Capture of Porto

Capture of Porto
Part of the War of the Portuguese Succession
Date 24 October 1580 Location Porto, Portugal Result Spanish victory
Belligerents
Spanish Empire	Portugal
Commanders and leaders
Sancho d'Avila	Unknown

The Capture of Porto took place in October 1580 by the Spanish forces commanded by Don Sancho d'Avila during the War of the Portuguese Succession. The city was captured easily by the Spanish troops, thereby finishing off the Prior of Crato's army and its final defeat in Mainland Portugal, thus assuring the personal union of Portugal and Spain for 60 years under the Iberian Union.

Background

Following the victory accomplished by the Spanish troops led by Don

The Duke of Alba, noticing the remote but possible threat, ordered his General Don Sancho d'Avila to pursue across the sea and completely destroy them in order to wrap up any opposition to Philip II of Portugal.

Porto

The Spanish troops commanded by Don Sancho d'Avila, transported by sea, arrived and disembarked in Porto on 24 October 1580. The city was captured easily by the Spanish army, thereby finishing off Portuguese army and the invasion of their neighbouring country.^[2] Don Sancho d'Avila obtained a victory, it would be his last great military accomplishment.^[3]

After the end of the war, the Spanish General returned to Lisbon. In Lisbon he received a wound from a horse which he did not attend to properly and as a consequence he died in May 1583.^[4]

Aftermath

With the Spanish capture of

References

• Fernández Duro, Cesáreo. La Armada Española desde la Unión de los Reinos de Castilla y de León. Madrid (1973).
• Geoffrey Parker. The Army of Flanders and the Spanish road. London (1972)
  ISBN 0-521-08462-8
• Enciclopedia Universal Ilustrada. Espasa. Volume 6 (1999).
• Konstam, Augus. The Armada Campaign 1588 - The great enterprise against England. Osprey Publishing.
  ISBN 1-84176-192-3
• Jan Glete. Warfare At Sea 1500-1650; Maritime Conflicts and the Transformation of Europe London (2000)
  ISBN 0-415-21454-8