AL-MAMUN. 



ALMEIDA, KRANCISCO. 



in Spain, number* of adventurers, prompted either by 



reikriow* Mai. or by ambition for military gtury. or the desire of gain, 

 iaafced to the new world ; and many remained in obscurity until an 

 opportunity WM offered to them to become known. Of Almagro 



_ to procure the supplies of men, arms, provision*, 

 *e. ; and I.uqoe WM to maaa at Panama, to forward, with the gover- 

 nor of that place, the intrreete of the company. Pizarro set out first, 

 aad AUnagro afterwards joined him. Some time after the execution 

 or murder of tbe Peruvian Auhualpa, Franeieoo Pizarro WM informed 

 of the arrival uf Pedro de Alvarado with *ome troops to undertake 

 the eoaqncet of Peru, end sent Almagro to them to ascertain their 

 hrtaaHnai, Almacro met them on the coast, near the present port of 

 Calleo. After some nagoniatlon. tbe greater part of the troops of 

 Alrarado being from Eatremadnra. and tempted with the offer of 

 100.000 gold crowns to be divided among them, joined their Mlow- 

 eueatijium, aad saerched together to Cnzoo. 



Almagro WM informed by one of hi* party that he bad been 

 amputated governor of Nueva Toledo. He Interpreted this to mean 

 thai Cuzco also WM part of hi* governorship, and assembling the 

 Ayaotamieato, openly declared to them his views. The two brothers 

 of Pumrro, Juan and Qonzelo, refused to obey the self-made governor, 

 and wrc put under arrest. Francisco Pizarro, upon bearing this 

 news, l.-fl Truxillo, where he then was, and proceeded to Cuzco in 

 great haste ; when Almagro acknowledged his fault, and Pizarro not 

 only pardoned him, but even lent him a considerable sum of money. 

 Pizarro and Almagro entered now into an agreement by which the 

 latter promised upon hi* solemn oath to leave Cuzco, and never to 

 return within thirty leagues of it, even though the Emperor Charles 

 ebouU order him to do so. In 1585 be WM sent to the conquest of 

 Chili, which be partially effected, after having suffered much fatigue 

 and privation ; and it is said that be WM presented by several caciques 

 with 000,000 ducat* in piece* of gold. 



Five month* after, Juan de Rada and Rui Diaz, whom he had left 

 at Cuzeo to recruit men for hi* army, brought him the intelligence 

 that Fernando Pizarro, whom hi* brother Francisco had sent to Spain 

 to solicit honours and titles for the discoverers, had returned from 

 theais, bringing tbe title of Marquis of Peru for Pizarro, Governor of 

 Kueva Toledo for Almsgro, snd Bishop of Peru for Luque. Some of 

 Ahnagro's friends advised him to return to Cuzco. On his way thither 

 he met Koguera, an officer who had been sent by Pizarro to ascertain 

 whether be wu in want of any assistance to pursue hi* conquests, 

 Pizarro himself being then employed in building Lima. Almagro 

 availed himself of this opportunity to get full information of tbe state 

 of affairs at Cnzoo, the safety of which, at that time, wu much endan- 



I by a revolt of tbe Indians; and having ascertained that he might 

 easily obtain pnessssion of that city, be immediately proceeded thither. 

 Having subdued the Indiana, he entered Cuzco without opposition ; 

 {prisoned Qonzalo and Fernando Pizarro, and pillaged their house. 

 Francisco Pizarro, upon hearing of these event*, sent from Lima two 

 IB outlive detachments against Almagro ; and after having obtained 

 the liberty of his two brothers, joined the army with tbe rest of 

 hi* forces; snoeeeafnlly attacked Cuzoo; and, having token Almagro 

 prisoner, caused him to be tried by a court-martial, which condemned 

 him to death for having rebelled against his general and abandoned 

 hie post. This sentence WM executed at Cuzco on the 25th April, 

 1584, Almagro being then in the seventy-fifth year of hi* age. 



Almagro is described both by Oomora and Zarate u a brave, liberal, 

 and open character. He never married, but left a son by an Indian 

 woman, who WM also called Diego de Almagro, and had u eventful 

 a life and M tragical an end M bis father. 



(Oomara, Hatoria (fewrW, Ice., oh. 125-128; Zarate, llittoria, de 

 U OMfMeta Ad Pint, b. iii. ; Pizarro, Koroma lliutra del 

 Jfawie.) 



AL-MAMUN. [AzBAZiDza.) 



ALMANHOR, properly Al-Mu*nr, or, with hi* complete name, 

 Ak* Sa/ar AMiflak oZ-Afaiwar, the second kalif of the Abbuide 

 dynasty [AMUaion], WM bora at Homaima in Syria, A.D. 718, and 

 '""> bi* brother and predecessor Al-Sanah, in 758. His reign 

 w>>oe *^P* > J kW'y w "* 8on*ezto for tbe throne, and in repressing 

 insurrections, some of which were of a sectarian character. From one 

 of tboM he took a dislike to his residence at Kufa, and laid the founda- 

 tion of th. town of Baghdad, which became from this time the abode 

 of the kalif*. 



Al-Maaenr died, September, 774, at Bir Maimuna, on a pilgrimage 

 to Mere*, HI* son Al-Mohdi sneeesdsJ him in the kalif.t AI-Mansur 

 rat showed that predilection for literature which for several centuries 

 "**_ disttogv&hiag feature in the character of the Mohammedan 

 eovetrlfu*. Itoriac bis reign translations into Arabic were commenced 

 of the work* of ancient Urcek writer* on meUphysics, mathematics, 

 astronom v. and mediein*. 



* Ik. *p Fl ' OM S?-' _** T * Bth on f tho Co" d de Abrante*, 



I '. Hhfll fSSf < \i:< ' >::. ' 



be Bishop of Coimbra, he WM sent for by King Manoel, or Eiuauuel, 

 :i.| intrusted with the important office of viceroy of the recently 

 acquired possessions in India. On the 25th of March, 1605, he set 

 Mil fr.>m Lisbon. " His embarkation," asyi Karros, " WM the nio-t 

 irilliant that had ever taken place in Portugal. Hi* force consisted 

 of 1600 men, all belonging to very respectable families; many of them 

 noblemen of the king'a household, ail anxious to serve under so 

 distinguished a leader." 



After a prosperous voyage Almeida arrived at Quiloa, on the 22nd 

 if July. The Moorish king of that city Habraemo, or Ibrahim, was 

 not friendly to the Portuguese. Almeida complained of his not having 

 tail) due respect to the Portuguese nag, when Ibrahim apologised, and 

 iromiaed to vuit the viceroy on the morrow. But instead of the king, 

 i messenger from him came to make a fresh apology. Almeida told the 

 messenger to inform bis muter that he himself would pay him a visit 

 at hi* own house. At the approach of the Portuguese, Ibrahim lid. 

 and Almeida gave the crown of Quiloa to Mohammed Ancoui, a worthy 

 man, and a great friend of the Portuguese. Almeida received the 

 lomoge of the new king in the name of his muter, built a fortress to 

 leep the inhabitants in subjection, and then proceeded to the town of 

 ilombsz*, which he destroyed. On his arrival at Cananor, on the 

 tfalabar coast, he received an embassy from the King of liisnagur, 

 who wu desirous to form an alliance with the Portuguese. Almeida 

 erected here another fortress to protect the factories, or commercial 

 .tablihineiit*, of Cananor, Cochin, and Coulan, and loaded eight 

 Meals with spicery, which he sent to Portugal. This squadron on its 

 sy to Europe discovered the island of Madagascar. 

 The governor of Cochin, Trimumpara, had resigned in favour of one 

 of his relations, and the viceroy went to that town with the object of 

 renewing the alliance with tlie new king. Almeida sent his son 

 Liorenzo against the King of Cajicut, who had offered some injuries to 

 .he Portuguese merchants. Lorenzo, after having taken ample satisfac- 

 tion for the insult, went to moke an establishment at Ceylon, and also 

 look tbe Haldive islands. At the same time, four vessels, which had 

 come from Portugal, formed a commercial alliance with tbe King of 

 Malacca, and established two factories in the island of Sumatra. 



The Soldan, or kalif of Egypt, with the aid of the republic of Venice, 

 which always looked with an envious eye on the success of tbe Portu- 

 guese, had fitted out a naval expedition, and given the command of it 

 ;o an experienced Persian, named Mir Hocem. The King of Calicut, 

 expecting this assistance, made preparations for war, upon which the 

 viceroy sent his son against him. When Lorenzo was in the port of 

 "ihaul, the Egyptian fleet, which had been reinforced with twenty-four 

 vessels of the governor of Diu, appeared. Lorenzo at first mistook 

 ihem for the squadron of Albuquerque, which ho was expecting. 

 The fire of Mir Hocem however soon made him discover his error. 

 The two squadrons fought till night-fall without any considerable 

 advantage on. either side. Some of his officers advised Lorenzo to 

 avail himself of the obscurity of night in order to cross the bar, and 

 jet out into the sea ; but the gallant young man, though severely 

 wounded, said, that to go away at night wu nothing else tban to run 

 away, and that was a thing which he never would do. As the Portu- 

 guese squadron was sailing out in the morning, the Egyptians opened 

 a brisk tire upon it. Lorenzo's vessel was the last, and the enemy 

 directed their principal Ore against her. At last she wu separated 

 From the rest of the vessels in a very sandy aud rocky place. As the 

 tide wu running out with great rapidity, the other vessels could not 

 render her any assistance, and the enemy showered their fire upon her 

 with a sure aim. Lorenzo wu requested by bis men to save himself 

 in the boat, but he would not consent to abandon them. A shot 

 carried off one of his legs. He caused himself to be tied to the mast, 

 where he continued to animate hia men until another shot carried off 

 the left side of hi* chest The galley wu by this time upon a sand- 

 bank ; it was boarded without difficulty, and twenty four men, who 

 remained in it, were carried away captives. The rest of the vessel* 

 proceeded to Cananor, and informed Almeida of the disaster. He bore 

 it with fortitude, and wu making preparations to revenge his loss, 

 when Alfonso de Albuquerque, who was appointed governor of India 

 in his place, arrived. Almeida received him very coolly, and a qn.irn'l 

 ensuing, Albuquerque wu sent to Cochin, where he was kept three 

 mouths under arrest. [ALBUQUERQUE.] 



Almeida, whose only object now wu to gratify his vengeance, sailed 

 to Onor, where he burnt some vessel* of the king of Calicut, entered 

 the port of Dubai, or Dubul, belonging to the king of Una, on the 13th 

 of December, 1S08, took the town, and after having plundered it 

 reduced it to ashes. He then wont in search of the Egyptian fleet, 

 and found it near Diu in the kingdom of Cambay, and obtained a 

 complete victory over it. Mir Hocem, with only twenty-four men, 

 escaped : eight of his vessels were taken, and the rest sunk. 



Almeida, having thus punished his enemies, returned to Cochin, 

 where Marshal Coutiuho, who had arrived from Portugal, urged liini 

 to return home. The viceroy released Albuquerque, surrendered his 

 government, and sailed from Cochin on the 13th of November, 1509. 

 On his way to Portugal, after having doubled the Cape of <;.>" 

 he stopped at Haldanha Bay to procure a supply of fresh water. J I is 

 soldiers had a dispute with the natives, and an affray ensued. One of 

 his officers, Mcllo, seeing tbe venerable old man alone in the midst of 

 Inhospitable country, observed to him in a sarcastic manner, 



