War of the Portuguese Succession

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For the 14th-century succession war, see 1383–1385 Portuguese interregnum. For the 19th-century succession war, see Liberal Wars.
War of the Portuguese Succession
Part of the
Azores Islands
Result

Victory for Phillip II[1][2][3]

  • King of Portugal.[2]
Territorial
changes		 The Iberian Union: Acquisition of the Kingdom of Portugal and its colonial possessions by Philip II of Spain
Belligerents Spain
Pro-Philip Portugal

Pro-Crato Portugal

Supported by
Commanders and leaders
  • Duke of Braganza

The War of the Portuguese Succession, a result of the extinction of the Portuguese royal line after the Battle of Alcácer Quibir and the ensuing Portuguese succession crisis of 1580, 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 his first cousin Philip II of Spain, who eventually succeeded in claiming the crown, reigning as Philip I of Portugal.

The Cardinal-King

The Cardinal

Aviz dynasty, but Pope Gregory XIII, affiliated with the Habsburgs, did not release him from his vows. The Cardinal-King died two years later, without having appointed a Council of Regency
to choose a successor.

Claimants to the throne

See also:
1580 Portuguese succession crisis § Genealogical summary

Portuguese nobility was worried about the maintenance of their independence and sought help to find a new King. By this time the Portuguese throne was disputed by several claimants; among them were

Ranuccio I Farnese, Duke of Parma, Philip II of Spain, and António, Prior of Crato. The Duchess was later acknowledged by the Habsburgs as the legitimate heir, after her descendants obtained the throne in 1640 (in the person of John IV of Portugal), but at that time, she was only one of several possible heirs. According to the feudal custom, her late older sister's son Ranuccio, an Italian, was the closest heir, then the Duchess herself, and only after them, King Philip. Philip II of Spain
was a foreigner (although his mother was Portuguese) and descended from Manuel I by a female line; as for António, although he was Manuel I's grandson in the male line, he was an illegitimate grandson.

Ranuccio Farnese (1569–1622), the hereditary Duke of Parma and Piacenza, was the son of the late elder daughter of Duarte of Portugal, Duke of

Henry I of Portugal
's death triggered the struggle for the throne of Portugal when Ranuccio was 11 years old. However, his father was an ally and even a subject of the Spanish King, another contender, so Ranuccio's rights were not very forcibly claimed at that time. Ranuccio became reigning Duke of Parma in 1592.

Instead, Ranuccio's aunt Catherine, Duchess of Braganza, claimed the throne, very ambitiously, but failed. Catherine, Duchess of Braganza was married to Duke

Duarte I
. The Duchess also had a son, Dom Teodósio of Braganza, who would be her royal heir and successor to the throne. The Duchess's claim was relatively strong, as it was reinforced by her husband's position as one of the legitimate heirs; thus they would both be entitled to hold the Kingship. Moreover, the Duchess was living in Portugal, not abroad, and was not underage, but 40 years old. Her weaknesses were her sex (Portugal had not had a generally recognized reigning queen) and her being the second daughter, there thus existed a genealogically senior claimant.

King of Portugal
.

According to the old feudal custom, the line of succession of the Portuguese throne would have been:

Succession

Both António and Philip were the grandchildren of King Manuel I of Portugal :

  • António was known [
    Louis, 5th Duke of Beja
    ).
  • Philip, in contrast, was the eldest grandchild, but he descended from a legitimate (albeit female) line, through his mother, Infanta Isabella of Portugal. Although he spent most of his life in Spain, the Portuguese high nobility and high clergy supported Philip of Spain's claim.

War

On July 24, 1580, António proclaimed himself as

Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alba
on August 25. The Battle ended in a decisive victory for the Spanish Habsburgs, both on land and sea. Two days later, the Duke of Alba captured Lisbon.

In early 1581, António fled to France and, as Philip's armies had not yet occupied the

Battle of Ponta Delgada off Terceira Island on July 26, 1582 and off São Miguel Island on July 27, 1582. António's attempt to rule Portugal from Terceira Island, in the Azores
(where he even minted coins) came to an end in 1583.

Consequences

The combined Spanish-Portuguese navy's victory resulted in the rapid conquest of the Azores, completing the dynastic union of the Portuguese and Spanish empires. The King Philip II of Spain was recognized as King Philip I of Portugal and of the Algarves by the Portuguese Cortes of Tomar (1581). In 1589, António made an attempt on Lisbon supported by English forces under the command of Sir Francis Drake and Sir John Norreys. When the people failed to rise and yield the city to Dom António, the attempt was abandoned.[4] Spain and Portugal would remain united in a dynastic union of the crowns (remaining formally independent and with autonomous administrations) for the next 60 years, until 1640. This union is called the Iberian Union.[5]

Notes

  1. ^ Geoffrey Parker p. 35
  2. ^ a b Geoffrey Parker p. 73
  3. ^ Nascimiento Rodrigues/Tessaleno Devezas p. 122
  4. ^ Richard Hakluyt, Principal Navigations, 1600, 3: 134–155; R. B. Wernham, The Expedition of Sir John Norris and Sir Francis Drake to Spain and Portugal, 1589
  5. S2CID 201417270
    .

References
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