Conquerors: How Portugal Seized the Indian Ocean and Forged the First Global Empire

by Roger Crowley

In the process Albuquerque was consolidating a revolutionary concept of empire. The Portuguese were always aware of how few they were; many of their early contests were against vastly unequal numbers. They quickly abandoned the notion of occupying large areas of territory. Instead they evolved as a mantra the concept of flexible sea power tied to the occupation of defendable coastal forts and a network of bases. Supremacy at sea, their technological expertise in fortress building, navigation, cartography and gunnery, their naval mobility and ability to co-ordinate operations over vast maritime spaces, the tenacity and continuity of their efforts – an investment over decades in shipbuilding, knowledge acquisition and human resources – these facilitated a new form of long-range sea-borne empire, able to control trade and resources across enormous distances. It gave the Portuguese ambitions with a global dimension.