Page 53 - Journal of Asian History_Neat

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63 SALIH O'/.UAHAN

recourse loft to the combatants save to make peace at last. The Otto-
mans surremlered their arms to the Portuguese and gave a payment of
12,000 cruzados. In return, the Portuguese undertook to transport tho
remaining Ottoman troops back to the mainland.83
Since the Ottoman occupation of Basra in 1546, tho Persian Gulf ■
had been the scene of conflict between the Portuguese and the Otto-
mans. Thc Portuguese were unable to establish themselves on the
shores of Basra and Katif, and the Ottomans failed to win control over
«<
the strait of Hormuz. Bahrayn remained as a buffer” island separat- %
ing tho rival powers and their limits of influence. On the whole, the
i
conflict had been harmful to Ottoman interests. Realizing that it i
would be more advantageous to encourage the flow of trade to and
from the Ottoman lands, the beylerbey of Basra in 1562 sent an envoy’ to
Hormuz to negotiate with tho Portuguese for a resumption of commer­
cial relations through the Persian Gulf.85 The viceroy of India (then
the Conde do Redondo) also sent a certain Antonio Teixeira to the
Sultan.88 At Istanbul, Teixeira was given an audience with the Sultan
and according to Couto, Sultan Suleyman told him that he asked for
peace from no one. “If the King of the Portuguese required peace, he
should send to Istanbul a great man from his court to discuss the i
x
matter.” The letter, however, which the Sultan sent to the King of
Portugal, dated 28 Muharrera 972/6 September 1564, reveals what the
actual policy of the Ottomans was. The letter asked the King to ensure
secure passage on land and on sea for the people and merchants of the
Ottoman Empire trading to and from the lands under the Portuguese
domination. Friendship between the two powers would be established
if the King complied with his request.37
From time to time “incidents” in the waters of the Indian Ocean
continued to disrupt Ottoman-Portuguese relations. There is mention
of a Portuguese attack in February 1565 on a big Atjehnese ship
sailing off Hadraraawt and having on board four hundred men,
amongst them, according to Couto, a number of “white Turks,”
Brancos Turcot.88 Moreover, in 1566 and also in 1567 the Portuguese
44 Couto, Dec. VII, Liv. VII, p. 145.
44 Cf. I. Wicki, op.cit., IV, pp. 180-181.
11 “Ho ano do myll o quinhontoa o sasonta e doua veo ha Ormuz hum embaixa- -
dor do turquo onvyado polo baxa do Ba^ora . . .” (in As Gavetas da Torre do
Tombo, V, p. 137). ;
14 Couto, Dec. VII, p. 44.
i 47 See Appondix III.
44 Dec. VTI, p. 60fF.
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