Albuquerque sails on November 20, 1511, from…
November 1511 CE
Albuquerque sails on November 20, 1511, 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 wantd to give the court of King Manuel I a show of Malaccan treasures.
There are also the offers from the Kingdom of Siam to the king of Portugal and all his own fortune.
On the voyage a storm arises and the Flor de la Mar is wrecked, and he himself barely escapes with his life.
Albuquerque returns from Malacca to Kochi, but cannot sail to Goa as it faces 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 has to wait for the arrival of reinforcement fleets headed by his nephew Dom Garcia de Noronha and Jorge de Mello Pereira.