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{{short description|Portuguese naval captain}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Belchior Calaça
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = 
| birth_place =
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| other_names =
| occupation = Sea captain, military architect
| known_for = [[Fort Al Jalali]], [[Fort Al-Mirani]]
}}
'''Belchior Calaça''' (or Belchior Álvares) was a [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]] naval captain who was active in the [[Indian Ocean]] in the second half of the 16th century.

Captain Belchior Calaça{{efn|[[Samuel Barrett Miles]] gives the name of the captain who built the fort as "Melchior Calaça".{{sfn|Miles|1919|p=182}} Other sources give it as "Belchior Calaça".{{sfn|Peterson|2007|p=6}} }} was tasked with fortifying [[Muscat, Oman]].
He left [[Goa]], [[Portuguese India]], on 9 January 1587 as captain of one of the ships in an expedition led by [[Martim Affonso de Mello]].
The main purpose was punitive, in response to aggression by the Turks on the East coast of Africa. The fleet visited Ampaza, which they destroyed, [[Pate Island|Pate]], where the ruler submitted, then [[Lamu]], where the ruler had fled.{{sfn|Teixeira|Stevens|1802|p=v}}
They went on to [[Malindi]] and then [[Mombasa]], which they looted and burned. From there they sailed for the [[Strait of Hormuz]], stopping at Muscat where Calaça remained while the fleet went on to [[Hormuz, Iran|Hormuz]].{{sfn|Teixeira|Stevens|1802|p=vi}}

On arrival at Muscat Calaça built the fortress now called [[Fort Al Jalali]], then named ''Forte de São João''.{{sfn|Peterson|2007|p=6}}
The top of the prominence on which the fort stands was first leveled, and the rock was scarped.{{sfn|Miles|1919|p=182}}
Calaça built a cistern to hold water for the occupants and armed the fort with cannon.{{sfn|Peterson|2007|p=6}}
Calaça also built the fort now called [[Fort Al-Mirani]], but then called Capitão (Captain), presumably named after Calaça.{{sfn|Peterson|2007|p=50}}
An engraved stone in Fort Mirani reads (in Portuguese),
{{blockquote|Under the reign of the very high and mighty [[Philip II of Spain|Felippe]], first of this name our Lord and King, in the eighth year of his reign in the Crown of Portugal, he sent by Dom [[Duarte de Menezes|Duarte de Meneses]], his Viceroy and Governor of India, that this Fortress be made, which was done by Belchior Calaça, its first captain and founder, 1588.{{sfn|Cordeir|1898|p=187}} }}

In May 1588 a party of [[Jesuit]] missionaries led by [[Pedro Páez]] arrived at Muscat, where Calaça was in command, en route to [[Ethiopia]]. He advised them to travel via the Strait of Mecca. They were not able to take this advice, and ran into many difficulties before reaching their destination.{{sfn|Paez|2011|p=108}}
Belchior Calaça was responsible for military architecture in [[Ormuz]] until 1589, when he was replaced by Francisco Velho.{{sfn|Campos|2008|p=317}}
Around 1598 Calaça was involved in an unsuccessful attack on Cuneale in the peninsula of Pudepatam, 77 leagues from [[Goa]] and 35 from [[Cochin]], on the [[Malabar Coast]] of India. He gave the signal for attack too soon. Only part of the force engaged the enemy, many were killed and the remainder were forced to retreat.{{sfn|Kerr|1811}}

==References==
'''Notes'''
{{notelist}}
'''Citations'''
{{Reflist |colwidth=30em}}
'''Sources'''
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite web |last=Campos|first=João |year=2008|title=ARQUITECTURA MILITAR PORTUGUESA NA PÉRSIA - ORMUZ, KESHM E LARAK |access-date=2013-11-25
|url=http://estudogeral.sib.uc.pt/bitstream/10316/9674/3/Doutoramento%20Jo%C3%A3o%20Campos%20-%20Arquitectura%20Militar%20na%20P%C3%A9sia.pdf}}
*{{cite journal|jstor=1774444
|last=Cordeir |first=Luciano|title=Maskat|journal=The Geographical Journal |volume=11 |issue=2 |date=February 1898
|pages=187–190
|publisher=The Royal Geographical Society |doi=10.2307/1774444
}}
*{{cite book |url=http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00generallinks/kerr/vol06chap04sect11to12.html
|title=General Voyages and Travels chiefly of Discovery; from the era of Don Henry Prince of Portugal, in 1412, to that of George III in 1760
|last=Kerr|first=Robert |year=1811|access-date=2013-11-25|chapter=4.11 Continuation of the Portuguese Transactions in India, from 1597 to 1612 }}
*{{cite book|last=Miles|first=Samuel Barrett|author-link=Samuel Barrett Miles|title=The Countries and Tribes of the Persian Gulf
|url=https://archive.org/details/countriestribeso01mileuoft
|year=1919|publisher=Harrison and sons}} [https://archive.org/stream/countriestribeso01mileuoft#page/n7/mode/2up Vol.I (pp 1-264) Early times to end of Yaareba Dynasty] [https://archive.org/stream/countriestribeso02mileuoft#page/n5/mode/2up Vol.II (pp 265-580) Al-Bu Sauudi Dynasty to 1880]
*{{cite book|last=Paez|first=Pedro|title=Pedro Páez's History of Ethiopia, 1622|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KU2ebYw-tg8C&pg=PA108|access-date=2013-11-25
|year=2011|publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.|isbn=978-1-908145-01-7}}
*{{cite book|last=Peterson|first=John|title=Historical Muscat: An Illustrated Guide and Gazetteer|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gNu4_uHo7CQC&pg=PA6|access-date=2013-11-16
|year=2007|publisher=BRILL|isbn=978-90-04-15266-3}}
*{{cite book|last1=Teixeira|first1=Pedro|last2=Stevens|first2=John|title=The Travels of Pedro Teixeira: With His "Kings of Harmuz" and Extracts from His "Kings of Persia"
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TxcrAAAAYAAJ&pg=PR5|access-date=2013-11-25
|year=1802|publisher=Hakluyt Society}}
{{refend}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Calaca, Belchior}}
[[Category:16th-century Portuguese military personnel]]
[[Category:Portuguese sailors]]

Belchior Calaça - Revision history

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