Siege_of_Malacca_(1568)
Siege of Malacca (1568)
Offensive by Sultanate of Aceh
The siege of Malacca occurred in 1568, when the Sultan of Aceh Alauddin attacked the Portuguese-held city of Malacca. The city had been held by the Portuguese since its capture by Afonso de Albuquerque in 1511.[5][6]
The offensive was the result of a pan-Islamic alliance to try to repel the Portuguese from Malacca and the coasts of India.[7] The Ottoman Empire supplied cannonneers to the alliance, but were unable to provide more due to the ongoing invasion of Cyprus and an uprising in Aden.[7]
The army of the Sultan was composed of a large fleet of long galley-type oared ships, 15,000 troops, and Ottoman mercenaries.[5][6][8][9][10] The city of Malacca was successfully defended by Dom Leonis Pereira, who was supported by the king of Johore.[5]
Other attacks on Malacca by the Acehnese would continue during the following years, especially in 1570.[5] The offensive weakened the Portuguese Empire. In the 1570s, the Sultan of the Moluccas was able to repel the Portuguese from the Spice Islands.[7]