<Dl> <Dt> 1507 - 1513 </Dt> <Dd> In 1507, Afonso de Albuquerque captures the kingdom of Ormus in the Persian Gulf . He is then appointed second viceroy of India in 1508 . In 1510 he conquers Goa, soon to become the most flourishing of the Portuguese settlements in India . </Dd> </Dl> <Dt> 1507 - 1513 </Dt> <Dd> In 1507, Afonso de Albuquerque captures the kingdom of Ormus in the Persian Gulf . He is then appointed second viceroy of India in 1508 . In 1510 he conquers Goa, soon to become the most flourishing of the Portuguese settlements in India . </Dd> <Dl> <Dt> 1511 </Dt> <Dd> Albuquerque conquers Malacca discovered by Diogo Lopes de Sequeira in 1509 . Malacca becomes a strategic base for Portuguese expansion in the East Indies . In November of that year, after having secured Malacca and learning of the "Spice islands" (Banda Islands) location, in Maluku Albuquerque sent an expedition of three vessels led by António de Abreu to find them . In 1511 Ayutthaya Kingdom (Thailand) received a diplomatic mission from the Portuguese . These were probably the first Europeans to visit the country . Five years after that initial contact, Ayutthaya and Portugal concluded a treaty granting the Portuguese permission to trade in the kingdom . </Dd> </Dl>

Why did european explorers want to find a new route to asia