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Battle of Diu: Portuguese Armada defeats a Mamluk Egyptian fleet in a naval battle at the port of Diu, India, establish

Battle of Diu: Portuguese Armada defeats a Mamluk Egyptian fleet in a naval battle at the port of Diu, India, establishing Portuguese trading control in the Indian Ocean

The Battle of Diu was a naval battle fought on 3 February 1509 in the Arabian Sea, in the port of Diu, India, between the Portuguese Empire and a joint fleet of the Sultan of Gujarat, the Mamlûk Burji Sultanate of Egypt and the Zamorin of Calicut.

The Portuguese victory was critical: the great Muslim alliance was soundly defeated, easing the Portuguese strategy of controlling the Indian Ocean to route trade down the Cape of Good Hope, circumventing the historical spice trade controlled by the Arabs and the Venetians through the Red Sea and Persian Gulf. After the battle, the Kingdom of Portugal rapidly captured several key ports in the Indian Ocean including Goa, Ceylon, Malacca, Bom Baim and Ormuz. The territorial losses crippled the Mamluk Sultanate and the Gujarat Sultanate.

Historical Significance

The Battle of Diu was a naval battle fought on 3 February 1509 in the Arabian Sea, in the port of Diu, India, between the Portuguese Empire and a joint fleet of the Sultan of Gujarat, the Mamlûk Burji Sultanate of Egypt and the Zamorin of Calicut.

Events Before

  1. German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller is the first to use the name America on his world map "Universalis Cosmographia

    German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller is the first to use the name America on his world map "Universalis Cosmographia"

  2. Maximilian I is proclaimed Holy Roman Emperor, the first emperor in centuries not crowned by the Pope

    Maximilian I (22 March 1459 – 12 January 1519) was King of the Romans from 1486 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1508 until his death in 1519.

  3. League of the kingdom signed (covenant against Venice)

    League of the kingdom signed (covenant against Venice)

  4. Portuguese under Francisco de Almeida, attack, pillage and burn the Muslim trading city of Dabul, Sultanate of Bijapur (

    Portuguese under Francisco de Almeida, attack, pillage and burn the Muslim trading city of Dabul, Sultanate of Bijapur (modern India)

  5. Ludovico Sforza dies

    Ludovico Sforza, Italian duke of milan, known for duke of milan, died on 1508-05-27.

Events After

  1. Jews are expelled from Colmar, Alsace

    Jews are expelled from Colmar, Alsace

  2. Charles of Gelre conquers the Dutch city of Oldenzaal

    Charles of Gelre conquers the Dutch city of Oldenzaal

  3. Governor Afonso d'Albuquerque establishes the first overseas Portuguese mint, to issue gold coins in the Indian trading

    Governor Afonso d'Albuquerque establishes the first overseas Portuguese mint, to issue gold coins in the Indian trading city of Goa [1]

  4. 38 Jews are burned at stake in Berlin, Prussia

    38 Jews are burned at stake in Berlin, Prussia

  5. Spanish conquest of Tripoli by Pedro Navarro for Aragon crown; over 3,000 killed and more than 5,000 inhabitants enslave

    Spanish conquest of Tripoli by Pedro Navarro for Aragon crown; over 3,000 killed and more than 5,000 inhabitants enslaved

More from the 1500s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on February 3, 1509?
The Battle of Diu was a naval battle fought on 3 February 1509 in the Arabian Sea, in the port of Diu, India, between the Portuguese Empire and a joint fleet of the Sultan of Gujarat, the Mamlûk Burji Sultanate of Egypt and the Zamorin of Calicut. The Portuguese victory was critical: the great Muslim alliance was soundly defeated, easing the Portuguese strategy of controlling the Indian Ocean to route trade down the Cape of Good Hope, circumventing the historical spice trade controlled by the Arabs and the Venetians through the Red Sea and Persian Gulf. After the battle, the Kingdom of Portugal rapidly captured several key ports in the Indian Ocean including Goa, Ceylon, Malacca, Bom Baim and Ormuz.
Why is Battle of Diu: Portuguese Armada defeats a Mamluk Egyptian fleet in a naval b... significant?
The Battle of Diu was a naval battle fought on 3 February 1509 in the Arabian Sea, in the port of Diu, India, between the Portuguese Empire and a joint fleet of the Sultan of Gujarat, the Mamlûk Burji Sultanate of Egypt and the Zamorin of Calicut.

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