Rui Freire de Andrada

Who was Rui Freire de Andrada?

Rui Freire de Andrada (Andrade) was an officer of the Portuguese Army in India during the period of unification of Spain and Portugal, and had captured Hormuz from the Persians in 1607.

As the English began to take an interest in the area, Rui Freire de Andrada left Lisbon in January 1619, as the "General do Mar de Ormuz e costa da Pérsia e Arábia" (Sea General of Hormuz and the coasts of Persia and Arabia) with instructions to drive the English out of the Persian Gulf. They had established a "factory" in Jâsk in 1616, and who were pressuring the Persians to help drive the Portuguese out of the fort, which was then under construction on the island of Qeshm. Andrada took 2 galleons, 3 supply ships and about 600 men and was initially successful.

Further work on the Fort of Queshm began on 8 May 1621, including works to bring drinking water to Hormuz. This was seen as a hostile act against the Shah of Persia (Abbas the Great) who, after nine months of battle (1622) captured Julfar from the Portuguese. The garrison was released and only Andrada kept as prisoner, but he was later ransomed.

Between the 11th and 24th of February 1625, Andrada, by then reinforced by a squadron led by Nuno Álvares Botelho held three inconclusive battles with English and Dutch ships which forced them out of the Gulf area for several years.

For a decade after the loss of Hormuz, Rui Freire de Andrada led Portuguese forces to try and recapture the fort 1623, 1624, 1625 e 1627. A diplomatic settlement was also attempted in 1631, but all were unsuccessful.

The loss of Hormuz led to the Portuguese making their new base in Muscat and set up a "factory" in Basra in 1623 at the mouth of the Euphrates. The same year, Rui Freire de Andrada recaptured the Fort of Soar, which they had surrendered the previous year to the Persians, and a new base for operations was established at Cassapo on the Musandam peninsula.

Rui Freire de Andrada was killed in action on 6th September 1633, and was buried in the Igreja de Santo Agostinho (Church of St Augustine) , em Muscat. After his death and up to 1635, peace treaties were made with the Persians and English for operations in the Persian Gulf.