Journey through Time

1659 - Linhas de Elvas Battle

The Battles

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Political Context Prior to the Battle of Linhas de Elvas

During the seventy-year period from 1580 to 1640, the government of the Filipes gradually became known as a period of peculiar kings.

This perception became more intense in 1621 during the reign of Filipe III who raised taxes and recruited Portuguese soldiers to serve in the Spanish army, namely in the war of Catalonia.

The Portuguese people perceived, and rightly so, that the raise in tax was not intended for an improvement in living conditions in Portugal, but to fund Spanish projects, namely military campaigns in Europe and its ultramarine expansion.

In light of this situation, the discontentment of Portugal gradually spread. The most important and distinguished aristocracy set in motion the Restoration, a movement that emerged on the 1st of December, 1640, with the immediate coalescence of other social levels, from the high clergy to the lowest classes.

This collective coalescence of the Portuguese people explains the human and material sacrifices present in the following years during the military resistance along the boarders and in the ultramarine territory.

After the Duke of Bragança was proclaimed D. João IV, the governors of the Kingdom where chosen, who immediately tried to ensure their administration and obtain the money and weapons necessary for their defence.

The proclamation of D. João IV became official on the 15th of December, in the Terreiro do Paço in Lisbon. Soon after, the young monarch summoned the Courts present in Lisbon since the 28th of January, 1641, with the participation of the clergy, aristocracy and the people of Lisbon.

Military confrontation began in 1641, with the scrimmages in Alto Minho, Beira Alta and above all on the coastal area of Algarve and Alentejo.

It was, however, on the 26th of May, 1644, that the first battle was recorded, the Battle of Montijo. Held in Spain, near Badajoz, 7,000 Portuguese soldiers managed to defeat 8,500 Spaniards, transforming the confrontation that had initially been considered unfavourable into a roaring victory.

During this period of great uncertainty and affliction concerning the future and facing the more than probable invasion of the Spanish army, D. João IV, in a ceremony held in 1646 in the Church of Vila Viçosa, consecrated the people of Portugal to the Immaculate Conception and proclaimed Our Lady as queen and patron saint of Portugal.

The kings of Portugal were never again able to place crowns on their heads as from this date the right was bestowed to Our Lady.

New courts, however, were introduced in Lisbon on October, 1653, that approved additional contributions to the war effort on behalf of the three states.

This financial and military effort was the basis of the victories that took place ten years later. The Courts were also used for the swearing in of prince D. Afonso as new heir to the throne.

D. João IV died in November 1656, having trusted the rule of the Kingdom in a will to D. Luísa de Gusmão. Although Spanish by birth, from the region of Andaluzia, D. Luísa immediately embraced her husband´s cause and efficiently served the Restoration movement both before and after the death of D. João IV, assuring the independence of Portugal and the survival of the Dynasty.

After the death of D. João IV, with the recovery of Catalonia in 1652 and with the military mollification in other fronts, namely after the end of the Thirty Year’s War, in 1648, Madrid decided to focus its strength on recovering Portugal.

The Unraveling of the Battle

In October, 1658, after forcing the Portuguese to end the attack on Badajoz, the Spanish army led by D. Luís de Haro pursued the Portuguese army, crossed the border in the Ribeira do Caia and formed the siege that would later lead to the Battle of Linhas de Elvas.

The Spanish army had approximately 14,500 men, of which 11,000 were infantrymen and 3,500 were knights. The Portuguese army comprised two parts.

The first, located inside the fort of Elvas, was formed by 5,000 infantrymen from the Army of Alentejo that had retreated from Badajoz, and 6,000 infantrymen, including militia and orderlies, as garrison of the square.

The second part consisted of a support army from Estremoz, with 11,000 men comprised of 2,500 paid soldiers, 5,500 aides and orderlies and 3,000 knights.

Having left Estremoz on the 11th of January, 1659, the Portuguese support army reached the Sierra do Bispo from where it sighted Elvas, on the 13th of January.

It arrived at Murtais, between the fort of Nossa Senhora da Graça and the fort of São Francisco, as if to imply that it would attack in another location. This strategy was successful and D. Luís de Haro decided to scatter the Spanish garrison along the lines of the siege and therefore weaken the strength of the army.

The Portuguese attack started at dawn at around seven o’clock, reaching Spanish lines at around nine in the morning. The Spanish troops only viewed the Portuguese military at eight o’clock, giving them some time to organize the defence.

The line of battle the Portuguese had chosen to start their attack was about 1,000 metres wide and presumably had five forts.

The unloading of Spanish fire inevitably produced visible losses in the Portuguese troops, but the Portuguese frontline managed to force the Spanish line upwards despite the solidity of the defence position.

The first rupture of the battle line was reported on the left, the nearest to the Fort of Nossa Senhora da Graça, as there were less Spanish soldiers available to aid the defence.

Once the defence line was broken, the Portuguese penetrated the other lines, isolating and attacking the forts. The Spanish cavalry of 700 horsemen positioned on the slope of the Fort Nossa Senhora da Graça charged towards the Portuguese but was attacked from the side by a Portuguese cavalry coming from the garrison of Elvas, which although less numerous, caused some disorganization and chaos. At this point Spanish cavalry coming from the barracks of Vergada also entered the battle and almost wiped out the Portuguese cavalry.

Fortunately the Portuguese front cavalry that had already penetrated the Spanish lines arrived just in time and, together with the Portuguese cavalry of the Elvas garrison, managed to chase out the Spanish cavalry to the Fort of Nossa Senhora da Graça and even to distant areas of the battlefield. For this reason the largest Spanish cavalry did not return to take part in this battle.

At around 10 o’clock in the morning, the Portuguese forces had penetrated the Spanish lines and initiated its attack on various forts and fortresses along the inner and outer siege lines leading to extremely difficult and disputed battles in all cases.

At approximately 3 o’clock in the afternoon, D. Luís de Haro, who had observed the battle of the Fort of Nossa Senhora da Graça without active participation, retreated to Badajoz taking practically the entire surviving cavalry with him.

By the end of the 14th of January the Fort of Nossa Senhora da Graça and the Court barracks were still in Spanish hands. The fort of Vergada, however, was abandoned and burned down by the Spanish military.

In all, the Spanish arms lost around 2,500 soldiers, captured 4,000 prisoners, 15,000 firearms and 20 canons as well as other military supplies The Portuguese suffered around 200 losses and 600 wounded, not including the 5,000 losses of the siege of Elvas, namely from the plague.

Consequences of the Battle of Linhas de Elvas

Firstly, the Battle of Linhas de Elvas hindered the intentions of Filipe IV of moving his army into Lisbon and reconquering Portugal. It became very clear in 1659 that the Portuguese were militarily organized and were moreover determined to fight for their independence, making the task set out by Portugal a lot more difficult and costly both in terms of human and material resources than what had originally been foreseen in Spain.

Secondly the Battle of Linhas de Elvas significantly increased the prestige of Portugal and its cause for independence in Europe. This fact brought valuable external support that militarily and democratically strengthened their capacity for defence.

After the Battle of Montijo in 1644, the Battle of Linhas de Elvas was the second greatest victory of the Portuguese Restoration. It represented implementation and substantiation of the land, of a spirit of state and of a desire of independence that was already generalized by the vast majority of the Portuguese population.