Portuguese conquest of Angoche
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changes Annexation of Angoche by Portugal
| Portuguese conquest of Angoche | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Campaigns of Pacification and Occupation | |||||||||
 The island of Angoche and surrounding territory. | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
.svg){kind=small} Kingdom of Portugal | Sultanate of Angoche | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Pedro Massano de Amorim |
Sultan Ibrahim (POW) Farelay (POW) Cobula-Muno (POW) | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 2,134 men[1] | Unknown | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| At least 2 dead.[2] | Unknown | ||||||||
The definitive conquest of Angoche by the Portuguese took place in 1910 and it was one of the Campaigns of Pacification and Occupation, that resulted in the formation of Mozambique.
The Portuguese came into contact with the modern-day territory of Mozambique when Vasco da Gama sailed to India in 1498. They settled in the region when they built the fortress of Sofala in 1505. Several more strongholds would be established in the succeeding centuries, like Mozambique Island, Quelimane, Sena, Tete, Ibo, among others.
After the independence of Brazil, Portugal sought to develop its remaining territory in Africa and pacify any powers that were hostile to Portuguese sovereignty. Among those was the Sultanate of Angoche, a small Muslim and Swahili state that served as a major commercial intermediary between the African hinterland and the outside world, but it not only persisted in the slave trade as it submitted the African kings and chiefs of the interior, or otherwise encouraged them to revolt against the Portuguese. After Sultan Mussa Quanto attacked the Maganja da Costa prazo, Portugal occupied Angoche in 1861, but withdrew its troops shortly afterwards.[3]
One member of the royal family of Angoche, Omar bin Nacogo Farallahi, better known as Farelay, would organize attacks against the Portuguese together with Sultan Ibrahimo and their allied Macua kings, particularly king Guernea-Muno.[3] Farelay was at the center of almost all slaver and anti-Portuguese activity.[1] He dispatched the troops that fought against Mouzinho de Albuquerque at the Battle of Mugenga.[1]
In 1900, Neutel de Abreu was appointed to the military command of Mogincual and he managed to impose an apparent peace in the region between Mogincual and Sancul, which allowed the Portuguese to focus on Angoche.[1]
Upon returning from vacation in December 1909, the governor of Quelimane Pedro Massano de Amorim sought to encourage the African kings to aid Portugal in the conquest of Angoche. Captain-major Dâmaso Augusto Marques developed an intense diplomatic activity and several kings from the Mogovolas region accepted to help the Portuguese, particularly king Morla-Muno.[4] New military posts were built at the same time, at Macogone on April 10 1910 e at Namezeze on May 25, while the Ligonha river was explored.[4]
The plan outlined by Massano de Amorim involved neutralizing Farelay, sultan Ibrahimo, king Guernea-Muno and king Cobula-Muno.
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