Conquest of the Azores
Encyclopedia
The Conquest of the Azores, principally Terceira Island
, took place on 2 August 1583, between the Portuguese loyal to the claimant Dom António, Prior of Crato
, supported by French and English troops, and the Spanish-Portuguese forces loyal to King Philip
commanded by the admiral Don Álvaro de Bazán
during the War of the Portuguese Succession
.
base, the Marquis of Santa Cruz prepared an amphibious invasion force. This time his aim was not to fight a fleet but to land an army: the task force could certainly defend itself if necessary, but its primary role was to put troops, together with their supporting equipment and supplies, on a selected beach-head and then to back them up until the military objectives had been gained.
After only one day's fighting Terceira
fell and the Spanish-Portuguese troops won an easy victory thanks to the good command of Don Álvaro de Bazán. The same day, the Spanish-Portuguese force landed in Faial
, where they defeated and captured a garrison of five French and one English companies, 700 men all told. The French and English soldiers on the islands were allowed to retire unharmed, but sixteen supporters of Dom António who had tried to flee on the night of the attack, were executed.
Dom António
and a handful of his supporters were lucky to escape with their lives.
, the Azores Islands were completely controlled by the Habsburg King, Philip II of Spain
(Philip I of Portugal) and the war ended with the complete incorporation of the Kingdom of Portugal
and its colonies into the Iberian Union
.
Dom António returned to France
and lived for a time in Ruel
, near Paris
. Fear of spies, employed by Philip II of Spain
, drove António from one refuge to another until he finally went to England
.
Elizabeth I of England
and her advisers viewed with trepidation the rising tide of Spanish victories (the conquest of the Azores Islands in the south and of the Flemish
coast in the north) in 1583.
Terceira Island
Referred to as the “Ilha Lilás” , Terceira is an island in the Azores archipelago, in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is one of the larger islands of the archipelago, with a population of 56,000 inhabitants in an area of approximately 396.75 km²...
, took place on 2 August 1583, between the Portuguese loyal to the claimant Dom António, Prior of Crato
António, Prior of Crato
António, Prior of Crato , was a grandson of King Manuel I of Portugal, claimant of the Portuguese throne during the 1580 dynastic crisis, who was King of Portugal as António I of Portugal during 33 days in the continent in 1580, and, after the crowning of Philip II of Spain as King of Portugal,...
, supported by French and English troops, and the Spanish-Portuguese forces loyal to King Philip
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....
commanded by the admiral Don Álvaro de Bazán
Álvaro de Bazán, 1st Marquis of Santa Cruz
Álvaro de Bazán, 1st Marquis of Santa Cruz de Mudela , was a Spanish admiral.-Biography:Álvaro de Bazán was born in Granada....
during the War of the Portuguese Succession
War of the Portuguese Succession
The War of the Portuguese Succession was fought from 1580 to 1583 between the two main claimants to the Portuguese throne: António, Prior of Crato, proclaimed in several towns as King of Portugal, and Philip II of Spain, who eventually succeeded in claiming the crown reigning as Philip I of...
.
The Battle
Secure within his LisbonLisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
base, the Marquis of Santa Cruz prepared an amphibious invasion force. This time his aim was not to fight a fleet but to land an army: the task force could certainly defend itself if necessary, but its primary role was to put troops, together with their supporting equipment and supplies, on a selected beach-head and then to back them up until the military objectives had been gained.
After only one day's fighting Terceira
Terceira Island
Referred to as the “Ilha Lilás” , Terceira is an island in the Azores archipelago, in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is one of the larger islands of the archipelago, with a population of 56,000 inhabitants in an area of approximately 396.75 km²...
fell and the Spanish-Portuguese troops won an easy victory thanks to the good command of Don Álvaro de Bazán. The same day, the Spanish-Portuguese force landed in Faial
Faial
Faial is a Portuguese word derived from faya, referring to a species of plant/tree, Myrica faya.It may also refer to:=In the archipelago of the Azores*Faial Island, an island in the Central Group of islands...
, where they defeated and captured a garrison of five French and one English companies, 700 men all told. The French and English soldiers on the islands were allowed to retire unharmed, but sixteen supporters of Dom António who had tried to flee on the night of the attack, were executed.
Dom António
António, Prior of Crato
António, Prior of Crato , was a grandson of King Manuel I of Portugal, claimant of the Portuguese throne during the 1580 dynastic crisis, who was King of Portugal as António I of Portugal during 33 days in the continent in 1580, and, after the crowning of Philip II of Spain as King of Portugal,...
and a handful of his supporters were lucky to escape with their lives.
Consequences
With the conquest of the Terceira IslandTerceira Island
Referred to as the “Ilha Lilás” , Terceira is an island in the Azores archipelago, in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is one of the larger islands of the archipelago, with a population of 56,000 inhabitants in an area of approximately 396.75 km²...
, the Azores Islands were completely controlled by the Habsburg King, Philip II of Spain
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....
(Philip I of Portugal) and the war ended with the complete incorporation of the Kingdom of Portugal
Kingdom of Portugal
The Kingdom of Portugal was Portugal's general designation under the monarchy. The kingdom was located in the west of the Iberian Peninsula, Europe and existed from 1139 to 1910...
and its colonies into the Iberian Union
Iberian Union
The Iberian union was a political unit that governed all of the Iberian Peninsula south of the Pyrenees from 1580–1640, through a dynastic union between the monarchies of Portugal and Spain after the War of the Portuguese Succession...
.
Dom António returned to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and lived for a time in Ruel
Ruel
Ruel may refer to:In places:* Ruel, OntarioPeople with the surname Ruel:* Claude Ruel* Muddy Ruel* Pat Ruel* Paul Durand-Ruel* Pierre de Ruel, marquis de Beurnonville...
, near Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. Fear of spies, employed by Philip II of Spain
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....
, drove António from one refuge to another until he finally went to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
and her advisers viewed with trepidation the rising tide of Spanish victories (the conquest of the Azores Islands in the south and of the Flemish
Flemish
Flemish can refer to anything related to Flanders, and may refer directly to the following articles:*Flemish, an informal, though linguistically incorrect, name of any kind of the Dutch language as spoken in Belgium....
coast in the north) in 1583.
See also
- War of the Portuguese SuccessionWar of the Portuguese SuccessionThe War of the Portuguese Succession was fought from 1580 to 1583 between the two main claimants to the Portuguese throne: António, Prior of Crato, proclaimed in several towns as King of Portugal, and Philip II of Spain, who eventually succeeded in claiming the crown reigning as Philip I of...
- Iberian UnionIberian UnionThe Iberian union was a political unit that governed all of the Iberian Peninsula south of the Pyrenees from 1580–1640, through a dynastic union between the monarchies of Portugal and Spain after the War of the Portuguese Succession...
- History of PortugalHistory of PortugalThe history of Portugal, a European and an Atlantic nation, dates back to the Early Middle Ages. In the 15th and 16th centuries, it ascended to the status of a world power during Europe's "Age of Discovery" as it built up a vast empire including possessions in South America, Africa, Asia and...
- Anglo–Spanish War (1585)
- Timeline of Portuguese history (Third Dynasty)Timeline of Portuguese history (Third Dynasty)This is a historical timeline of Portugal.-16th Century:*1580**Invasion of Portugal by a Spanish army commanded by Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alba.**Battle of Alcântara between Portuguese and Spanish forces.**The Fortress of St...