Treaty of Lisbon (1668) facts for kids

The Treaty of Lisbon of 1668 was a peace agreement signed between Portugal and Spain in Lisbon on February 13, 1668. England helped both sides reach this agreement. In this treaty, Spain officially recognized that Portugal's new ruling family, the House of Braganza, was the rightful ruler of the country.

The regent of Spain, Queen Mariana of Austria, who was the second wife of the late King Philip IV of Spain, handled the talks for Spain. She was acting on behalf of her young son, Carlos II of Spain.

For Portugal, the prince-regent, Pedro, who would later become King Peter II of Portugal, represented the country. He was acting for his brother, Afonso VI of Portugal, who was unable to rule.

The peace talks were helped by Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich, who was an ambassador from King Charles II of England.

Why the Treaty Was Needed

Portugal's Fight for Freedom

By 1640, the king of Spain, Philip IV of Spain, who was also king of Portugal, had lost the trust of many Portuguese nobles. Portugal was being taxed too much, and its colonies were not protected. The country was close to a rebellion.

After 60 years of being ruled by Spanish kings, a small group of people in Lisbon rebelled. On December 1, 1640, the Duke of Braganza was named King of Portugal as John IV of Portugal. This happened while Spain was busy with a rebellion in Catalonia and a war with France. This event started the Portuguese Restoration War, which lasted 28 years.

Battles and Victories

At first, Portugal lost many of its colonies to the Dutch. Portugal focused its military on protecting its own borders from Spanish attacks. But after 1648, when the Thirty Years' War ended, Portugal started to win back its colonies. By 1654, it had regained Angola, São Tomé, and Brazil.

In 1652, the rebellion in Catalonia against Spain ended. In 1659, Spain also ended its war with France. This made Spain hopeful that it could regain control over Portugal. However, Portugal had wealth from Brazil and help from France and then England. Spain, on the other hand, was always struggling with money problems.

Portugal, with help from a British army, had several important victories. These wins showed that the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) would not be united under Spanish rule again.

• On June 8, 1663, the count of Vila Flor, Sancho Manoel de Vilhena, along with Marshal Schomberg, defeated John of Austria the Younger at the Battle of Ameixial. They then took back Évora, a city Spain had captured earlier that year.
• A year later, on July 7, 1664, a local military leader named Pedro Jacques de Magalhães defeated the Duke of Osuna at Ciudad Rodrigo in Spain.
• Finally, on June 17, 1665, the marquis of Marialva and Schomberg destroyed a Spanish army at the Battle of Montes Claros. This was followed by another defeat for Spain at Vila Viçosa.

Spain could not win any major battles. A year later, Spain was desperate to end its military spending. It accepted that it had lost Portugal. A treaty was signed between England and Spain in Madrid in 1667. Because of this, England helped Portugal and Spain negotiate the Treaty of Lisbon, which recognized Portugal's independence under the House of Braganza.

What the Treaty Said

Key Agreements

The treaty had several important points:

• The Spanish ruling family, the Spanish Habsburgs, officially accepted that the Braganza family was the rightful royal family of Portugal.
• Portugal's control over its colonies was confirmed. The only exception was the city of Ceuta in Africa, which chose to remain with Spain and did not recognize the Braganza family.
• The treaty also included agreements for exchanging prisoners, paying for damages from the war, and restarting trade between the two countries.
• Portugal gave up Ceuta to Spain. Seven years earlier, the nearby city of Tangiers had been given to King Charles II of England as part of the dowry when he married Catherine of Braganza.

What Happened After the Treaty

New Paths for Portugal

The treaty was good for both countries. Spain was happy to end a very expensive war. Portugal could now focus on its overseas colonies.

After 1668, Portugal wanted to be different from Spain. It started looking to countries in Western Europe, especially France and England, for new ideas and skills. This was part of a slow process of becoming less "Iberian" (like Spain) and more independent. Portuguese pride, which grew from their victories in battle, led to negative feelings towards Spanish things and people.

Portugal's independence allowed it to develop its economy and trade. In the 17th century, Portugal's economy mainly relied on trading tobacco, sugar, and salt. In the 18th century, while these goods were still important, the Portuguese economy also grew with trade in slaves, gold, leather, and wine. Lisbon became a busy port, and Portugal's trade was greatly influenced by English and Dutch businesses and the economy of its colony in Brazil.

See also

Learn more about the Treaty of Lisbon (1668) in Spanish.

• In Spanish: Tratado de Lisboa (1668) para niños