Jay

Carlos Henrique🇵🇹 / a crew of the explorations led by Afonso de Albuquerque / was in the first expedition to India (1503) and conquest of Malacca (1511)

[Jay @219Albuquerque1]

That is all for the stories of my journey with Afonso de Albuquerque! He was a great explorer and a leader, and I will miss him so much. Have a nice break everyone :)

[Jay @219Albuquerque1]

Overall, the Portuguese gained and the natives of Malacca lost through the exploration. Portuguese controlled the spice trade and gained wealth. The natives also had some gains, but there were many human losses during the assaults of the Portuguese in order to control the city.

[Jay @219Albuquerque1]

December 16, 1515: Afonso de Albuquerque died within sight of Goa. His body was buried in Goa, according to his will, in the Church of Nossa Senhora da Serra. That night, the population of Goa, both Hindu and Portuguese, gathered to mourn his death. #rip #greatexplorer

[Jay @219Albuquerque1]

The exploration impacted the Portuguese by giving them control of the spice trade, providing opportunities to interact with countries around the Indian Ocean, getting resources that made them rich, and spreading Christianity around the area.

[Jay @219Albuquerque1]

Some of the natives who used to be Muslims converted to Christianity due to the influence of the Portuguese.

[Jay @219Albuquerque1]

Afonso returned from Malacca to Cochin. The exploration had an impact on native societies by taking down their Sultan and changing the laws and the currency of the city. It also made the diplomatic relations with countries near it better.

[Jay @219Albuquerque1]

Fortunately, the crew managed to salvage a large Rubi, a decorated sword, and a golden goblet sent by the King of Siam. Still sad that all the over valuable treasures are lost though :(

[Jay @219Albuquerque1]

Oh no! Around the northwesternmost tip of Sumatra, we faced a storm that wrecked the flagship, the Flor do Mar. We lost paperwork, an official letter from the King of Siam, and the spoils and gifts intended for King Manuel.😭

[Jay @219Albuquerque1]

January 1512: Albuquerque left Malacca😢. The inhabitants mourned his departure, so after all, they didn’t hate us much! #goodbye

[Jay @219Albuquerque1]

November 1511: We finally learned the path to the Spice Islands! Albuquerque organized an expedition of three naus and 120 men to reach them under the command of António de Abreu. He was the first European to sail into the Pacific Ocean.

[Jay @219Albuquerque1]

As an exchange of diplomats, we secured the firm support of the King of Siam, who despised Mahmud Shah. The Kingdom of Pegu also confirmed its support for the Portuguese and in 1513 junks arrived from the Pegu to trade in Malacca.

[Jay @219Albuquerque1]

We dispatched diplomatic missions to Pegu and Siam to secure allies, as well as new suppliers of vital foodstuffs such as rice. Albuquerque had already sent an envoy to Siam in July while the assault was still ongoing.

[Jay @219Albuquerque1]

Two heralds proclaimed the new laws, one in Portuguese and another in Malay, followed by the Portuguese troops marching behind, playing trumpets and drums to the great astonishment of the locals. The locals seem to be pretty surprised with the instruments!

[Jay @219Albuquerque1]

🚨New currency alert🚨! It was minted with the support of Nina Chatu and a parade was organized through the city streets. The coins were thrown from silver bowls to the populace from atop eleven elephants.🐘

[Jay @219Albuquerque1]

Albuquerque nominated Nina Chatu as the new Bendahara of Malacca and representative of the Hindu community. The Javanese, Lusong, and Malay communities also got their own magistrates. #newgovernment

[Jay @219Albuquerque1]

We realized that as hostilities ceased, the maintenance of such a distant city would depend greatly on the support from the local population and the neighboring polities. Albuquerque assured the inhabitants that they would be able to proceed with their affairs as normally.

[Jay @219Albuquerque1]

The fortress is over 18 meters high!

[Jay @219Albuquerque1]

We decided to hold Malacca permanently after sacking. We built A Famosa, a fortress that is close to the coastline. Stone was brought in by ships as there wasn't enough in the city for its completion. It was major construction and had a garrison of 500 men.

[Jay @219Albuquerque1]

28 Portuguese were dead due to the operation and most of them were because of the poisoned arrows. The Sultan had an impressive number of artillery pieces and firearms, but they were largely ineffective. Thank you to those Portuguese who fought for the country. #rip

[Jay @219Albuquerque1]

Albuquerque, the leader of the exploration, estimated that two-thirds of the wealth of the city remained! He got a stool encrusted with jewels, four golden lions, and even a gold bracelet which was said to have the magical property of preventing the wearer from bleeding.