The Battle of Ugentana, also known as Battle of Ugentana RiverSaturnino Monteiro: ''Batalhas e Combates da Marinha Portuguesa 1139-1975'', 1991, Livraria Sá da Costa Editora, p.239-242. was a military operation that took place in 1535, between Portuguese forces and those of Sultan

Alauddin Riayat Shah II of Johor Sultan Alauddin Riayat Shah II ibni Almarhum Sultan Mahmud Shah (died 1564) was the first sultan of Johor. He ruled Johor from 1528 to 1564. He founded the Johor Sultanate following the fall of Malacca to the Portuguese in 1511. He was the second ...

The Battle

In 1511, the second Governor of Portuguese India

Afonso de Albuquerque Afonso de Albuquerque, 1st Duke of Goa (; – 16 December 1515) was a Portuguese general, admiral, and statesman. He served as viceroy of Portuguese India from 1509 to 1515, during which he expanded Portuguese influence across the Indian Ocean ...

captured the Malay city of

Malacca Malacca ( ms, Melaka) is a state in Malaysia located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, next to the Strait of Malacca. Its capital is Malacca City, dubbed the Historic City, which has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site si ...

from its sultan, who survived the battle and fled with his Court and most of his forces to

Bintan Bintan Regency (formerly Riau Islands Regency; id, Kabupaten Kepulauan Riau) is an administrative area in the Riau Islands Province of Indonesia. Bintan Regency includes all of Bintan Island (except for the city of Tanjung Pinang which is sepa ...

, where he built a new city. After he was defeated in 1526, his son moved to the

Malay Peninsula The Malay Peninsula (Malay: ''Semenanjung Tanah Melayu'') is a peninsula in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The area ...

and founded a new sultanate, seated at a city the Portuguese identified as Ugentana, from where he continued hostilities against

Portuguese Malacca Portuguese control of Malacca, a city on the Malay Peninsula, refers to the 130 year period (1511–1641) when it was a possession of the Portuguese East Indies. It was conquered from the Malacca Sultanate as part of Portuguese attempts to ...

. After the death of his brother Paulo by men employed by the Sultan of Johor, the captain of Malacca Estevão da Gama (son of

Vasco da Gama Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira (; ; c. 1460s – 24 December 1524), was a Portuguese explorer and the first European to reach India by sea. His initial voyage to India by way of Cape of Good Hope (1497–1499) was the first to link E ...

) set sail to attack the sultan's city on June 1535, with a force consisting of one carrack, one square-rigged caravel and 18 light oarvessels with about 400 Portuguese soldiers plus 400 "combat slaves" (''escravos de peleja''). Upon arriving at the

Johor River The Johor River ( ms, Sungai Johor) is the main river in the Malaysian state of Johor. The river is 122.7 km long with a catchment of 2,636 km2 and flows in a roughly north–south direction, originating from Mount Gemuruh and then empti ...

, which led to the city further upstream, Estevão left the carrack at its mouth, to prevent his forces from being attacked from behind by the fleet of the sultan, which was rumoured to be out at sea at that time. Because the river current was exceptionally strong up stream, the Portuguese proceeded by tying their vessels to the trees along the banks and pulling the cables, while a detachment of infantry proceeded by land. The Portuguese found a stockade the sultan had built across the river, which was attacked and captured after a brief fight. Half a league before the city they found another river stockade protected by a fortified complex that included wooden stockades, barricades, and a stone fort, protected by 6,000 men. The Portuguese attacked the stockade with their caravel, and set an artillery battery on a nearby hill, from where they bombarded the stone fort.
Collecção de monumentos ineditos
', 1862, p.629. The Sultan's forces were reinforced by 1,000 men under the command of Tuão Mafamede, who attempted to dislodge the Portuguese, but was repulsed. Unable to oppose the Portuguese, the sultan ordered the evacuation of the fort and also his capital under the cover of the night, and fled into the jungle. The Portuguese captured a number of artillery, vessels, and spoils left behind within the city, which was then burned.

References

{{reflist Ugentana Ugentana (1535)

1526 in the Portuguese Empire Portuguese Malacca History of Malacca Portuguese colonialism in Indonesia

The Battle

See also

References