Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 9th August 2016, 02:35 AM

As a reasonable compilation of Forts has built up and the Cannon will follow ...I thought we could look at the situation building up between the Portuguese and Ottoman, Mamluke and Indian players in the Indian Ocean starting with the important battles around Dui..Wikipedia gives a reasonable account for a basic understanding of what transpired but that series of battles was a game-changer and sets the tone for the switch of emphasis that would take Portuguese interests to a new pinnacle in India...for them.

Thus from Wikipedia; I Quote" Egyptian Mamluks soldiers had little expertise in naval warfare, and the Portuguese often attacked and stole supplies of Malabar timber from India, so the Mamluk Sultan, Al-Ashraf Qansuh al-Ghawri appealed for Ottoman support. The Ottoman Sultan, Beyazid II — whose navy had helped Spanish Moors and Sephardic Jews expelled by the Spanish Inquisition in 1492 — supplied Egypt with Mediterranean-type war galleys manned by Greek sailors and Ottoman volunteers, mainly Turkish mercenaries and freebooters.[6] These vessels, which Venetian shipwrights helped disassemble in Alexandria and reassemble on the Red Sea coast, had to brave the Indian Ocean. The galley warriors could mount light guns fore and aft, but not along the gunwales because these cannon would interfere with the rowers. The native ships (dhows), with their sewn wood planks, could carry no heavy guns at all. Hence, most of the coalition's artillery was archers, whom the Portuguese could easily outshoot''.Unquote.

For more on this exciting development please see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Diu_%281509%29

What may be remembered is that for ships from the Ottoman side they had to be stripped down and transported in carts from Alexandria and re floated in the Red Sea !!... These were the Mediterranean style Galleons, low in the water, with oarsmen down each side thus no guns except light weight arms forward and aft...and armed primarily with bows and arrows. Towering above them were the Portuguese who could batter them to pieces at long range with superior artillery and at closer quarters throw grenades and fire down onto the low in the water competition...

Below a map of the later constructed Portuguese Fort at Diu.

9th August 2016, 02:35 AM	#68
Ibrahiim al Balooshi Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Buraimi Oman, on the border with the UAE Posts: 4,408	Battle For Diu 1509. As a reasonable compilation of Forts has built up and the Cannon will follow ...I thought we could look at the situation building up between the Portuguese and Ottoman, Mamluke and Indian players in the Indian Ocean starting with the important battles around Dui..Wikipedia gives a reasonable account for a basic understanding of what transpired but that series of battles was a game-changer and sets the tone for the switch of emphasis that would take Portuguese interests to a new pinnacle in India...for them. Thus from Wikipedia; I Quote" Egyptian Mamluks soldiers had little expertise in naval warfare, and the Portuguese often attacked and stole supplies of Malabar timber from India, so the Mamluk Sultan, Al-Ashraf Qansuh al-Ghawri appealed for Ottoman support. The Ottoman Sultan, Beyazid II — whose navy had helped Spanish Moors and Sephardic Jews expelled by the Spanish Inquisition in 1492 — supplied Egypt with Mediterranean-type war galleys manned by Greek sailors and Ottoman volunteers, mainly Turkish mercenaries and freebooters.[6] These vessels, which Venetian shipwrights helped disassemble in Alexandria and reassemble on the Red Sea coast, had to brave the Indian Ocean. The galley warriors could mount light guns fore and aft, but not along the gunwales because these cannon would interfere with the rowers. The native ships (dhows), with their sewn wood planks, could carry no heavy guns at all. Hence, most of the coalition's artillery was archers, whom the Portuguese could easily outshoot''.Unquote. For more on this exciting development please see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Diu_%281509%29 What may be remembered is that for ships from the Ottoman side they had to be stripped down and transported in carts from Alexandria and re floated in the Red Sea !!... These were the Mediterranean style Galleons, low in the water, with oarsmen down each side thus no guns except light weight arms forward and aft...and armed primarily with bows and arrows. Towering above them were the Portuguese who could batter them to pieces at long range with superior artillery and at closer quarters throw grenades and fire down onto the low in the water competition... Below a map of the later constructed Portuguese Fort at Diu. Attached Images Last edited by Ibrahiim al Balooshi; 9th August 2016 at 02:48 AM.