Selman Reis leads a Mamluk fleet of nineteen ships into the Indian Ocean in 1515 following the Portuguese disruption of the spice trade between India and Mamluk Egypt.

He leaves Suez on September 30 leading the fleet, which includes three thousand men, thirteen hundred of whom are Turkish soldiers.

Albuquerque had known since at least the beginning of November 1515 that he had been replaced in the government of India by one of his enemies, Lopo Soares de Albergaria.

Reportedly, he even received a letter from the ambassador of the Persian potentate Shah Ismael, inviting Albuquerque to become a leading lord in Persia.

Albuquerque's illness had been reported as early as September 1515.

While on his return voyage from Ormuz in the Persian Gulf, within eyesight of the harbor of Goa, he had received news about a Portuguese fleet arriving from Europe, bearing dispatches announcing that he was to be replaced by his personal foe, the Portuguese Lopo Soares de Albergaria.

Feeling himself near death, he draws up his will, appoints the captain and senior officials of Hormuz, and organizes a final council with his captains to decide the main matters affecting the Estado da Índia.

He writes a long letter to the king, voicing his bitterness.

In this letter, he petitions King Manuel to confer to his natural son all of the high honors and rewards that are justly due to Albuquerque.

He writes in dignified and affectionate terms, assuring King Manuel I of his loyalty.

On December 16, 1515, Albuquerque dies within sight of Goa.

King Manuel I’s Delayed Reinstatement of Afonso de Albuquerque (March 1516): A Fatal Miscalculation

By March 1516, King Manuel I of Portugal, still struggling with the delays of medieval communication between Lisbon and India, was unaware that Afonso de Albuquerque had already died in December 1515. Hearing rumors of a massive Mamluk military buildup at Suez, Manuel panicked and attempted to reverse his earlier decision to remove Albuquerque from command, but his orders arrived far too late.

The Mamluk Threat and Manuel’s Change of Heart

• Rumors reached Lisbon that the Mamluk Sultan of Egypt was assembling a great army and fleet at Suez, aiming to block the Portuguese from conquering Hormuz and dominating the Indian Ocean trade.
• Manuel realized the strategic mistake of having dismissed Albuquerque, who had been Portugal’s most capable military leader in Asia.
• In March 1516, he ordered Lopo Soares de Albergaria, Albuquerque’s replacement, to immediately return all command to Albuquerque and provide him with resources to face the Egyptian threat.
• He also ordered the organization of a new Portuguese navy in Asia, under Albuquerque’s leadership, to prepare for war against the Sultan of Cairo’s forces.

Too Late: Albuquerque Had Already Died

• Manuel was unaware that Albuquerque had already died in December 1515, after being dismissed and humiliated on his return to Goa.
• The reversal of his decision was sent to India months too late, arriving only after Albuquerque’s death had been widely known in the region.
• By the time Manuel’s orders arrived, Lopo Soares de Albergaria was already in full control, and Albuquerque’s faction had been politically sidelined.

Consequences of Manuel’s Blunder

1. A Political Vacuum in Portuguese India

   • Albuquerque’s death left a leadership crisis in Portugal’s Indian Ocean empire.
   • The Portuguese administration became less aggressive and more defensive, delaying further expansion.

2. Missed Opportunity to Secure Hormuz and Dominate the Persian Gulf

   • Albuquerque had planned to secure Hormuz as a strategic fortress, permanently controlling the Persian Gulf trade.
   • His removal weakened Portugal’s military and diplomatic presence in the region, leaving Hormuz vulnerable to local resistance and Ottoman influence.

3. The Mamluk Fleet’s Attack and Ottoman Interference

   • The Mamluks continued preparing their fleet, eventually joining forces with the Ottomans, who later became Portugal’s primary rival in the Indian Ocean.

Conclusion: Manuel’s Delayed Decision and Its Long-Term Impact

• By reversing his decision too late, King Manuel lost the opportunity to retain Portugal’s greatest commander in the Indian Ocean at a crucial moment.
• Albuquerque’s military vision and diplomatic strategies were lost, leading to internal struggles and less decisive leadership in Portuguese India.
• The Mamluk threat, eventually supported by the Ottomans, became a long-term challenge to Portuguese dominance in the Indian Ocean trade.

Ultimately, King Manuel’s indecisiveness and slow communication sealed the fate of Albuquerque’s legacy, marking a turning point in Portugal’s Asian empire.

Portuguese explorers of the uninhabited Mascarene Islands (Mauritius, Reunion, and Rodriguez) discover, from about 1507, three related species of large, stocky, flightless birds resident there for possibly thousands of years.

The Portuguese began to extensively hunt the turkey-size birds, called by them the dodo bird and related to the pigeons, as a source of fresh meat for sailors.

Monkeys and hogs brought to the islands by the sailors begin to overrun the dodos' nesting grounds.