Manuel I of Portugal vs Samuel of Bulgaria

Manuel I ordered the expulsion of Jews from Portugal, but later forced them to convert to Christianity rather than leave. This created a large population of New Christians (conversos) and led to ongoing religious tensions and persecution.

Manuel I sponsored Vasco da Gama's expedition that reached Calicut in India, establishing the first direct sea route from Europe to Asia. This opened the spice trade to Portugal and broke the Venetian monopoly on Asian goods.

Pedro Álvares Cabral's fleet, sent by Manuel I to India, made landfall on the coast of Brazil. Manuel I claimed the territory for Portugal, initiating colonization and the exploitation of brazilwood, which later expanded into a major colony.

Manuel I commissioned the Jer

Manuel I sent a second fleet to India under Vasco da Gama, who bombarded Calicut and established Portuguese dominance in the Indian Ocean. This aggressive policy secured trading posts and forced local rulers to accept Portuguese terms.

Manuel I's governor Afonso de Albuquerque captured Goa from the Sultan of Bijapur. The city became the capital of Portuguese India, a strategic naval base, and a center for trade and missionary activity in Asia.

Samuel's forces ambushed and defeated a Byzantine army under Emperor Basil II at the Trajan's Gate pass. The victory halted Byzantine expansion into Bulgaria and established Samuel as the dominant power in the Balkans.

Samuel was crowned Tsar of Bulgaria after the death of his predecessor Roman. He established his capital at Ohrid and ruled over a large territory, continuing resistance against Byzantine conquest.

Emperor Basil II defeated Samuel's army at Kleidion. After the battle, Basil blinded 14,000 Bulgarian prisoners, leaving one in every hundred with one eye to lead them home. Samuel died of shock upon seeing them.

Samuel died of a heart attack reportedly caused by the sight of his blinded soldiers returning from Kleidion. His death marked the end of effective Bulgarian resistance, leading to Byzantine conquest by 1018.