Conquest of the Azores facts for kids

Quick facts for kids

Conquest of the Azores

Part of the War of the Portuguese Succession

The Spanish Tercios landing on Terceira (July, 1583).Painting at: El Escorial Hall of Battles.

Date	2 August 1583
Location	Terceira Island, Azores Islands
Result	Spanish victory

Belligerents

Portuguese loyal to Prior of Crato

France

England

Spain

Portuguese loyal to Philip of Spain

Commanders and leaders

Prior of Crato

Álvaro de Bazán

Strength

9,200 men
30 warships

11,700 men
96 warships

Casualties and losses

9,000 dead or captured
(Mostly prisoners)
30 warships captured

400 dead or wounded

The Conquest of the Azores was a big battle that happened on August 2, 1583. It took place on Terceira Island in the Azores Islands, which are part of Portugal. This battle was a key part of the War of the Portuguese Succession.

The fight was between two main groups. One group supported António, Prior of Crato, who wanted to be the King of Portugal. He had help from soldiers from France and England. The other group supported King Philip II of Spain, who also claimed the Portuguese throne. His forces included Spanish and Portuguese soldiers, led by Admiral Álvaro de Bazán.

Admiral Bazán's forces won this battle. This victory helped Spain take control of the Azores quickly. It also led to Portugal and its colonies joining the Spanish Empire for a period of time. After just one day of fighting, the forces on Terceira Island were defeated by the Spanish soldiers, known as Tercios. A few days later, Spanish and Portuguese troops landed on Faial Island. They defeated and captured French and English soldiers there. In the end, many soldiers from Portugal, France, Italy, and England were captured. The foreign soldiers were allowed to leave safely. However, some of António's supporters who tried to escape faced severe consequences. António himself managed to get away.

Why the Battle Happened
The Landing on Terceira
The Main Battle
Taking Faial Island
What Happened Next
See also

Why the Battle Happened

After a previous victory at the Battle of Ponta Delgada, Admiral Álvaro de Bazán prepared a huge invasion. He gathered a large fleet of 98 ships and over 15,000 men. His goal was to land an army on the islands. The ships were there to protect the troops and help them land safely. King Philip II of Spain ordered Bazán to deal harshly with any French or English soldiers found fighting against his forces.

The people on Terceira Island expected the Spanish to land at certain harbors. They prepared their defenses there. However, Admiral Bazán decided to land his main force at Mole, a beach that was not as well defended. It was about 10 miles from the main city of Angra.

António, Prior of Crato was on Terceira Island for a while. He helped organize local defenses. He then left to get more help from France. The Queen Mother of France, Catherine de' Medici, sent about 1,600 French and English soldiers. These soldiers were led by Aymar de Chaste, who then took command of the islands' defenses.

De Chaste made the defenses stronger on Terceira. He built many stone forts and outposts along the southern coast. These were connected by trenches and had many cannons. The defending soldiers were a mix. The French and English were experienced fighters. But the local Portuguese militia was not as reliable. On the other hand, most of the Spanish troops were very experienced. They had fought in other wars, like the Dutch Revolt.

The Landing on Terceira

The Spanish army landed at Calheta das Mós, near Angra. This happened early on July 26, 1583. The date was chosen because it was exactly one year after Bazán's victory at Ponta Delgada. At 3:00 AM, Spanish ships headed to the beach. They towed landing crafts carrying about 4,500 soldiers. Admiral Bazán himself led this operation.

The beach was guarded by the Fort of Santa Catarina. A French captain and his men, along with some Portuguese soldiers, were there. When the Spanish ships appeared at dawn, they started firing cannons. Bazán's lead ship faced heavy fire. However, with the help of other ships, they managed to silence the fort.

The landing crafts reached the beach and dropped off the soldiers. Among the first to land was Rodrigo de Cervantes, the brother of the famous writer Miguel de Cervantes. They faced gunfire from trenches and walls, which caused some injuries and deaths. The Spanish then attacked the fort using ladders. They captured it, and many of the defenders were killed. Taking Fort Santa Catarina allowed the Spanish to land more soldiers, cannons, and supplies. They easily took control of the hills around the area. Bazán then ordered his forces to move towards Vila da Praia to meet the French army. De Chaste also gathered his troops and cannons to fight the Spanish.

The Main Battle

Spanish Admiral Don Álvaro de Bazán. Naval Museum of Madrid.

Admiral Bazán arranged his army in three lines. The German soldiers were on the right side, and the Spanish on the left. The first group of soldiers faced strong resistance in the hedges and fences. De Chaste launched fierce counterattacks, breaking the Spanish front line several times. However, Bazán sent in more soldiers, and they held their ground.

Later in the afternoon, Manuel da Silva arrived with 1,000 Portuguese soldiers. He also brought a herd of cows to try and disrupt the Spanish lines. De Chaste felt strong enough to attack again. But night fell, stopping the fighting. After 16 hours of battle, the Spanish army had lost about 70 men and had 300 wounded. The French and Portuguese had about 70 deaths and over 400 wounded or captured.

The morning after the battle, De Chaste's Portuguese allies left him. They fled into the mountains. The Spanish quickly took the lead and moved towards São Sebastião. De Chaste retreated with his French troops to a mountain called Nossa Senhora da Guadalupe. This allowed Bazán to capture Angra without a fight. In Angra, the Spanish captured 13 French, 16 Portuguese, and 2 English ships. They also freed 30 Spanish and 21 Portuguese supporters of King Philip II from jail.

The French began digging trenches on the mountain slopes. But the soldiers started to refuse orders and wanted to surrender to the Spanish. De Chaste managed to stop this rebellion. However, as the Portuguese militia surrendered to Bazán, De Chaste realized he could not win. He continued talking with the Spanish about surrendering.

De Chaste had a friendship with a Spanish commander, Pedro de Padilla. They had served together in the Great Siege of Malta. Because of this, De Chaste hoped for good surrender terms. In the end, only the officers were allowed to keep their weapons. The English and Italian soldiers were included in the surrender agreement. However, the Portuguese rebels were not given the same terms.

Taking Faial Island

On July 30, Pedro de Toledo sailed from Angra. He had 12 galleys and many smaller ships, carrying 2,500 soldiers. His mission was to capture Faial Island. There were about 400 or 500 French and English soldiers still holding out there, supported by local people.

Toledo sent a messenger to talk with the foreign troops. But the Portuguese commander, António Guedes de Sousa, killed the messenger. Toledo then landed his troops and captured the Fort of Santa Cruz. The French and English soldiers on Faial were given the same surrender terms as De Chaste's men on Terceira. However, Guedes de Sousa faced severe punishment for killing the messenger. On August 8, the Portuguese governor, Manuel da Silva, also faced severe punishment in Angra.

What Happened Next

Dom António managed to escape from Terceira Island with some of his men.

With the capture of Terceira Island, the Azores Islands were fully controlled by King Philip II of Spain. He was also King Philip I of Portugal. This victory ended the war. It led to the complete joining of the Kingdom of Portugal and its colonies into the Spanish Empire.

Dom António, who wanted to be king, returned to France. He lived near Paris for a while. In 1589, after the Spanish Armada, he joined an English expedition. This expedition, supported by the Dutch Republic, sailed to Spain and Portugal. However, the English Armada was defeated.

Dom António later moved to England because he feared spies from King Philip II. Queen Elizabeth I of England and her advisors were worried about Spain's growing power. Spain had won battles in the Azores and on the Flemish coast in 1583.