Francisco de Almeida
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His Lordship D. Francisco de Almeida |
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| 1st Viceroy of Portuguese India | |
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In office 12 September 1505 – 4 November 1509 |
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| Monarch | Manuel I of Portugal |
| Preceded by | Tristão da Cunha (designate; never took office) |
| Succeeded by | Afonso de Albuquerque |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Francisco de Almeida ca. 1450 Lisbon, Kingdom of Portugal |
| Died | 1 March 1510 (aged 59–60) Table Bay, Cape of Good Hope |
| Nationality | Portuguese |
| Occupation | Soldier, explorer, viceroy of Portuguese India |
| Known for | Establishment of Portuguese naval hegemony in the Indian Ocean. |
Dom Francisco de Almeida (Portuguese pronunciation: [fɾɐ̃ˈsiʃku dɨ aɫˈmɐjðɐ]), also known as "the Great Dom Francisco" (c. 1450–1 March 1510), 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.
Almeida was born at Lisbon. As was customary for men in his social circle, he joined the military at an early age. In 1476 he took part in the Battle of Toro. Then he fought in conflicts in different parts of Morocco and in 1492 participated in the Christian conquest of Granada on the side of the Castilians.
In 1505 King Manuel I of Portugal appointed Almeida, then in his mid 50s, as the first viceroy of Portuguese India (Estado da Índia). With an armada of 22 ships, including 14 carracks and 6 caravels, Almeida departed from Lisbon on 25 March 1505. The armada carried a crew of 1,500 soldiers. The flagship was the carrack São Rafael captained by Fernão Soares. The mission's primary aims were to bring the spice trade under Portuguese control, to construct forts along the east African and Indian coasts, to further Portuguese spice trade through alliances with local chieftains, besides constructing trading posts.
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