Albuquerque (Port. Alboquerque), Affonso d, called the Great, and also the Portuguese Mars, one of the first Portuguese conquerors and second viceroy of India, born near Alhan-dra, in the province of Estremadura, in 1458, died at sea, in the bay of Goa, Dec. 16, 1515. He was brought up at the court of Alfonso V., where his father Goncalo occupied a distinguished position, and was afterward grand equerry of Kings John II. and Emanuel. He had already seen considerable military service, and distinguished himself both by land and sea, when in 1503 he sailed with his cousin Francisco, in command of a small fleet, to India, by the newly discovered Cape of Good Hope passage. Having rendered important services to the king of Cochin, on the S. W. coast of India, the adventurers gained permission to form a settlement in his dominions, which was the commencement of the Portuguese power in the East. Albuquerque next (1506) accompanied Tristan da Cunha on an expedition to the E. coast of Africa. They carried on a successful warfare for some time against the Arabs and other inhabitants of that coast, until Albuquerque, being left in command of a portion of the fleet by Da Cunha, determined on an attempt against the island of Ormuz, the great entrepot of the commerce between Persia and India. He was at first successful (Sept. 25, 1507), but the Persian commander, rallying his forces, repulsed him and drove him back to his ships.

He was now joined by three more vessels, and sailed for India, having received a secret commission to supersede the Portuguese governor, Dom Francisco d'Almeida; but the latter refused to recognize him, and threw him into prison. On the arrival of the grand marshal of Portugal with a large fleet, he was released and installed as governor and commander-in-chief. In an attempt against Calicut the grand marshal was killed and Albuquerque wounded and forced to retreat. He now made his way to Goa, which he seized in the absence of Idal Khan, the ruling Arab prince, on an expedition into the Deccan (Feb. 17, 1510); but his force was too small to retain his conquest, and Idal Khan, having gathered an army, drove him out of the town, and forced him to retire to his ships, which were unable to cross the bar in the face of the monsoon till Aug. 15. In November he returned, stormed the city, and permanently established himself there. The next year, Diego de Vasconcellos having been ordered to lead an expedition against Malacca, Albuquerque seized and sent him back to Portugal, took command of the expedition himself, captured the town with a force of 1,000 against 30,000 natives and 3,000 cannon, and plundered it of an enormous booty.

After remaining a year at Malacca, and establishing Portuguese power there, he sailed for Goa, and was shipwrecked on his voyage; but he escaped with life, and on reaching the city repulsed an attempt to recover the place made by Idal Khan. His success struck such terror into the natives, that they submitted and left the Portuguese in peace-t able enjoyment of their acquisitions. In pursuance of peremptory orders from home, he now (1513) led an expedition to the Red sea for the purpose of breaking up the commerce between India and Egypt, in order that the Indian trade might be monopolized by Portugal. Repulsed in an attack upon Aden, he returned to Ormuz in 1515, and secured it without a blow, Portugal retaining possession until 1022, when Shah Abbas recovered it. Many attempts had been made by intriguers at home, jealous of his fame, to injure him, and more than one commander had been sent out to supersede him; but he disregarded the orders of the court. He was, however, at length recalled (1515), and his health having suffered in the climate of the Red sea and Persian gulf, his vexation at his disgrace so operated on his enfeebled frame that he sank under it, and died in his 63d year.

He was buried at Goa. His loss was deplored as a national calamity, and the king endeavored to atone for his previous ingratitude by honor to his memory after his death. In his personal habits he was moderate, and such was his reputation for justice, that half a century afterward both Mohammedans and Hindoos visited his tomb to pray for his protection against the extortions and oppressions of his successors. The celebrated Commentaries do grande Affonso d'Alboquerque was edited from his papers by his natural son Affonso, minister of finance under John III. Of the original edition there are only three copies extant, one of which is in the royal library of Portugal. The best edition was executed at the royal printing office, Lisbon, in 1774 (4 vols. 8vo).