Conquest of the Azores
Conquest of the Azores | |
---|---|
Part of the Azores Islands | |
Result | Spanish victory[2][3][4] |
Portuguese loyal to Philip of Spain
30 warships
96 warships
(Mostly prisoners)
30 warships captured
The Conquest of the Azores (also known as the Spanish conquest of the Azores),
Following a day's fighting, forces of the island of
Background
After the victory at the
The Terceirans expected the Spaniards to land at the harbours of
De Chaste increased the fortifications of Terceira by building, on its southern and most exposed coast, up to 31 stone forts and 13
Landing
The Spanish army landed on Calheta das Mós, next to Angra, in the early hours of 26 July. The date for the landing was selected because it was the first anniversary of Bazán's victory over the French fleet at Ponta Delgada.[13] At 03:00 the 12 Spanish galleys led by Captain Diego de Medrano[14] headed to the beach with the landing craft in tow carrying 4,500 soldiers aboard, with Bazán commanding the operation in person.[15] The beach was guarded by the fort of Santa Catarina, garrisoned by a French captain named Bourguignon with 50 Frenchmen and 2 Portuguese companies.[16] As the Spanish ships were sighted at dawn, Bourguignon opened fire with Santa Catarina's artillery. Passing within arquebus shot, Bazán's flagship, leading the way, received heavy gunfire and lost its coxswain.[16] Backed up by nine other galleys, however, he silenced the fort.[17]
The landing craft made their way to the beach and landed the infantry; among the first men ashore was Rodrigo de Cervantes, brother of Miguel de Cervantes.[18] They were met by arquebus fire directed from the trenches and ramparts which caused several fatalities and many wounded. The fort was then carried by assault with scaling ladders, with Bourguignon and 35 of his men killed during the fighting.[19] The capture of Santa Catarina allowed the Spanish to land the rest of the infantry, six cannons, and supplies, and easily took control of the surrounding heights.[20] Bazán then ordered his force to advance towards Vila da Praia to meet the French army. De Chaste also gathered his troops with eight cannons to counter the Spanish .[21]
Battle
Bazán formed his army into three lines, the Germans on the right wing and the Spanish on the left.[21] The vanguard was formed by sleeves of arquebusiers which met a heavy resistance in the hedges and fences of the ground.[21] From there, De Chaste launched fierce counterattacks and managed to break the Spanish first line several times. However, Bazán reinforced his arquebusiers with German pikemen and held the ground.[21] By the afternoon, Manuel da Silva arrived at the battlefield with 1,000 Portuguese soldiers and a herd of cows to launch over the Spanish battalions. De Chaste felt himself strong enough to renew the attack. However, the nightfall prevented this.[22] After 16 hours of fighting, the Spanish army had lost 70 men killed and 300 wounded, against 70 French and Portuguese deaths and over 400 wounded or prisoner.[23]
The morning after the battle De Chaste was abandoned by his Portuguese allies, who fled to the mountains inside the island.[24] The Spanish took the initiative soon and advanced upon São Sebastião. De Chaste retired with his French troops to the mountain of Nossa Senhora da Guadalupe, allowing Bazán to capture Angra unmolested. There, 13 French, 16 Portuguese, and 2 English ships were seized by the Spanish galleys.[25] 30 Spaniards and 21 Portuguese partisans of Philip II were freed from the jail.[26] The French meanwhile, began to dug trenches on the slopes of Nossa Senhora da Guadalupe, but the soldiers mutinied and opened negotiations with the Spanish to surrender.[26] De Chaste managed to suppress the mutiny, but as the Portuguese militia subdued to Bazán, he realized that the victory was not possible and continued the talks.[27]
De Chaste, owing his friendship with the Spanish
Faial
On 30 July,
Consequences
With the conquest of the Terceira Island, 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 colonial possessions into the Spanish Empire.[3][4] Dom António returned to France and lived for a time in Rueil, near Paris. In 1589, the year after the Spanish Armada, he accompanied an English expedition, supported by the United Provinces of the Netherlands, under the command of Sir Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, Sir Francis Drake, and Sir John Norreys,[34] to the coast of Spain and Portugal, where the English Armada was routed.[34]
Fear of spies, employed by
See also
- War of the Portuguese Succession
- Spanish Empire
- Iberian Union
- History of Portugal
- Anglo–Spanish War (1585)
- Timeline of Portuguese history
References
- Notes
- ^ ISBN 1-84664-916-1
- ^ Geoffrey Parker (1999), p.73–74
- ^ a b Nascimiento Rodrigues/Tessaleno Devezas p.122
- ^ a b c Black p.182
- ^ a b Konstam. The Armada Campaign (1588) p.44
- ^ a b c d e Geoffrey Parker p.73
- ^ a b c d e Parker p.73
- ^ Suárez Inclan, pp. 273–274
- ^ Suárez Inclan, p. 275
- ^ Suárez Inclan, p. 285
- ^ Suárez Inclan, p. 286
- ^ Suárez Inclan, pp. 278–279
- ^ Suárez Inclan, p. 290
- ^ CABRERA DE CÓRDOBA, L., Historia de Felipe II. Rey de España, edición de José Martínez Millán y Carlos Javier de Carlos Morales, Valladolid: Junta de Castilla y León, Consejería de Educación y Cultura, 1998, 3 vols, Tomo III, p. 1020.
- ^ Suárez Inclan, p. 291
- ^ a b Suárez Inclan, p. 292
- ^ Suárez Inclan, p. 293
- ^ Suárez Inclan, p. 294
- ^ Suárez Inclan, p. 295
- ^ Suárez Inclan, p. 297
- ^ a b c d Suárez Inclan, p. 298
- ^ Suárez Inclan, p. 299
- ^ Suárez Inclan, p. 301
- ^ Suárez Inclan, p. 302
- ^ Suárez Inclan, p. 304
- ^ a b Suárez Inclan, p. 305
- ^ Suárez Inclan, p. 306
- ^ Suárez Inclan, p. 307
- ^ Suárez Inclan, p. 309
- ^ Suárez Inclan, p. 312
- ^ a b Suárez Inclan, p. 313
- ^ Suárez Inclan, p. 314
- ^ Suárez Inclan, p. 319
- ^ a b Elliott p.333
- ^ Black p.183
- Sources
- Parker, Geoffrey (1999), The Spanish Armada, Manchester (England), United Kingdom: Mandolin Publishing/Manchester University Press, ISBN 1-901341-14-3
- Black, Jeremy. European Warfare 1494–1660. Routledge Publishing (2002). ISBN 978-0-415-27531-6
- J. H. Elliott. La Europa Dividida (1559-1598). Editorial Crítica 2002. ISBN 978-84-8432-669-4
- Konstam, Augus. The Armada Campaign (1588) - The great enterprise against England Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-192-3
- Walton, Timothy. The Spanish Treasure Fleets Pineapple Press (2002). ISBN 1-56164-049-2
- Jan Glete. Warfare At Sea 1500-1650; Maritime Conflicts and the Transformation of Europe ISBN 0-415-21454-8
- Brimancomble, Peter. All the Queen's Men - The World of Elizabeth I. London (2000). ISBN 0-312-23251-9
- History of Portugal. By the Office of the Secretary of State for Information and Tourism. Cambridge University Press.
- Jorge Nascimiento Rodrigues/Tessaleno Devezas. Pioneers of Globalization - Why the Portuguese Surprised the World. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-989-615-056-3
- Suárez Inclan, Julián. Guerra de anexión en Portugal durante el reinado de Don Felipe II. Madrid: Impr. y litog. del Depósito de la guerra, 1898.