Siege of Diu (1531)

The Siege of Diu occurred when a combined Ottoman-Gujarati force defeated a Portuguese attempt to capture the city of Diu in 1531. The victory was partly the result of Ottoman firepower over the Portuguese besiegers deployed by Mustafa Bayram, an Ottoman expert.[7]

Siege of Diu (1531)
Part of the Ottoman–Portuguese conflicts
Date 1531 Location Diu, Gujarat Sultanate Result Ottoman-Gujarati victory
Belligerents
Ottoman Empire Gujarat Sultanate	Portuguese Empire
Commanders and leaders
Mustafa Bayram	Nuno da Cunha
Strength
12,000 men[1] 1 galleon[2] 17 galleys[2] several basilisks[2]	About 400[3] vessels: 14 galleons[4] 6 naus[4] 2 war caravels[4] 5 large supply junks[4] 2 galleasses[4] 12 galleys[4] 16 half-galleys[4] 228 light-galleys[4] 115 small craft and merchantships[4] 30,000 men,[5] including: 3,560 Portuguese soldiers[6] 2,000 Malabarese auxiliaries[6] 8,000 combatant slaves[6] 3,000 slave gunners[6] 1,400 Portuguese sailors[6] 4,000 Malabarese sailors or rowers[6] 800 junk ship crew[6]

Although Diu was successfully defended, victory was short lived: the Portuguese armada was simply diverted towards more exposed Gujarati cities to the east. Ghogha, Surat, Mangrol, Somnath, Bassein, and many smaller settlements were assaulted and sacked, and some never recovered from the attacks.[8]

In 1534, Sultan Bahadur of Gujarat signed a peace treaty with Governor Nuno da Cunha, granting the Portuguese the territory of Bassein, including Bombay. In 1535, the Portuguese were allowed to construct a fortress at Diu.