A Portuguese assault on Dabul in 1508 became notorious for its indiscriminate massacre of civilians and animals, leaving a lasting stain on Portuguese conduct in India.
Key Facts
- Date of attack
- 29 December 1508
- Portuguese departure
- 5 January 1509
- Attacker
- Portuguese India under Viceroy Francisco de Almeida
- Target
- Port city of Dabul, Sultanate of Bijapur
- Defenses overcome
- Double wooden wall and a ditch
- Stated justification
- Retaliation for attack on Portuguese armada before Battle of Diu
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Sultanate of Bijapur had attacked a Portuguese armada en route to the Battle of Diu, prompting Viceroy Francisco de Almeida to launch a retaliatory expedition against Dabul, a key port under Bijapuri control.
On 29 December 1508, Portuguese forces breached Dabul's double wooden wall and ditch through artillery bombardment and a pincer movement, then conducted an indiscriminate slaughter of all inhabitants—men, women, children, and animals—before setting the city ablaze to kill those in hiding.
The Portuguese departed on 5 January 1509, leaving Dabul destroyed. The massacre became one of the most condemned acts of the Portuguese presence in India, remembered alongside the burning of the Hajj ship Miri as an act that generated lasting enmity toward Portuguese forces on Indian soil.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Francisco de Almeida.
Side B
1 belligerent