Lourenço de Almeida (c. 1480 – March 1508)[1] was a Portuguese explorer and military commander.

Lourenço de Almeida
Bornc. 1480
DiedMarch 1508
NationalityPortuguese
Occupation(s)Explorer, military commander
FatherFrancisco de Almeida

He was born in Martim, Portugal, the son of Francisco de Almeida, first viceroy of Portuguese India. Acting under his father, Lourenço distinguished himself in the Indian Ocean, and made Ceylon (present Sri Lanka) tributary to Portugal (see Portuguese Ceylon). He belonged to the Order of Christ.

He made the first Portuguese voyage to Ceylon in 1505 and established a settlement there,[2] thus permitting the expansion of the Portuguese Empire in Asia.

He defeated the fleet of the Zamorin at the Battle of Cannanore in 1506. Two years later however, he died in a naval action off Chaul,[3] in India, at the Battle of Chaul.

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References

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  1. ^ Lourenço de Almeida at the Encyclopædia Britannica
  2. ^ This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domainWood, James, ed. (1907). The Nuttall Encyclopædia. London and New York: Frederick Warne. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. ^ Rose, Hugh James (1857). "Almeida, Lorenzo de". A New General Biographical Dictionary. Vol. 1 AA–ANS. London: B. Fellowes et al. p. 356.