Angelo Fort Kannur, Kerala, India
History
Angelo's Fort has an interesting historical background, as it has
seen a number of rulers and invaders. This fort has also seen a number
of battles almost all were fought for gaining the possession of this
fort. After the construction of this fort in 1505 by Don Francesco de
Almeida, it constantly remained under attacks from a number of native
rulers in the Siege of Kannur in 1507. However, all their efforts were
in vain, as the Fort provided its inhabitants security from any kind of
attack. Later on, Almeida refused to surrender the fort to Afonso de
Albuquerque who came to supersede himself as the new Governor. Almeida
instead captured Afonso de Albuquerque and imprisoned him inside the
Fort.
In the year 1663, the Dutch captured the Kannur Fort from the
Portuguese. They modernized the fort by adding the bastions Hollandia,
Zeelandia and Frieslandia which are the major features of the present
structure of St Angelo's Fort. The original Portuguese Structure was
pulled down later. The Dutch later on sold the fort to a native king Ali
Raja of Arakkal, in the year 1772. But in 1790 the British seized the
Fort, renovated it into a military base and used it as their chief
military station in Malabar. Today, St. Angelo?s Fort or Kannur Fort is a
protected monument under the Archaeological Survey of India, which
takes care of its maintenance.
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