Journey through Time

1663 – Ameixial Battle

The Battles

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The Political Context Prior to the Battle of Ameixial

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

This conception 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.

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. It was through these Courts that he recruited 20,000 infantrymen and 4,000 knights.

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

However, the first battle, the Battle of Montijo, occurred on 26 May 1644. This Battle was fought in Spain, near Badajoz, and ended with a resounding victory for Portugal.

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.

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.

On the 15th of November, 1656, D. Afonso VI was crowned king at the young age of thirteen.

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.

In January, 1659, the Battle of Linhas de Elvas started in which the Portuguese army obtained a vibrant success.

The rule of D. Luisa Gusmão lasted until the 23rd of June, 1662, date in which D. Afonso VI assumed the power of Portugal at the age of nineteen.

In April, 1663, the Spanish army commanded by D. João de Áustria, son of Filipe IV arrived at Badajoz ready to invade Portugal. The Spanish army comprised 15,000 infantrymen, 6,500 knights, 5,000 wagons with ammunition and supplies, and 20 pieces of artillery. It was the largest army that Spain had ever put together to invade Portugal.

The Unraveling of the Battle

The invading army continued on to Évora and conquered it on the 22nd of May. In light of this situation, the Portuguese army commanded by D. Sancho Manuel marched to Évora to fight.

The Spanish army did not, however, accept the challenge and decided to evacuate Évora marching toward the border to then reach Badajoz.

D. João de Áustria realized that avoiding battle any further was near impossible. Consequently, the Spanish army saw in Ameixial a favourable position, which was 5 km. from Estremoz.

D. João de Áustria decided to place his army in battle position, namely his artillery in three surrounding hills (Monte dos Ruivinos, Sierra Murada and Serra da Granja).

The Portuguese army was advancing along the road from Estremoz and viewed the Spanish army at dawn in these three defensive positions. The Battle of Ameixial started on the morning of the 8th of June, 1663 with the Portuguese attack on the Spanish positions.

The Count of Vila Flor ordered Manuel Freire de Andrade with five-hundred cavalry men and two infantry regiments to attack and expel the Spaniards from Monte dos Ruivinos because it was the first of the three hills he had sighted.

This attack was carried out with great bravery, forcing the Spaniards to abandon a position they considered impregnable and retreat down the other side of the hill towards Sierra da Granja and Sierra Murada (Outeiro dos Ataques).

At that moment the Portuguese army occupied the Serra dos Ruivinos and the Serra da Caldeirinha. Count de Schomberg ordered that five artillery pieces be placed on top of each hill to protect the army.

The Spanish army comprised around four thousand Manchego wagons, each of which measured approximately six metres, pulled by mules or ox, forming a huge procession.

This army moved slowly because of the “narrow and deep road” from Évora towards Arronches, forming a trail of wagons that was more than 3 km.long.

In order to protect the column of wagons and carriages, D. João de Áustria ordered the infantry to the peaks of Serra da Granja and Serra Murada, and four pieces of artillery in each hill.

The main aim of D. João de Áustria was to assure the withdrawal of his army to Arronches, where he considered his army could provide significant reinforcement.

Around three in the afternoon, D. Luís de Meneses, Count of Ericeira, who was leading the artillery of Monte dos Ruivinos, noticed that of the eight pieces of Castilian artillery on the Serras da Granja and Murada only four were actually shooting. That meant that the Spanish army was in retreat.

This Mountain was mainly defended by the Spanish infantry. Four thirds of the Portuguese infantry participated in the attack. Tristão da Cunha commanded the tercio that attacked the Mountain from the right; two thirds attacked the front, led respectively by João Furtado and Francisco da Silva; from the left Tomaz Hut, British wing commander led the other tercio, mostly composed of British soldiers.

The Portuguese soldiers had received orders from D. Luís de Meneses to abstain from shooting until they had reached the peak of the Mountain as enemy fire from the peak would lose strength and be imprecise.

Three thirds of the Portuguese arrived at the same time to the peak of this Mountain and fired all their weapons simultaneously, which greatly disturbed and surprised the Castilians. Despite the bravery of D. João de Áustria, the Spanish infantry abandoned the hill leaving behind four pieces of artillery.

These pieces were immediately used by D. Luís de Meneses against the Spanish positions. The fleeing Spanish infantry regrouped on the Serra da Espargueira that bordered Serra Murada. This resistance, however, did not last long and after continuous attacks from the thirds of the Portuguese army coming from Serra Murada. D. João de Áustria mounted his horse and retreated to Arronches.

Our forces had nonetheless managed to conquer Castilian positions of Serra da Granja, where the enemy infantry and artillery were located, as well as the column of carriages and Spanish cavalry that crossed the Vale dos Perdigais towards Arronches.

At that moment an extremely violent confrontation took place between the armies, proving the extreme courage of both sides. The Portuguese employed well-timed tactics and showed great bravery in all their attacks. Once again, after various hours this attack concluded in the retreat of the Castilian armed forces.

In the Vale dos Perdigais the Spanish cavalry and what remained of the infantry were under intense and continuous fire from the Portuguese artillery positioned on the slopes of Serra da Espargueira, Serra Murada, Tejos and Monte Pelado, making the exit of Spanish wagons and carriages along the so-called “narrow and deep road” almost impossible, especially in the tight ravines between Montinho and Monte Pelado towards Arronches.

The Spanish were therefore “jammed” in Vale dos Perdigais. To make matters worse, 4,000 Portuguese prisoners were at the front of the column and, after having witnessed the victory in favour of their fellow countrymen during the battle, turned against the Spanish taking all the weapons they could carry and attacking mercilessly.

The multitude of soldiers and companions at the end of the Spanish column, who also wanted to save their skins, crashed into their companions coming from the front, running each other over.

The arduous battle continued until night fall, once again proving the bravery of the Portuguese infantry and cavalry.

The Portuguese cavalry and infantry effectively attacked the column of Spanish wagons and carriages that slowly advanced escorted by the infantry, but mostly by the Spanish cavalry.

At day break it was possible to see the extent of the damage left behind on the Battle ground, both in the valleys and on the hills and slopes.

The Portuguese victory was staggering, leaving a devastated Spanish army with 4,000 dead, 2,500 wounded and 6,000 prisoners.

The Portuguese army also apprehended 18 canons, 2,811 horses, 5,000 carriages many of which were loaded with silver and gold, 6,000 ox, 8,000 mules, 6,000 grenades, 3,000 artillery bullets, 2 carriages of the Prince and 25 private carriages.

The Portuguese army lost approximately 1,000 Portuguese soldiers, three-hundred French soldiers and fifty British soldiers.

Consequences of the Battle

The Battle of Ameixial made it fundamentally possible for Portugal to continue being Portugal and reach the 21st century as an independent country. Consequently, this Battle is considered a strong Spanish attack in the sense of recovering the lost Country.

The result of this Battle was very significant and posed consequences to both sides. For Portugal the Battle of Ameixial represented the most important military victory as it solved the most dangerous situation that Portugal faced during the period between 1640 and 1668.

The Battle of Ameixial went down in history as one of the most violent and strenuous but also the most glorious of the Wars of Restoration.

For Spain, this Battle accentuated the general belief, namely in the Court and Spanish aristocracy, that submission of Portugal using arms was practically impossible and it was, therefore, useless to proceed in battle.

In an international scope, the Portuguese victory in Ameixial increasingly convinced France and England that a peace treaty between Portugal and Spain was desirable.

It is therefore possible to ascertain that the undisputable victory of Portugal in the Battle of Ameixial put an end to one the greatest threats to the restoration of Portuguese independence and made the dream of a free country possible.