Francisco Barreto's expedition to Monomotapa

Francisco Barreto’s expedition to Monomotapa
	; Barreto and his army fighting the Kafirs
Date	April 1569–1573
Location	Kingdom of Monomotapa (modern-day Zimbabwe and Mozambique)
Result	Inconclusive Portuguese victory against the Mongas; Francisco Barreto dies of disease; Portuguese reach the mines but find no gold, abandoning the expedition after;
Belligerents
Kingdom of Portugal	Kingdom of Monomotapa
Commanders and leaders
Francisco Barreto † Gonçalo da Silveira †; António de Melo; Tomé de Sousa; Jerónimo de Aguiar; Vasco Fernandes Homem;	Unknown
Strength
1,000 soldiers; 3-20 ships	10,000-12,000 soldiers
Casualties and losses
Many dead by disease	Unknown

The Portuguese expedition to Monomotapa (1569–1573) was an expedition led by Francisco Barreto as an attempt to gain control over the Ophir gold mines owned by the Monomotapa.

Background

During the late 15th and early 16th centuries, the Portuguese were exploring East Africa, their quest was for gold in the fever-stricken jungles and mangrove swamps of Southeast Africa. They believed that the gold mines of Ophir, sought by the Queen of Sheba, were located inland from Sofala, where they established a fort. Pedro d'Anhaya led early military efforts, which ended in failire with his death from fever and a massacre of local villagers.^[5]

Fifty years after d'Anhaya's death, King Sebastian of Portugal sent Francisco Barreto to find the rumored gold mines. Barreto, a seasoned soldier and former governor of India, commanded an expedition of three ships and a thousand men, including many noblemen. However, the expedition was plagued by misfortune from the start, including the need to winter in Brazil and delays upon reaching Mozambique.^[6]

Expedition

Barreto was pressured by a Jesuit priest, to take an indirect route through the Zambesi River instead of the more direct path to Sofala. Barreto hesitated, and as delays continued, many men fell ill. By the time they set out for the Zambesi in November 1572, nearly a hundred men had died from fever.^[7]

The journey along the Zambesi River was arduous, filled with dangerous wildlife and hostile locals. Barreto and his men reached Sena, where they encountered 20 peaceful Arab traders.^[8]

Battle against the Mongas

Battle

In July 1572, Barreto marched up the Zambesi with a reduced force of about 650 men, aiming to quell a rebellion against the Monomotapa, the local chief. After a terrible nine-day march, they encountered a sizable enemy force of ten to twelve thousand Mongas.^[4] Barreto employed modern military tactics, arranging his troops in a hollow square formation and using cannons,^[1]^[4] they faced the attack of the enemy and successfully ending up pushing them back, at the cost of arquebus forces and artillery, but sending them fleeing in great panic.^[1]

Aftermath

Despite their victory, the Portuguese retreated with sixty wounded and many sick. They were also short of provisions and water, many fell sick that there were none to carry them, even Francisco Barreto carried the sick behind him on his horse.^[9]

Decline and the end of the Expedition

The Portuguese then reached the Sena in November, 1572, by then he only had 450 men in weak conditions, so he left the army there and left to Mozambique.^[1] Upon his arrival, Barreto discovered intrigue against him. The governor had falsely accused him to the king, leading to further demoralization.^[9] Despite these betrayals, Barreto made efforts to care for his sick men. However, he too fell ill and died shortly after his return to Sena, having devoted his last days to tending to his troops.^[2] Of the army only one hundred and eighty remained alive, and they were sick and dying fast. Vasco Fernandes Homem, the new commander, withdrew to Mozambique where he formed a new army, and with great toil and suffering in the end reached the country of the mines by way of Sofala. But when they got to the mines they found only a few deep holes with some Kafirs still at work. There was nothing to be done but to retreat and leave the Kafirs working in their holes. And so ended the expedition.^[10]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Branco, Alberto M. Vara. "Ensaio de Portugalidem Terras Africanas durante a Governação d´El-Rei D.Sebastião: D.Francisco Barreto em Moçambique e na Região do Monomotapa". Millennium (in Portuguese). Polytechnic Institute of Viseu. Archived from the original on 2013-07-07. Retrieved 2007-09-05.
^ ^a ^b Duncan 1909, p. 41.
^ ^a ^b Duncan 1909, p. 31.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Duncan 1909, p. 37.
^ Duncan 1909, p. 30-31.
^ Duncan 1909, p. 31-32.
^ Duncan 1909, p. 33.
^ Duncan 1909, p. 34.
^ ^a ^b Duncan 1909, p. 39.
^ Duncan 1909, p. 41-42.

Duncan, Ian (1909). Romance of Empire South Africa.

[:1-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Branco, Alberto M. Vara. "Ensaio de Portugalidem Terras Africanas durante a Governação d´El-Rei D.Sebastião: D.Francisco Barreto em Moçambique e na Região do Monomotapa". Millennium (in Portuguese). Polytechnic Institute of Viseu. Archived from the original on 2013-07-07. Retrieved 2007-09-05.

[FOOTNOTEDuncan190941-2] Duncan 1909, p. 41.

[FOOTNOTEDuncan190931-3] Duncan 1909, p. 31.

[FOOTNOTEDuncan190937-4] Duncan 1909, p. 37.

[FOOTNOTEDuncan190930-31-5] Duncan 1909, p. 30-31.

[FOOTNOTEDuncan190931-32-6] Duncan 1909, p. 31-32.

[FOOTNOTEDuncan190933-7] Duncan 1909, p. 33.

[FOOTNOTEDuncan190934-8] Duncan 1909, p. 34.

[FOOTNOTEDuncan190939-9] Duncan 1909, p. 39.

[FOOTNOTEDuncan190941-42-10] Duncan 1909, p. 41-42.

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