History

Diu (derived from Sanskrit Dweep, meaning island) is located at 20.71°N 70.98°E on the northern shores of Arabian Sea. Given its strategic location on the northern shores of Arabian Sea, the areas around the Gulf of Khambhat area and Shaurastra coast was an important centre in east–west trade. Records reveal a sprawling trade where Gujarati middleman bought spices from the Moluccas and silk from China and sold them to the Egyptians and Arabs by routing them through the sea through the Arabian Sea, the Red Sea, Egypt and Malacca.

Diu has an intriguing past that dates back to many centuries. Ancient mythology has interesting tales around Diu. It is believed that Diu was ruled by a powerful demon king Jallandhar who was killed by Lord Vishnu with his Sudarshan Chakra. This story perhaps reflects the story of Aryan conquest of Diu. The temple of Jallandhar continues to exist in Diu to this day. The Gazetteer of Goa, Daman and Diu points that Diu was known as Jallandhar Kshetra during the Satyug (the first of the four eras where the others were the Tretayug, Dwaparyug and the Kalyug, the present era). The site where Vishnu is believed to have killed Jallandhar is known as Chakra Tirtha, a popular religious destination.

Mythology also suggests that during the Dwaparyug, Pandavas spent a part of their 13-year exile, evidence of which is seen in the Gangeshwar temple where the brothers setup 5 shivlingas. Some sections of the people also believe that Krishna led a section of Yadavas, while establishing his kingdom in Dwarka, had annexed Diu which served as a safe and peaceful haven for the Pandavas in exile.

The first documented history of Diu begins with the Mauryan Empire during 322-220 BC. Records reveal that emperor Chandragupta Maurya extended his supremacy over Saurashtra and appointed Pushagupta as its Governor. During the Ashoka rule, Yavanraj Tushappa ruled over Saurashtra as the Governer (c.273-237 B.C.). Records also reveal that Emperor Ashoka had sent Yavana Thero named Dhammarakhito as evangelist to the western sea board including Diu.

The Indo-Greeks settled in this region for a considerably longer time of about six centuries. Diu was under the rule of several Indo-Greek kings such as Eukratides (171-150 B.C.), Meanandar (of the mighty fame) (C. 115-90 B.C.), and Appollodotes II. No recorded history is available from first century BC to about A.D. 50. Diu was ruled by the Kshatrapas from the 1st century AD to 415 AD, by the Guptas from 415 AD to 467 AD, by the Maitrakas from 470 AD to 788 AD, by the Chavda dynasty of Gujarat and Saurashtra from 789 AD to 941 AD who kept their capital at Diu. The Chalukyas succeeded to power in AD 941 when the Chavdas ruled over the Somnath Patan and Diu as Local Chieftains.

Between 1020 -1025, Sultan Mahmud Ghazni, attacked both Diu and Somnath and plundered Somnath. Thereafter Chavadas of Diu grew in power but were overthrown by the Chalukyas in 1064 following which Diu were also conquered by Chavda and Vaghela Rajputs, who built a fort here. They were dislodged by Allauddin Khilji, in 1297. The kings of Vaja Dynasty were the last rulers of Diu. Around this time Diu was invaded by the Portuguese many times, who wanted to control the Indian Ocean and east–west trade, between the Red Sea, Egypt and Malacca. It is this Portugese invasion that in 1509 the famous battle of Diu took place.

Battle of Diu 1509

The Battle of Diu was a naval battle which was fought on 3rd February, 1509, in the Arabian Sea, near the port of Diu, between the Portuguese Empire and a joint fleet of the Sultan of Gujarat, the Mamlûk Burji Sultanate of Egypt, the Zamorin of Kozhikode with support of Ottomans, the Republic of Venice and the Republic of Ragusa (Dubrovnik, a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea coast).

Ever since Vasco da Gama arrived in Diu in 1498, the Portuguese had been struggling to break the spice trade monopoly of Calicut, enjoyed by Samoothir Dynasty, Gujarat Sultans and Mamluk-Arabs. When Portugal threatened his field, Sultan Mahmud Begada of Gujarat allied with the Samoothiri Raja of Kozhikode and asked his trade partners, the Mamluk Sultanate, for help. In 1507, Portuguese forces captured the mouth of Red Sea and, for a short time, Ormuz in the Persian Gulf, seriously disrupting trade in the Indian Ocean, threatening Muslim, as well as, Venetian interests. The affluence of Mamluks and Venetians was due to their monopoly over the spices trade from India to Europe. Following this Venice broke diplomatic relations with Portugal and made parleys with Egyptians and negotiated for lowering Egyptian tariffs to enable them to compete with the Portuguese. Another aspect of the Venetian strategy was to initiate "rapid and secret remedies" be taken against the Portuguese. Concurrently, the king of Calicut sought help from the Mamluks against the Portuguese.

Since Egyptian Mamluks soldiers were ill-equipped in naval warfare, the Mamluk Sultan, Al-Ashraf Qansuh al-Ghawri appealed for Ottoman support. The Ottoman Sultan, Beyazid II supplied Egypt with Mediterranean-type war galleys manned by Greek sailors and Ottoman volunteers, mainly Turkish mercenaries. These vessels, which Venetian shipwrights assembled, had to brave the Indian Ocean and because the native ships (dhows), with their sewn wood planks, could carry no heavy guns at all, most of the coalition's artillery was archers. The Portuguese, however, weighed heavily on this strategy and could easily outweight their opponents.

The Egyptian-Ottoman fleet (rumes) was sent to support Gujarat in 1507. After fortifying Jeddah against a possible Portuguese attack, it then passed through Aden at the tip of the Red Sea, where they received support from the Tahirid Sultan, and in 1508, crossed the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea to reach the port of Diu, at the mouth of the Gulf of Khambhat.

In March 1508, under Mamluk admiral Amir Husain Al-Kurdi (Husain Al-Kurdi), the Mamluk fleets arrived at Chaul in India where they surprised a Portuguese fleet and killed Commander Lourenço de Almeida, son of the then Portuguese viceroy. Supported by Malik Ayyaz, governor of Diu, the Portugese  fought for over three days and won the Battle of Chaul taking nine captives back to Diu. Enraged at the death of his son, the Portuguese viceroy Francisco de Almeida sought revenge. Malik Ayyaz realised the danger his city faced and he prepared his defence by writing an eloquent letter aimed at appeasing the viceroy, stating that how bravely his son had fought. Along with his letter he had sent another one from the Portuguese prisoners stating that they were well treated in custody. The viceroy replied stating his intention of revenge and asking Malik Ayyaz to prepare to fight because he would  leave no stone in Diu 'unturned'.

As expected, the attack followed. The tough state-of-the art multi-rigged Portuguese carracks and three-mast caravels were crammed with cannons. The smaller Indian Ocean dhows and Mediterranean-type galleys launched by the coalition were no match. The Portuguese ships were able to shoot their powerful cannons not allowing the smaller craft from coming near them. Even when they did come near, the lower galleys and dhows were unable to board the Portuguese ships, who in turn rained on them discharges from small arms, grenades and smaller calibre cannons.

The Gujarat-Mamluk-Khozikode alliance fought bravely but were unable to counter a naval force, the like of which they had never seen before and the battle ended in victory for the Portuguese. After the battle prisoners of Chaul were handed over and a offer was made by Malik Ayyaz to allow a Portuguese fortress be established in Diu but surprisingly the Portuguese viceroy refused this which he thought would be expensive to maintain, although he left a garrison there. Later on the Portuguese demanded that they be allowed to build a fort in Diu which was stalled till 1535. The Viceroy extracted a payment of 600,000 Portuguese Indian Rupia in gold (300,000 xerafim). The treatment of the captives by the Portuguese was brutal. Most of them were hanged, burned alive or torn to pieces by tying them to the mouths of the cannons. Among the spoils of the battle three royal flags of Mamlûk Sultan were sent to Portugal and can be seen are even today in the Convento de Cristo, in Tomar, Portugal. 

In 1530 when the Portuguese attacked the coast of Gujarat but failed to capture the island of Diu. The Portugese attacked Diu again in 1531 and were successful in defeating the Sultan of Gujarat, Bahadur Shah, who had become the ruler after his brother Sikander was murdered. Although Bahadur Shah tried to maintain friendly relations with Humayun, in 1535, his armies in Gujarat and Malwa were destroyed while trying to keep Humayun out of Malwa. Following this Humayun invaded Gujarat and captured the Champaner fort chasing Bahadur Shah all the way to the island of Diu.

All along the Portuguese had been attacking Diu to realize their long-nursed objective of establishing a fortress at Diu so that they could control the spice trade from India. At this point, Bahadur Shah entered into a treaty with Nuno da Cunha on October 25, 1535 who agreed to assist Bahadur Shah against his enemy by land and sea. In turn, he received permission to construct a fortress at Diu. After the Mughal danger receded, Bahadur Shah realized his mistake of allowing the Portuguese to construct the fort. The Mughals left in May 1536 and Bahadur Shah resumed ruling Gujarat but in 1537, Bahadur Shah was killed. Since Bahadur Shah had no heir, the Portuguese took control of Diu in their hands, in 1546. Thereafter in 1961, the Indian army captured Goa, Daman and Diu in Operation Vijay which ended the 415 years of Portuguese subjugation of Diu.