First Siege of Diu

First Siege of Diu
Part of Ottoman–Portuguese conflicts (1538–1557)
Contemporary drawing of the fortress of Diu in the 16th century.
Date August - November 1538 Location Diu, Portuguese India 20°43′N 70°59′E / 20.71°N 70.98°E / 20.71; 70.98 Result Portuguese victory Ottoman retreat
Belligerents
Portuguese Empire	Gujarat Sultanate Ottoman Empire
Commanders and leaders
António da Silveira	Khadjar Safar Hadım Suleiman Pasha
Strength
600 men (garrison) 139 ships 186 cannon	16,000 Gujarati 6,000 Ottomans 79 ships 130 cannon
Casualties and losses
All killed or wounded but 40	3,000 casualties
Siege of Diu (1538) Location within India

Coordinates: 20°N 71°E / 20°N 71°E / 20; 71

Portuguese victory

The Siege of Diu occurred when an army of the Sultanate of Gujarat under Khadjar Safar, aided by forces of the Ottoman Empire attempted to capture the city of Diu in 1538, then held by the Portuguese. The Portuguese successfully resisted the four months long siege.

In 1509, the major Battle of Diu (1509) took place between the Portuguese and a joint fleet of the Sultan of Gujarat, the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt, the Zamorin of Calicut with support of the Ottoman mercenaries. Since 1517, the Ottomans had attempted to combine forces with Gujarat in order to fight the Portuguese away from the Red Sea and in the area of India. Pro-Ottoman forces under Captain Hoca Sefer had been installed by Selman Reis in Diu.

Diu in Gujarat (now a state in western India), was with Surat, one of the main points of supply of spices to Ottoman Egypt at that time. However, Portuguese intervention thwarted that trade by controlling the traffic in the Red Sea. In 1530, the Venetians could not obtain any supply of spices through Egypt.