Who was Francisco De Almeida ?

Francisco de Almeida (1505–1509) was the first Portuguese Viceroy in India, appointed by the King of Portugal to consolidate Portuguese interests and protect their trade from Muslim competition [3]. He is most famous for initiating the 'Blue Water Policy' (Cartaze system), which focused on establishing naval supremacy in the Indian Ocean rather than building extensive land-based settlements [2]. During his tenure, he fortified strategic locations like Cochin and Cannanore and successfully defeated a combined fleet of the Mamluk Sultan of Egypt, the Sultan of Gujarat, and the Zamorin of Calicut at the Battle of Diu in 1509. His appointment marked the transition from annual expeditions to a permanent administrative presence in India, setting the stage for subsequent governors like Alfonso de Albuquerque to expand the Portuguese maritime empire [2].

Sources

1. [1] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 3: Advent of the Europeans in India > Francisco De Almeida > p. 25
2. [3] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 3: Advent of the Europeans in India > The Portuguese > p. 56
3. [2] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 16: The Coming of the Europeans > Consolidation of the Portuguese Trade > p. 248