TRENDEAtlas of the Sultans · Wars, battles and treaties
Siege · 1538
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 siege was part of the Ottoman-Portuguese war. The Portuguese successfully resisted the four-month long siege.
| Date | 26 Jun 1538 – 6 November 1538, (4 months, 1 week and 4 days) |
|---|---|
| Location | Diu, Portuguese India, |
| Result | Portuguese victory |
| Belligerents | Portuguese Empire | Ottoman Empire Gujarat Sultanate |
|---|---|---|
| Commanders | António da Silveira Martim Afonso de Sousa Francisco Pacheco | Suleyman Pasha Khadjar Safar (WIA) |
| Strength | 600 men (garrison) 139 ships 186 cannon | 16,000 Gujarati 6,000 Ottomans 79 ships 130 cannon |
| Casualties | All but 40 killed or wounded | Unknown |
The defeat of the combined Turkish and Gujarati forces at Diu represented a critical setback in Ottoman plans for expanding their influence into the Indian Ocean. Without a suitable base or allies, failure at Diu meant the Ottomans were unable to proceed with their campaign in India, leaving the Portuguese uncontested in the western Indian coast. Never again would the Ottoman Turks ever send so large an armada to India. After the failed siege, the Ottomans returned to Aden, where they fortified the city with 100 pieces of artillery. One of them is still visible today at the Tower of London, following the capture of Aden by British forces in 1839.
Took place during the reign of Suleiman I (1520–1566). Suleiman I
The atlas records this territorial change for the year:
Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), adapted for the atlas.