Diu removed the immediate fleet that could challenge Portugal and opened the way for Albuquerque's conquests at Malacca, Hormuz, and other route nodes. Factories in allied territory required fewer Portuguese personnel than large inland possessions because local rulers supplied much of the protection. Control of linked ports allowed Portugal to influence an entire commercial route rather than merely tax one section of it. Atlantic shipbuilding made this possible: vessels designed for the ocean could carry firepower and survive conditions beyond the limits of many regional craft.
Chapter · 2:31:01-2:38:31
Diu cleared the way for a Portuguese trade network
The destruction of the Mamluk challenge let Portugal seize commercial nodes with a small, ship-centered imperial system.