Marquês das Minas
Encyclopedia
António Luís de Sousa, 4th Count of Prado and 2nd Marquess of Minas (April 6, 1644 – December 25, 1721) was a Portuguese general and governor-general of Portugal
.
He was the son of Dom Francisco, the first Marquês das Minas, and his second wife D. Eufrásia Filipa de Lima.
From a very young age on, he was destined for a military career.
At the age of 14, he was present with his father at the Battle of the Lines of Elvas
.
The following years, he fought the Spanish in the northern Minho
province, becoming a general in 1665 after the conquest of Guarda
.
After the Peace Treaty of Lisbon he became military governor of Minho in the absence of his father, who was sent as ambassador to Rome.
He assumed the title of Marquês das Minas after the death of his father in 1674.
Between 1684 and 1687 he was governor-general of Brazil. He had to restore the peace after the mismanagement of his predecessors, and was confronted with a serious epidemic in the Bahia
province.
In 1687 he returned to Portugal
and was appointed counsellor of war.
signed the Methuen Treaty
. This trade accord was followed in December 1703 by a military alliance between Portugal, Austria, the Netherlands and Great Britain against Philip
, the French candidate for the Spanish throne.
Minas was sent to the border to prepare the Portuguese army for war, but in 1704 the Franco-Spanish troops attacked first.
The Duke of Berwick
conquered Salvaterra, Segura and Beira. Tilly
invaded Alentejo and took Portalegre, and the Spanish general Villadarias
took Castelo de Vide.
The invasion was stopped by lack of support from Madrid, allied invasions of Barcelona and Gibraltar and the resistance organised by Minas (who won a minor battle at Monsanto). Berwick had to withdraw his troops to Spain.
In October 1705 a first invasion of Spain was launched under the command of Henri de Massue, 1st Earl of Galway
and the Marquess of Minas. The aim was to conquer Badajoz
, thus opening a second front to support Peterborough in Catalonia.
But the relationship between the two allied commanders was so bad, and the coordination so poor, that it wasn't too difficult for the experienced French commander de Tessé
to repel the invasion.
In 1706 de Tessé was beaten near Barcelona, and it became apparent that the border with Portugal was unprotected.
Minas took his chance and marched his army all the way to Madrid, bypassing Badajoz. The stiffest resistance was met at Alcántara
, where the garrison of 4200 resisted for 5 days until it had to capitulate. The army of the Duke of Berwick was in the vicinity, but wasn't strong enough to risk a battle.
On June 28, 1706 the Portuguese army entered Madrid and Archduke Charles
was acclaimed King of Spain. But very soon it became clear that the allies in Madrid were very isolated. The population was hostile and the Duke of Berwick was cutting off communications with Portugal and Aragon.
The decision was made to abandon Madrid and to join the allied troops in Valencia
.
The Duke of Berwick was waiting for them and inflicted a crushing defeat in the Battle of Almansa
.
On his return to Portugal he was appointed estribeiro-mor (chief equerry) to the queen, for the rest of his life.
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
.
He was the son of Dom Francisco, the first Marquês das Minas, and his second wife D. Eufrásia Filipa de Lima.
From a very young age on, he was destined for a military career.
At the age of 14, he was present with his father at the Battle of the Lines of Elvas
Battle of the Lines of Elvas
The Battle of the Lines of Elvas , was fought on 14 January 1659, in Elvas, between Portugal and Spain.-History:In 1658 a Spanish army commanded by D. Luis de Haro, was camped in the frontier of the Caia River, with 14,000 infantry, 3,500 cavalry and several pieces of artillery...
.
The following years, he fought the Spanish in the northern Minho
Entre Douro e Minho
Entre Douro e Minho is one of the historical provinces of Portugal which encompassed the country's northern Atlantic seaboard between the Douro and Minho rivers. Contemporaries often referred to the province as simply "Minho"...
province, becoming a general in 1665 after the conquest of Guarda
Guarda, Portugal
Guarda is a city in Guarda Municipality, Portugal. The city has a population of 32 111Guarda was founded in 1199 by the second king of Portugal, Sancho I....
.
After the Peace Treaty of Lisbon he became military governor of Minho in the absence of his father, who was sent as ambassador to Rome.
He assumed the title of Marquês das Minas after the death of his father in 1674.
Between 1684 and 1687 he was governor-general of Brazil. He had to restore the peace after the mismanagement of his predecessors, and was confronted with a serious epidemic in the Bahia
Bahia
Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
province.
In 1687 he returned to Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
and was appointed counsellor of war.
War of the Spanish Succession
At the outbreak of the War of Spanish Succession (1702–1715), King Peter II of Portugal initially supported France but on May 16, 1703, Portugal and BritainUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
signed the Methuen Treaty
Methuen Treaty
The Methuen Treaty was an offensive military and commercial treaty between Portugal and England signed in 1703 as part of the War of the Spanish Succession....
. This trade accord was followed in December 1703 by a military alliance between Portugal, Austria, the Netherlands and Great Britain against Philip
Philip V of Spain
Philip V was King of Spain from 15 November 1700 to 15 January 1724, when he abdicated in favor of his son Louis, and from 6 September 1724, when he assumed the throne again upon his son's death, to his death.Before his reign, Philip occupied an exalted place in the royal family of France as a...
, the French candidate for the Spanish throne.
Minas was sent to the border to prepare the Portuguese army for war, but in 1704 the Franco-Spanish troops attacked first.
The Duke of Berwick
James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick
James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick, 1st Duke of Fitz-James, 1st Duke of Liria and Jérica was an Anglo-French military leader, illegitimate son of King James II of England by Arabella Churchill, sister of the 1st Duke of Marlborough...
conquered Salvaterra, Segura and Beira. Tilly
Tilly
Tilly may refer to:People* James Tilly Matthews, the first fully documented case of paranoid schizophrenia* Charles Tilly, sociologist* Jacques Louis François Delaistre de Tilly, French general in the Napoleonic Wars* Jennifer Tilly, actress, poker player...
invaded Alentejo and took Portalegre, and the Spanish general Villadarias
Francisco Castillo Fajardo, Marquis of Villadarias
Francisco Castillo Fajardo, 2nd Marquis of Villadarias , was a Spanish general.- Service Record :...
took Castelo de Vide.
The invasion was stopped by lack of support from Madrid, allied invasions of Barcelona and Gibraltar and the resistance organised by Minas (who won a minor battle at Monsanto). Berwick had to withdraw his troops to Spain.
In October 1705 a first invasion of Spain was launched under the command of Henri de Massue, 1st Earl of Galway
Henri de Massue, 1st Earl of Galway
Henri de Massue, Marquis de Ruvigny, afterward Earl of Galway PC was a French Huguenot soldier and diplomat who was influential in the English service in the Nine Years' War and the War of the Spanish Succession.-Biography:...
and the Marquess of Minas. The aim was to conquer Badajoz
Badajoz
Badajoz is the capital of the Province of Badajoz in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain, situated close to the Portuguese border, on the left bank of the river Guadiana, and the Madrid–Lisbon railway. The population in 2007 was 145,257....
, thus opening a second front to support Peterborough in Catalonia.
But the relationship between the two allied commanders was so bad, and the coordination so poor, that it wasn't too difficult for the experienced French commander de Tessé
René de Froulay de Tessé
René de Froulay, comte de Tessé was a French Marshal and diplomat.- Military career :Tessé was born at Le Mans...
to repel the invasion.
In 1706 de Tessé was beaten near Barcelona, and it became apparent that the border with Portugal was unprotected.
Minas took his chance and marched his army all the way to Madrid, bypassing Badajoz. The stiffest resistance was met at Alcántara
Alcántara
Alcántara is a municipality in the province of Cáceres, Extremadura, Spain, on the Tagus, near Portugal. The toponym is from the Arabic word al-QanTarah meaning "the bridge".-History:...
, where the garrison of 4200 resisted for 5 days until it had to capitulate. The army of the Duke of Berwick was in the vicinity, but wasn't strong enough to risk a battle.
On June 28, 1706 the Portuguese army entered Madrid and Archduke Charles
Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles VI was the penultimate Habsburg sovereign of the Habsburg Empire. He succeeded his elder brother, Joseph I, as Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia , Hungary and Croatia , Archduke of Austria, etc., in 1711...
was acclaimed King of Spain. But very soon it became clear that the allies in Madrid were very isolated. The population was hostile and the Duke of Berwick was cutting off communications with Portugal and Aragon.
The decision was made to abandon Madrid and to join the allied troops in Valencia
Valencia (city in Spain)
Valencia or València is the capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third largest city in Spain, with a population of 809,267 in 2010. It is the 15th-most populous municipality in the European Union...
.
The Duke of Berwick was waiting for them and inflicted a crushing defeat in the Battle of Almansa
Battle of Almansa
The Battle of Almansa, fought on 25 April 1707, was one of the most decisive engagements of the War of the Spanish Succession. At Almansa, the Franco–Spanish army under Berwick soundly defeated the allied forces of Portugal, England, and the United Provinces led by the Earl of Galway,...
.
On his return to Portugal he was appointed estribeiro-mor (chief equerry) to the queen, for the rest of his life.