St. Angelo Fort
Encyclopedia
St. Angelo Fort is a fort facing the Arabian Sea
, situated 3 km from the town of Kannur
, a city in Kerala
state, south India
.
, the first Portuguese Viceroy of India and is on the Arabian sea about 3 km from Kannur town. It was attacked in vain by the local Indian ruler in the Siege of Cannanore (1507)
.
On August 1509 Almeida, refusing to recognize Afonso de Albuquerque
's as the new Portuguese governor to supersede himself, arrested him in this fortress after having fought the naval Battle of Diu
. Afonso de Albuquerque was released after three months' confinement, and become governor on the arrival of the grand-marshal of Portugal with a large fleet, in October 1509.
The fort changed hands several times. A painting of this fort and the fishing ferry behind it can be seen in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The Dutch
captured the fort from the Portuguese in 1663. They modernised the fort and built the bastions Hollandia, Zeelandia and Frieslandia that are the major features of the present structure. The original Portuguese fort was pulled down later. The Dutch sold the fort to king Ali Raja
of Arakkal in 1772. In 1790 the British seized it and used it as their chief military station in Malabar. The fort is in the Cannanore Cantonment area. It is fairly well preserved as a protected monument under the Archaeological Survey of India. St Angelo's fort is a most important historical monument and a popular tourist attraction.
Harbor and Arakkal Mosque are near the fort. The fort is now well-maintained under the supervision of the Archaeological Survey of India
. Tourists are allowed entry to the fort every day of the week between 8 AM to 6 PM.
Arabian Sea
The Arabian Sea is a region of the Indian Ocean bounded on the east by India, on the north by Pakistan and Iran, on the west by the Arabian Peninsula, on the south, approximately, by a line between Cape Guardafui in northeastern Somalia and Kanyakumari in India...
, situated 3 km from the town of Kannur
Kannur
Kannur , also known as Cannanore, is a city in Kannur district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of the District of Kannur and 518km north of state capital Trivandrum. During British rule in India, Kannur was known by its old name Cannanore, which is still in...
, a city in Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
state, south India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
.
History
St. Angelo's Fort was built in 1505 by Dom Francisco de AlmeidaFrancisco de Almeida
Dom Francisco de Almeida , also known as "the Great Dom Francisco" , was a Portuguese nobleman, soldier and explorer. He distinguished himself as a counsellor to King John II of Portugal and later in the wars against the Moors and in the conquest of Granada in 1492...
, the first Portuguese Viceroy of India and is on the Arabian sea about 3 km from Kannur town. It was attacked in vain by the local Indian ruler in the Siege of Cannanore (1507)
Siege of Cannanore (1507)
The Siege of Cannanore was a four-month siege, from April to August 1507, when troops of the local ruler , supported by the Zamorin of Calicut and Arabs, besieged the Portuguese garrison at St. Angelo Fort in Cannanore, in what is now the Indian state of Kerala...
.
On August 1509 Almeida, refusing to recognize Afonso de Albuquerque
Afonso de Albuquerque
Afonso de Albuquerque[p][n] was a Portuguese fidalgo, or nobleman, an admiral whose military and administrative activities as second governor of Portuguese India conquered and established the Portuguese colonial empire in the Indian Ocean...
's as the new Portuguese governor to supersede himself, arrested him in this fortress after having fought the naval Battle of Diu
Battle of Diu
The Battle of Diu sometimes referred as the Second Battle of Chaul was a naval battle fought on 3 February 1509 in the Arabian Sea, near the port of Diu, India, between the Portuguese Empire and a joint fleet of the Sultan of Gujarat, the Mamlûk Burji Sultanate of Egypt, the Zamorin of Kozhikode...
. Afonso de Albuquerque was released after three months' confinement, and become governor on the arrival of the grand-marshal of Portugal with a large fleet, in October 1509.
The fort changed hands several times. A painting of this fort and the fishing ferry behind it can be seen in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
captured the fort from the Portuguese in 1663. They modernised the fort and built the bastions Hollandia, Zeelandia and Frieslandia that are the major features of the present structure. The original Portuguese fort was pulled down later. The Dutch sold the fort to king Ali Raja
Ali Raja
The Ali Raja was the title of the Muslim raja of Cannanore from the 16th to early 19th Century. The king's palace, which he purchased from the Dutch in 1663, was named Arakkal Palace after the ruling dynasty.-Origins:...
of Arakkal in 1772. In 1790 the British seized it and used it as their chief military station in Malabar. The fort is in the Cannanore Cantonment area. It is fairly well preserved as a protected monument under the Archaeological Survey of India. St Angelo's fort is a most important historical monument and a popular tourist attraction.
Present status
The Moppila BayMappila Bay
Mappila Bay is a natural harbor situated in Ayikkara Kannur town, Kerala state of South India. On one side of the bay is Fort St...
Harbor and Arakkal Mosque are near the fort. The fort is now well-maintained under the supervision of the Archaeological Survey of India
Archaeological Survey of India
The Archaeological Survey of India is a department of the Government of India, attached to the Ministry of Culture . The ASI is responsible for archaeological studies and the preservation of archaeological heritage of the country in accordance with the various acts of the Indian Parliament...
. Tourists are allowed entry to the fort every day of the week between 8 AM to 6 PM.
See also
- Arakkal MuseumArakkal MuseumThe Arrakkal Museum is a museum dedicated to the Arakkal family, the only Muslim royal family in Kerala, south India. The museum is actually a section of the Arakkalkettu . The durbar hall section of the palace has been converted into a museum by the Government of Kerala. It was opened in July 2005...
- Cannanore LighthouseCannanore LighthouseThe Cannanore Lighthouse is located near the Payyambalam Beach, a few kilometers from Kannur town, in Kerala state, south India. It is adjacent to the Sea View Park and the Government Guest House. The lighthouse is still active and overlooks the Arabian Sea....
- Cannanore Cantonment
- Payyambalam BeachPayyambalam BeachPayyambalam Beach is a beach in Kannur district of Kerala in India that attracts tourists and local people. It often finds mention in tourism related publications as a beautiful beach. It has now a garden close to it. The beach is just 2 km from Kannur town....
- Meenkunnu BeachMeenkunnu BeachMeenkunnu Beach, is a beach in Kannur district of Kerala, India. It is endowed with vast stretch of golden sand and coconut trees.-Location:...
- Muzhappilangad BeachMuzhappilangad BeachMuzhappilangad Drive-in Beach is a beach in the state of Kerala in southwestern India. It is located parallel to National Highway 17 between Kannur and Thalassery....
- Parassinikkadavu Snake ParkParassinikkadavu Snake ParkParassinkkadavu Snake Park is about from Kannur town in the Kannur district of north Kerala, in south India. The Snake Park is in Parassinikkadavu, which is from National Highway 17, en route from Kannur to Taliparamba,...
- Muthappan templeMuthappan templeMuthappan Temple is located in the Kannur District of North Malabar region in Kerala state, South India, on the banks of the Valapattam river. It is dedicated to Sree Muthappan, the most popular local deity.-A Story of Muthappan Relating to the Temple:...
- KannurKannurKannur , also known as Cannanore, is a city in Kannur district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of the District of Kannur and 518km north of state capital Trivandrum. During British rule in India, Kannur was known by its old name Cannanore, which is still in...
- Thalassery FortThalassery FortTellicherry Fort is in Thalassery a town in Kannur District of Kerala state in south India.The British East India Company built the fort in 1708 to establish a stronghold on the Malabar Coast. In 1781 Hyder Ali, ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore, was unsuccessful in capturing the Fort in his campaign...