António de Abreu was a Portuguese navigator and naval officer (16th century, born in Madeira). He participated under Afonso de Albuquerque in the conquest of Ormus in 1507 and Malacca in 1511, where he was injured. Leaving Malacca in November 1511 with three ships, he led the first European expedition^[1] to reach of Timor, and the Banda Islands in 1512, in Indonesia, during an exploratory voyage to the 'Spice Islands' of Maluku.^[2]

On 25 July 1511, during the conquest of Malacca, António de Abreu led the Chinese junk that went up the Malacca River at high tide, allowing the Portuguese contingent to land and conquer the city in August. Severely wounded in the face, having lost some teeth and tongue,^[3] he refused the proposal from Albuquerque to relieve the command. In November, before leaving for Malacca, Albuquerque gave him the command of a fleet of three ships sailing in search of the "Spice Islands", with the deputy commander Francisco Serrão^[1]. Malay pilots were recruited to guide them through Java, the Lesser Sunda Islands and the Ambon Island to Banda Islands, where they arrived in early 1512.^[4] They remained there for about a month, buying and filling their ships with nutmeg and cloves. [5] António de Abreu then sailed to Amboina whilst his deputy commander stepped forward to the Moluccas but sank, ending in Ternate. Occupied with fighting elsewhere in the archipelago, such as Ambon and Ternate, he returned only in 1529.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• Francisco Serrão
• History of Indonesia

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