| Siege of Cannanore (1507) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theFirst Luso-Malabarese War | |||||||
 St. Angelo Fort inCannanore | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Portuguese Empire | Kōlattunād Calicut | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Lourenço de Brito | Kolathiri Samorin | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 2 ships 150 soldiers[1] | 21 cannons 40,000Nāyars 20,000 men from theZamorin.[2] | ||||||
Thesiege of Cannanore was a four-monthsiege, from 27 April 1507 to 27 August 1507, when troops of the local ruler (theKōlattiri Raja ofCannanore), supported by theZamorin ofCalicut besieged the Portuguese garrison atSt. Angelo Fort inCannanore, in what is now theIndian state ofKerala. It followed theBattle of Cannanore, in which the fleet of the Zamorin was defeated by the Portuguese.[3]
Inearly 1501, shortly after the opening of hostilities between the Portuguese admiralPedro Álvares Cabral and theZamorin ofCalicut, theKōlattiri Raja ofCannanore invited the Portuguese to trade in the spice markets of Cannanore instead. Treaties were signed and a crownfactory, defended by a small palisade, wasestablished in 1502. Inlate 1505, D.Francisco de Almeida, the first Portuguesevice-roy of the Indies, secured permission to erect the stonefortress of Santo Angelo in Cannanore. The fortress garrison of 150 men was placed under the command of Lourenço de Brito.[4]
The old Kolathiri Raja who had energetically pursued the Portuguese alliance died sometime in 1506. As the succession was disputed, theZamorin of Calicut, as formal suzerain of theKerala coast, nominated an arbitrator to sort through the candidates. The new Kolathiri Raja of Cannanore was consequently indebted to the Zamorin and less inclined to the Portuguese.[5]
Hostilities were in large part due to the Portuguese sinking an Indian ship and killing the crew by stitching them into sails and throwing them into the sea, on the grounds that they were not carrying one of theCartaz, the passes the Portuguese were imposing on all ships of the region.[6] Such passes had to be signed by either the commander of Cochin or Cannanore.[7] The population of the adjoining state ofKōlattunād was greatly angered by this event, and asked their ruler, the Kōlattiri, to attack the Portuguese.[7]
The siege started on 27 April 1507, and was to last for four months.[7]
The Kōlattiri had 40,000Nāyars attack the position.[7] The Zamorin supplied the ruler of Cannanore with 21 pieces of artillery and 20,000 auxiliaries.[7][8]
The firepower of the garrison under Lourenço de Brito allowed it to repulse massive attacks involving thousands of men.[7] The siege soon entered a stalemate, with the Malabari trenches being protected from Portuguese cannon fire by walls of cotton bales, and the Portuguese being slowly forced into starvation.[7]Castanheda's detailed report of the siege states that they were then surprised – and saved – by a tidal wave oflobsters that washed ashore on 15 August.[9] A major assault before theOnam festival nearly overcame the defenders, but was eventually repulsed. However, a large part of the garrison was wounded in the attempt.[7]
The Portuguese garrison was on the verge of being overwhelmed when, on 27 August 1507, a fleet of 118th Armada ships underTristão da Cunha arrived fromSocotra. The fleet landed 300 Portuguese soldiers, forcing the lifting of the siege and relieving the fortress.[7][8]
Peace was negotiated between the Portuguese and the Kōlattiri Raja, confirming the continued presence of the Portuguese inCannanore and the resumption of their access to its spice markets.[7] These events would eventually be followed by the defeat of the Portuguese at theBattle of Chaul in 1508.