Editing Fernão Pires de Andrade (section)

===India, Sumatra, and Malacca===
[[Image:Retrato de Afonso de Albuquerque (após 1545) - Autor desconhecido.png|thumb|right|[[Afonso de Albuquerque]], who launched the attack to conquer the [[Malacca Sultanate]] and commissioned the first direct European maritime contacts with China during the [[Ming dynasty]].]]

Fernão Pires de Andrade commanded a vessel in the naval venture of the Portuguese explorer and conqueror [[Afonso de Albuquerque]] from [[Kochi, India|Cochin]] in India to conquer the [[Malacca Sultanate]] in 1511.<ref name="dion 135">Dion, 135.</ref> The Portuguese historian [[João de Barros]] (1496&ndash;1570) wrote that when a violent storm arose as Albuquerque's fleet entered the vast waters between [[Sri Lanka]] and [[Aceh]], a ship commanded by Simão Martinho was sunk, but his entire crew was rescued by Fernão and taken aboard his ship.<ref name="dion 135"/> To make up for this loss, the Portuguese captured and commandeered five ships from [[Gujarat]] that were sailing between Malacca and [[Sumatra]].<ref name="dion 135"/> The small fleet of Albuquerque engaged an enemy "[[Djong (ship)#European age of discovery|junk]]" ship of the Javanese "[[Moors]]" near ''Polvoreira'' (likely ''[[Berhala Island (Malacca Strait)|Pulau Berhala]]'', 160 miles from Malacca, between [[Belawan]], Medan and [[Lumut, Malaysia|Lumut]], Perak).<ref name="dion 138">Dion, 138.</ref><ref name="birch 63">Birch, 63.</ref> According to Barros, they fought against this ship for two days. The enemy crew employed tactics of lighting fire to its own ship as a means to burn Albuquerque's ships as they employed ramming techniques and close-range volleys of artillery.<ref name="dion 138 139">Dion, 138&ndash;139.</ref> Although the ship surrendered; the Portuguese gained such an admiration for the junk and its crew that they nicknamed it ''O Bravo'' (The Brave Junk).<ref name="dion 139">Dion, 139.</ref> The Portuguese crew pleaded with Fernão Pires to convince Albuquerque that the crew should be spared and viewed vassals of Portugal who were simply unaware of who they were actually fighting. Albuquerque eventually agreed to this.<ref name="dion 139"/>

While writing of Afonso de Albuquerque's ventures in Sumatra, João de Barros noted that the Chinese were the first to control trade between Sumatra and India, and noted the presence of Chinese people living in Sumatra.<ref name="dion 144">Dion, 144.</ref> Barros also noted that while Fernão Pires was loading Southeast Asian spices onto his ship in [[Samudera Pasai Sultanate|Pacem]] (a kingdom in Sumatra) in order to sell or present them as gifts in China, two different kings were killed and their position usurped.<ref name="dion 146">Dion, 146.</ref> Apparently the usurpation of kings caused little tumult or crisis in this state, as Barros noted any leader there was believed by the locals not to have divine right to rule if he was able to be killed by a royal kinsman.<ref name="dion 146"/> Historian Mark Dion notes that Fernão related the same story in his writing, only adding that a [[Muslim]] in their society was the only acceptable replacement as ruler.<ref name="dion 146"/>