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by Sergio Mascarenhas de Almeida, 1999
When Afonso de Albuquerque set out to build the Portuguese empire in Asia, he knew that there were some strategic conquests he had to do in order to secure the empire: Ormuz, which provided the control of the entrance to the Persian sea; Malacca which was the key for the control of the trade between India and the east; Aden which allowed for the control of the Red sea. If he was able to conquer these three ports, he would be able to ensure a strong grip on all east-west trade and naval operations. In fact he was successful in conquering Ormuz and Malacca, but he failled in getting hold of Aden. Neither did his less strategic-minded successors. Not until that day in 1548...
Aden is a port town located in south-west Arabia facing the African Horn. It's the best port in the region. The one that controls Aden, controls the trafic in and out the Red sea.
By 1547 Aden was in the hands of a Turkish garrison. The abuses comited by that garrison prompted the inhabitants to ask the Pasha of Camphar to come and take control of the town, what he did. Not whishing to fight the turks, he allowed them to leave the town with their families and belongings. The garrison entrenched herself in a nearby fortress, and started to harass the Arabians. Fearing that the turks would ask for support from the turkish empire, the new Pasha of Aden decided to offer his port to the Portuguese. So, he sent a message to the commander of Ormuz, asking for his help.
When the commander of Ormuz received the message from Aden, he dispatched two fustas (galeasses) with about 50 Portuguese soldiers and some more fighting man (70 in total) under the command of D. Paio de Noronha (1). He also sent messages to Goa to inform D. Joao de Castro on this issue.
When D. Paio arrived in Aden, the Pasha decided to dislodge the turks from their fortress. Yet, D. Paio dennied to go on that expedition. The Pasha died in the attack, and his forces disbanded. In Aden, his son became the new Pasha. When D. Paio discovered the old Pasha was dead, he decided that from that moment he would always sleep in his boat. Now the turks set siege to Aden, where the Arabians defended themselves with the support of the Portuguese (2). One day, the Pasha sent for reinforcements from the interior, and a Portuguese soldier accompanied his men.
The new Pasha decided to ask for more Portuguese help, and send an ambassador to Goa where D. Joao de Castro was governing the Indias. When D. Joao de Castro discovered that he could seize Aden, he prepared a fleet to sail to that port. The fleet comprised 30 fustas, and either a galleon or two carvels (depending on the source) which would provide logistical support. They were manned by 600 to 700 Portuguese soldiers. Since a fusta carries between 30 and 40 soldiers, and the chroniclers mention the presence of 'lascarins' (Indian soldiers under the Portuguese command) we may estimate the total number of troops at some 1,000, of which two thirds were Portuguese. To that number we have to add the sailors and rowers. The commander of the fleet was D. Alvaro de Castro, the son of the Governor (3). Since D. Alvaro needed some time to assemble the fleet, D. Joao sent 4 fustas immediately. One of those returned to India because of the bad whether, but the other 3 sailed to Aden. Before the depart of D. Alvaro, another embassy came to Goa from Daxem, a town and fortress near Aden. It was sent to ask for Portuguese support to free Daxem which had been conquested by a nearby king. So, D. Joao decided that his son would first get hold of Aden, and next free Daxem (and get hold of its fortress).
In the mean time, turkish galleasses started to reach Aden. To denfend the port, D. Paio could count on his two fustas, on a boat from the Pasha of Aden, and on a boat from the Pasha of Ormuz. But he didn't attack. The turkish fleet was growing in power each day. One night D. Paio decided to leave Aden, so he summoned all his men to the fustas and sailed away. He did this in concealment, so the Pasha of Aden only noticed the treason in the morning. Yet, there was a Portuguese soldier that answered D. Paio's summoning by saying that he would not abandon a possession of the king of Portugual, and remained in the sieged port.
The turks carried on the siege of Aden, now only defended by the forces of the Pasha and two Portuguese (4). 21 days latter Aden fell by treason of the commander of one of its bastions that openned the doors to the turks. The new Pasha died, but the Portuguese and a small force of Arabians escaped with the younger brother of the Pasha.
Some time later the 3 fustas sent in advance by D. Joao de Castro reached Aden unknowing that the town was now in Turkish hands. They found themselves in the middle of the Turkish fleet, and had to retreat under the persecution of the enemy. Two of the fustas didn't manage to escape, but were able to reach the coast where the men landed. The small force (maybe 150 men including both soldiers and sailors) was able to head to a fort of the dispossessed Pasha of Aden under the continuous attacks of the Turkish cavalry (5). The commanding fusta headed to the coast of Africa where he joinned the two fustas of D. Paio. Next they headed east and joinned D. Alvaro's fleet.
The first action of D. Alvaro was the recovery of the two Portuguese that stayed in Aden and the crew of the two lost fustas. Next he decided to carry on with his second task, the recovery of Daxem. He did this despite the courageous resistance of the small garrison. Since the possession of Daxem was dependent on the possession of Aden, he returned to India without leaving a Portuguese garrison in Daxem.
The covardice of D. Paio de Noronha lost Aden to the turkish, and once more didn't allow the Portuguese to get hold of that strategic port.
What happened to D. Paio? In a sense, he was lucky since he was not punished. The chroniclers don't say what he did next, but I suppose he went back to Ormuz instead of accompanying D. Alvaro to Goa, since the commander of Ormuz didn't have the authority to punish him. D. Joao de Castro that was very sick died some months later. The new governor had more pressing issues than punishing D. Paio.
Yet, the stigma and dishonor of his covardly actions would follow him all his life. Despite being a nobleman, he was never nominated to posts of command, and eventually returned to Portugal. There's even a story that when he was old a nobleman was passing in front of is house and saw an young girl crying. The nobleman asked the girl why she was crying, and she said that it was because two servants of D. Paio had taken a chicken from her. The nobleman replyed: "If they had taken Aden, D. Paio would return it to you, but not a chiken."
(1) Notice that D. Paio was a nobleman, since he held the title Dom.
(2) In fact, the chronicles say that the Portuguese defended Aden with the support of the Arabians, but I suppose they are exagerating a little.
(3) D. Joao de Castro was a great and courageous soldier that always sent his sons to the most dangerous operations. In fact, two of his sons died at the siege of Diu in 1546.
(4) The second was the one sent to the interior for reinforcements, and which returned to Aden after the departure of D. Paio.
(5) This seems to be an interesting skirmish scenario.
