Ormus

Hormuz was a trading kingdom on the strait between Persia and Arabia. Its rulers moved from the mainland to Jarun island around 1300; in 1337 it controlled ports and sea routes from its island capital.

The Portuguese stormed Hormuz in 1507 and made it a client state in 1515, controlling Gulf shipping through their cartaz licensing system. In 1622 Shah Abbas of the Safavids, aided by the English East India Company, captured the island; commerce shifted to Bandar Abbas.