St. James' Day Battle

The St James' Day Battle in 1511 was the initial attack of the Portuguese forces on the Malacca City during the early conflict of the Malay–Portuguese conflicts. This attack was unsuccessful and ended with the failure of the Portuguese forces, who retreated to Pasai (Sumatra).^[3]

On July 25, 1511, coinciding with St. James' Day, a Portuguese Armadas fleet led by Afonso de Albuquerque launched an attack on the city of Malacca. They landed in the Upeh area as the locals were performing the ''subuh'' prayer. The Portuguese focused their attack on the Upeh bridge, a strategic location connecting the parts of the city separated by the river.^[4][5] After completing their prayers, the Malay locals became aware of the attack. The Malaccan forces, including elephant troops and cannon from the palace, were quickly prepared to counter the Portuguese assault.

A fierce battle took place at the Upeh bridge, where the Portuguese troops occupied the bridge.^[4] However, cannons from the palace bombarded the bridge, causing exhaustion and heavy losses for the Portuguese forces.^[6] Eventually, the Malaccan troops succeeded in recapturing the Upeh bridge. By nightfall, the Portuguese forces retreated, suffering a significant defeat in their initial attack on Malacca.^[7][8]