand ) , travelling in a Chinese junk returning home . He was one of the former Portuguese arrested in Malacca , having gathered knowledge about the culture of the region . There he was the first European to arrive , establishing amicable relations between the kingdom of Portugal and the court of the King of Siam Ramathibodi II , returning with a Siamese envoy bearing gifts and letters to Albuquerque and the king of Portugal . Expedition to the " spice islands " ( Maluku islands ) , 1512 . In November , after having secured Malacca and learning the location of the then secret " spice islands " , Albuquerque sent an expedition of three ships sailing east to find them , led by trusted António de Abreu with the deputy commander Francisco Serrão . Malay sailors were recruited to guide them through Java , the Lesser Sunda Islands and the Ambon Island to Banda Islands , where they arrived in early 1512 . There they remained for about a month , buying and filling their ships with nutmeg and clove s . António de Abreu then sailed to Amboina whilst Serrão stepped forward to the Moluccas but was shipwrecked near Seram . Sultan Abu Lais of Ternate heard of their stranding , and , seeing a chance to ally himself with a powerful foreign nation , brought them to Ternate in 1512 were they were permitted to build a fort on the island , the Forte de São João Baptista de Ternate ( ) , built in 1522 . China expeditions , 1513 . In early 1513 , Jorge Álvares — sailing on a mission under Albuquerque ' s orders — was allowed to land in Lintin Island , on the Pearl River Delta in southern China . Soon after , Albuquerque sent Rafael Perestrello to southern China , seeking out trade relations with the Ming Dynasty . In ships from Portuguese Malacca , Rafael sailed to Canton ( Guangzhou ) in 1513 , and again from 1515 – 1516 to trade with Chinese merchants . These ventures , along with those of Tomé Pires and Fernão Pires de Andrade , were the first direct European diplomatic and commercial ties with China . Shipwreck on the " Flor de la mar " , 1511 . In 20 November 1511 Albuquerque sailed from Malacca to the coast of Malabar on board the old " Flor de la mar " carrack that had served to support the conquest of Malacca . Despite already being deemed unsafe , Afonso de Albuquerque used her to transport the treasure amassed in the conquest , given her large capacity : he wanted to give the court of King Manuel I a show of Malaccan treasures . There were also the offers from the Kingdom of Siam ( Thailand ) to the king of Portugal and all his own fortune . On the voyage a storm arose and the " Flor De La Mar " was wrecked , and he himself barely escaped with his life . Albuquerque returned from Malacca to Kochi , but could not sail to Goa as it faced a serious revolt headed by the forces of Ismael Adil Shah , the Sultan of Bijapur , commanded by Rasul Khan with the help of some of his countrymen . While he was absent in Malacca , Portuguese who opposed the taking of Goa had waived the possession , even written to the king stating that it would be best to let it go . Held up by the monsoon and with few forces available , he had to wait for the arrival of reinforcement fleets headed by his nephew D . Garcia de Noronha and Jorge de Mello Pereira . On 10 September 1512 , Albuquerque set sail from Cochin to Goa with fourteen ships carrying 1 , 700 soldiers . Determined to recapture the fortress , he ordered trenches to be dug and a wall to be breached . But on the very morning of the planned final assault , Rasul Khan surrendered . Albuquerque demanded the fort be handed with all its artillery , ammunition and horses , and the deserters to be given up . Some had joined Rasul Khan when the Portuguese were forced to flee Goa in May 1510 , others during the recent siege . Rasul Khan consented , on condition that their lives be spared . Albuquerque agreed and he left Goa . Albuquerque kept his word , but mutilated them horribly . One of such renegades was Fernão Lopes , bound for Portugal in custody , who escaped at the island of Saint Helena leading a ' Robinson Crusoe ' life for many years . After such measures the town became the most prosperous Portuguese settlement in India . Return to the Red Sea , 1513 . In December 1512 an envoy from Ethiopia arrived at Goa . Mateus was sent by regent queen Eleni following the arrival of the Portuguese from Socotra in 1507 , as an ambassador for the king of Portugal in search of a coalition to help face growing Ottoman influence . He was received in Goa with great honour by Albuquerque , as a long sought " Prester John " envoy . His arrival was announced by king Manuel I of Portugal to Pope Leo X in 1513 . Although Mateus faced the distrust of some of Albuquerque rivals , who tried to prove he was some impostor or Muslim spy , Albuquerque sent him to Portugal . The king is described as having wept with joy at their report . In February 1513 , while Mateus was in Portugal , Albuquerque sailed to the Red Sea with a force of about 1000 Portuguese and 400 Malabaris . He was , from the start , under orders from the kingdom to secure that channel to Portugal . Barren Socotra had proved ineffective to control the Red Sea entrance and was abandoned , and Albuquerque ' s hint that Massawa could be a good Portuguese base might have been influenced by Mateus ' reports . Knowing that Mamluks were preparing a second fleet at Suez , he wanted to advance before reinforcements arrived in Aden . He accordingly laid siege to the city . Aden was a fortified city , but although having scaling ladders they broke and after half day of fierce battle Albuquerque was forced to retreat . They cruised the Red Sea inside the Bab al - Mandab , as the first European fleet to have sailed this route . Albuquerque attempted to reach Jeddah , but the winds were unfavourable and so sheltered at Kamaran island in May , until sickness among the men and lack of fresh water forced to retreat . In August 1513 , after a second attempt to reach Aden , they returned to India with no substantial results . In order to destroy the power of Egypt , Albuquerque is said to have entertained the idea of diverting the course of the Nile river and so rendering the whole country barren . Perhaps most tellingly , he intended to steal the body of the Prophet Muhammad , and hold it for ransom until all Muslims had left the Holy Land . Administration and diplomacy in Goa , 1514 . In 1514 Afonso de Albuquerque devoted himself to governing Goa , concluding peace with Calicut and receiving embassies from Indian governors , strengthening the city and stimulating the marriage of Portuguese with local women . At that time , Portuguese women were barred from travelling overseas due to superstition about women on ships , as well as the unsafe nature of the sea route . In 1511 , the Portuguese government encouraged their explorers to marry local women , under a policy set by Albuquerque . To promote settlement , the King of Portugal granted freeman status and exemption from Crown taxes to Portuguese men ( known as " casados " , or " married men " ) who ventured overseas and married local women . With Albuquerque ' s encouragement , mixed marriages flourished . He appointed local people for positions in the Portuguese administration and didn ' t interfere with local traditions , except " sati " , the practice of immolating widows , which he forbade . In March 1514 King Manuel I of Portugal had sent to Pope Leo X a huge and exotic embassy led by Tristão da Cunha , who toured the streets of Rome in an extravagant procession of animals from the colonies and wealth from the Indies that struck Europe . His reputation reached its peak , laying foundations of the Portuguese Empire in the East . In early 1514 , Afonso de Albuquerque had sent ambassadors to Sultan Muzafar II , ruler of Cambay , to seek permission to build a fort on Diu . The mission returned without an agreement , but diplomatic gifts were exchanged , including an Indian rhinoceros . Albuquerque sent the gift , named " ganda " , and its Indian keeper , Ocem , to King Manuel I . In late 1515 , the king sent it as a gift , the famous Dürer ' s Rhinoceros to Pope Leo X . Dürer never saw the actual rhinoceros , which was the first living example seen in Europe since Roman times . Conquest of Ormuz and Illness . In 1513 at Cannanore Albuquerque was visited by a Persia n ambassador from shah Ismail I , who had sent ambassadors to Gujarat , Ormuz and Bijapur . The shah ' s ambassador to Bijapur visited Albuquerque inviting him to send back an envoy to Persia . Miguel Ferreira was sent via Ormuz to Tabriz , where he had several interviews with the Shah about common goals on defeating the Mamluk sultan . Having returned with rich presents and an ambassador , on the journey back in March 1515 they were met by Albuquerque at Ormuz , where he went to establish his rule . Fueled by the offers of the shah , Albuquerque had decided to recapture Ormuz . He had learned that after the Portuguese retreat in 1507 , a young king was reigning under the influence of a powerful Persian vizier , Reis Hamed , whom the king greatly feared . At Hormuz , Albuquerque had a parley with the king and asked the vizier to be present . He then had him immediately stabbed and killed by his entourage , thus " freeing " the dominated king so the island in the Persian Gulf yielded to him without resistance , and remained a vassal state of the Portuguese Empire . Hormuz itself , would not be Persian territory for another century , until a combined British - Persian alliance finally expelled the Portuguese , in 1622 . There in Hormuz , Albuquerque stood , engaging in diplomatic efforts and receiving envoys while becoming increasingly ill . In November 1515 he decided to return , but during the journey his illness would become increasingly fatal , and would lead to his eventual death in the very harbour of Goa . The Last Sight of Goa . Albuquerque ' s life ended on a bitter note , with a painful and ignominious close . At this time , his political enemies back at the Portuguese court , had planned his demise . They had lost no opportunity in stirring up the jealousy of King Manuel against him , insinuating that Albuquerque intended to strike power in Portuguese India against the king back in Lisbon . Since at least the beginning of November 1515 , Albuquerque had known that he had been replaced in the government of India by one of his enemies , Lopo Soares de Albergaria . Reportedly , he even received a letter from the ambassador of the Persian potentate Shah Ismael , inviting Albuquerque to become a leading lord in Persia . Albuquerque ' s illness was reported as early as September 1515 . While on his return voyage from Ormuz in the Persian Gulf , within eyesight of the harbor of Goa , he got news about a Portuguese fleet arriving from Europe bearing dispatches , announcing that he was to be replaced by his personal foe , the Portuguese Lopo Soares de Albergaria . Feeling himself near death , he drew up his will , appointed the captain and senior officials of Hormuz , and organised a final council with his captains to decide the main matters affecting the Estado da Índia . He wrote a long letter to the king , voicing his bitterness : " " I am in ill favor with the king for love of men , and with men for love of the king . " " . In this letter , he petitioned king Manuel , to confer to his natural son all of the high honors and rewards that were justly due to himself . He also wrote in dignified and affectionate terms assuring King Manuel I of his loyalty . On December 16 , 1515 , Albuquerque afflicted by illness , and while in sight of Goa , died . The gentiles were reported as saying " It could not be that he was dead , but that God had need of him for some war and had therefore sent for him " . In Portugal , King Manuel ' s zigzagging policies continued , still trapped by the constraints of real - time medieval communication between Lisbon and India , was unaware that Albuquerque was dead . Hearing rumours that the Mamluk Sultan of Egypt was preparing a magnificent army at Suez to prevent the conquest of Hormuz , he quickly repented to have replaced Albuquerque , and in March 1516 urgently wrote to Albergaria to return the command of all operations to Albuquerque , and provide him with resources to face the Egyptian threat . He organised a new Portuguese navy in Asia , with the orders that Albuquerque , if he was still in India , to be made commander - in - chief against the Sultan of Cairo ' s armies . Tragically of - course , king Manuel would afterwards learn , that Albuquerque had died many months earlier , and that his reversed decision had been delivered many months too late . Albuquerque ' s body was buried in Goa according to his will , in the Church of Nossa Senhora da Serra ( Our Lady of the Hill ) , built in 1513 thanking for his escape from Kamaran island . After 51 years , in 1566 , he was moved to Nossa Senhora da Graça church in Lisbon , which was ruined and rebuilt after the 1755 Great Lisbon earthquake . Legacy . King Manuel I of Portugal was convinced too late of Albuquerque ' s loyalty , and endeavoured to atone for the ingratitude with which he had treated him by heaping honours upon his son , Brás de Albuquerque ( 1500 – 1580 ) , whom he renamed " Afonso " in memory of his father . Afonso de Albuquerque was a prolific writer , having written numerous letters to the king reporting all kind of matters during his governorship , from minor issues to major strategies . In 1557 , his son published a collection his letters under the title " Commentarios do Grande Affonso d ' Alboquerque " . - a clear reference to Caesar ' s Commentaries - which he later reviewed and re - published in 1576 . There Albuquerque was described as " a man of middle stature , with a long face , fresh colored , the nose somewhat large . He was a prudent man , and a Latin scholar , and spoke in elegant phrases ; his conversation and writings showed his excellent education . He was of ready words , very authoritative in his commands , very circumspect in his dealings with the Moors , and greatly feared yet greatly loved by all , a quality rarely found united in one captain . He was very valiant and favored by fortune . " In 1572 , Albuquerque ' s feats were described in " The Lusiads " , the Portuguese main epic poem by Luís Vaz de Camões ( Canto X , strophe 40 to 49 ) . The poet praises his achievements , but has the muses frown upon the harsh rule of his men , of whom Camões was almost a contemporary fellow . In 1934 , Albuquerque was celebrated by Fernando Pessoa in " Mensagem " , a symbolist epic . In the first part of this work , called " Brasão " ( Coat - of - Arms ) , he relates Portuguese historical protagonists to each of the fields in the Portuguese coat - of - arms , Albuquerque being one of the wings of the griffin headed by Henry the Navigator , the other wing being King John II . A variety of mango that he used to bring on his journeys to India has been named in his honour . Numerous homages have been made to Albuquerque . He is featured in the Padrão dos Descobrimentos monument . Additionally there is a square carrying his name in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon , which also features a bronze statue . Two Portuguese Navy ships have been named in his honour : the sloop NRP " Afonso de Albuquerque " ( 1884 ) and the warship NRP " Afonso de Albuquerque " , the latter belonging to a sloop class named Albuquerque . Global legacy . The fabled Spice Islands were always on the imagination of Europe since ancient times . In the 2nd century AD , Malaya was known , by Ptolemy the Greek geographer , who labelled it ' Aurea Chersonesus " ; and who said that it was believed the fabled area was rich in an abundance of gold . Even Indian traders who referred to the East Pacific region , as " Land of Gold " and made regular visits to Malaya in search of the precious metal , tin and sweet scented jungle woods . But neither Ptolemy , nor Rome , nor Alexander would have the fortune of laying eyes upon the fabled regions of the East Pacific . Albuquerque became the first European to reach the Spice Islands . Upon discovering Malaysia , he proceeded in 1511 to conquer Malacca . Albuquerque then commissioned an expedition under the command of António de Abreu and Vice - Commander Francisco Serrão ( the latter being a cousin of Magellan ) to further explore the extremities of the region in east Indonesia . As a result of these voyages of exploration by Albuquerque , the Portuguese became the first European ' s to discover and to reach the " fabled " Spice Islands of Malaysia , Indonesia and the Indies in addition to the discovering their sea routes . He effectively found what had always evaded Columbus ' grasp - the wealth of the Orient . The great discovery of Albuquerque would not go unnoticed by the rest of Europe , and it did not take long for Magellan to arrive in the same region only several years later and discover the Philippines for Spain , giving birth to the Papal Treaty of Zaragoza . Albuquerque ' s operations sent a voyage pushing further south which made the European discovery of Timor in the far south of Oceania , and the discovery of Papua New Guinea in 1512 . This was soon followed up by another Portuguese Jorge de Menezes in 1526 , who named Papua New Guinea , the " Island of the Papua " . Through the diplomatic activities of Albuquerque , Portugal opened up for the first time in history , the sea between Europe and China . As early as 1513 , Jorge de Albuquerque , a Portuguese commanding officer in Malaca , sent his subordinate Jorge Álvares to sail to China on a ship loaded with pepper from Sumatra . After sailing many miles across the sea , Jorge Álvares and his crew dropped anchor in Tamao , an island located at the mouth of the Pearl River . This was to be the first time the Portuguese ever to set foot in the territory known as China , the mythical " Middle Kingdom " where they erected a stone Padrão . Jorge is the first European to reach Chinese land by sea , circumventing the Romans ( Rome took the overland route via Asia - Minor ) . and , the first European to discover Hong Kong . One year later , in 1514 , Afonso de Albuquerque , the Viceroy of the Estado da India dispatched Italian , Rafael Perestrello to sail to China in order to pioneer European trade relations with the Chinese nation . Rafael Perestrelo was quoted as saying , " being a very good and honest people , the Chinese hope to make friends with the Portuguese . " . In spite of initial harmony and excitement between the two empires , difficulties began to arise shortly afterwards . When different cultures have encountered each other for the first time , there has often been misunderstanding , bigotry , even hostility , and the Portuguese were not alone in this regard . Portugal ' s efforts in establishing long lasting ties with China however paid off , in the long run . Eventually , the Portuguese colonized Macau , and established the first European permanent settlement on Chinese soil in history , which served as a permanent colonial base in southern China , and the two empires maintained an exchange in culture and trade that would span for nearly 500 years . Portugal still had a foothold in India until the 1960s and in Africa until the 1970s , but it was the enduring trade ties between China and Portugal , initiated by Albuquerque many centuries earlier , that would ensure that the first global empire in history would live long enough to be the last remaining empire , ending only when Portugal handed over the government of Macau to China ( 1415 - 1999 ) . Albuquerque pioneered trade relations with Thailand , being the first European to discover Thailand . Son . Afonso de Albuquerque had a bastard son with an unknown woman . He legitimized the boy in February 1506 . Prior to his death , he asked King Manuel I to leave him all his wealth and that he take care of his education . When Albuquerque died , Manuel I renamed the child " Afonso " in his father ' s memory . Brás Afonso de Albuquerque , or Braz in the old spelling , was born in 1500 and died in 1580 .