Afonso de Albuquerque

1452 – 1515

Afonso de Albuquerque was a Portuguese general and admiral who served as the second viceroy of Portuguese India from 1509 to 1515, building the Portuguese Estado da Índia by conquering Goa, Malacca, and Hormuz and establishing a chain of armed coastal trading posts across the Indian Ocean. His campaigns were marked by deliberately spectacular violence designed to terrorize coastal populations into submission, including the cutting off of noses, ears, and hands of survivors at port cities he had attacked. The maritime empire he built endured in fragments for nearly five centuries.

Last checked: May 10, 2026, 1:06 PM