Diogo de Azambuja
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Diogo de Azambuja | |
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Captain-major of Portuguese Gold Coast | |
In office 1482–1485 | |
Monarch | John II of Portugal |
Preceded by | Office created |
Succeeded by | Álvaro Vaz Pestano |
Personal details | |
Born | 1432 Moroccan-Portuguese conflicts War of the Castilian Succession |
Diogo de Azambuja or Diego de Azambuja (1432–1518) was a Portuguese noble and explorer.
Soldier
He was born at
Portuguese Gold Coast
In 1481, Diogo was appointed by
With the fortress finished, contacts were established with the local population to establish trade. Diogo de Azambuja sent the fleet back to Lisbon with word that the mission has been successfully accomplished, and he remained behind as captain of the fortress with a force of 60 soldiers. He held this post until 1484. The fortress is now known as "Elmina Castle", or the "Elmina Slave Castle".
Courtier
Diogo was rewarded by the king with the post of alcaide-mor of Monsaraz, and was also named to the Privy Council. Diogo de Azambuja remained attached to the Court and the kings service for many years, in spite of his advancing age and disabled leg. He was already over the age of 70 in 1506 when Manuel I placed him in charge of building a fortress called Castelo Real at Essaouira, near Safi, in the south of Morocco, to protect Portuguese interests in the area. Diogo of Azambuja not only carried out the mission, he also took the city of Safi, where he remained as captain until 1509, at the age of 77 years. At that time he finally returned to Portugal, where he died in 1518.