Albuquerque's career places Diu within Portugal's rapid imperial expansion. He repeatedly operated with a scratch force, yet captured strategic positions and disrupted rival trade routes from the Indian Ocean to Malacca. His achievements depended on initiative at great distance from Lisbon, which made royal confidence and court politics unusually important. News moved so slowly that Manuel I's renewed support reached the east only after Albuquerque had died believing he had lost the king's favor. A small expeditionary establishment could acquire obligations faster than the central government could supervise them.
Chapter · 35:35-39:40
Albuquerque turns small forces into an oceanic empire
Afonso de Albuquerque's repeated conquests show how a small Portuguese force converted naval mobility and strategic positions into control across the Indian Ocean.