Francisco de Almeida

Francisco De Almeida

Dom Francisco de Almeida, also known as "the Great Dom Francisco" (born ca. 1450 at Lisbon; died March 1, 1510 at Table Bay, Cape of Good Hope), was a Portuguese nobleman, soldier and explorer. He distinguished himself as a counsellor to King John II of Portugal and later in the wars against the Moors and in the conquest of Granada in 1492. In 1503 he was appointed as the first governor and viceroy of the Portuguese State of India (Estado da Índia). Almeida is credited with establishing Portuguese hegemony in the Indian Ocean, with his victory at the naval Battle of Diu in 1509. Before Almeida could return to Portugal, he lost his life in 1510. His son Lourenço de Almeida too was killed in the Battle of Chaul in 1508.

Read more about Francisco De Almeida:  Exploits As Soldier, Mission To The East, Relatives and Subjects

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