Rasul Khan

Who is Rasul Khan?

Rasul Khan was one of the finest generals of Ismael Adil Shah, the Sultan of Bijapur. In 1512, he was asked to lead an army to reconquer Goa from the Portuguese. A previous army under the command of Fulad Khan was well ensconced in the nearby fortress of Banastarim and had repelled several Portuguese attacks, but had made little progress in Goa's capture from Afonso de Albuquerque.

Rasul Khan marched with a strong army to Goa, but Fulad Khan refused to acknowledge his supremacy. The canny Rasul Khan then appealed to the Portuguese for help against his insubordinate officer, and the commandant of Goa Diogo Mendes was foolish enough to give it. With the help of the Portuguese themselves, Rasul Khan drove Fulad Khan out of Banastarim and, once he had taken possession of the fort, demanded the surrender of Goa. He besieged Goa and cut off all food supplies. But still the starving city held firm.

Albuquerque had returned from his capture of Malacca to Cochin, but could not sail to Goa because of the monsoon and because of insufficient forces at his command, as the Portuguese commanders of Cochin and Cannanore refused to help him. The arrival of Dom Garcia de Noronha with six ships and a further squadron of eight ships under Jorge de Mello Pereira, both fleets carrying a large number of soldiers, boosted his resolve.