Manuel's Grand Strategy - The Mediterranean Crusade

Manuel hoped to bring the islamic world to its knees. He envisaged a pan european pincer movement, calling on the kings of europe to launch a simultaneous mediterranean crusade. Critical to this operation was the capture of aden, which dominated the mouth of the red sea. Its failure in an attack by the governor of portuguese india, alponso de a bukerki, in 15 13, was the high water mark of Manoel's grand plan. By the time that portuguese envoys reached the ethiopian highlands and presented themselves at the court of its christian king, darwit the second, it was