Latest / The History of Portugal: The Small Nation That Built a Global Empire — Fexingo History / Portugal's Forgotten Royal Refuge: The Island of Terceira
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've talked a lot about Portugal's empire overseas — Diu, Malacca, Brazil, Africa, Japan. But there's one chapter that often gets overlooked, and it happens right after the disaster at Alcácer Quibir. When King Sebastião died in 1578 without an heir, it triggered a succession crisis that led to the Iberian Union — Portugal under the Spanish Habsburgs for sixty years. Luna: Right, that's the whole 'Encoberto' myth, Sebastião vanishing in battle and people believing he'd return. Lucas: Exactly. But while Sebastião's body was never found, the immediate political crisis was very real. The throne passed to his elderly great-uncle, Cardinal Henrique, who was old and childless. He died in 1580, leaving three main claimants: Philip II of Spain, who had a Portuguese mother; Catherine, Duchess of Braganza; and António, Prior of Crato — an illegitimate grandson of King Manuel I. Luna: Wait, António was illegitimate? That seems like it would weaken his claim. Lucas: It did, and Philip II used that to argue his own case. But António was popular among the common people and the lower clergy — he was Portuguese-born and seen as a nationalist figure. In June 1580, he proclaimed himself king in Santarém. But he only held power for about a month. Spanish forces under the Duke of Alba marched into Portugal and crushed his army at the Battle of Alcântara. António fled to the north, then to France, then to England — always trying to gather support for a return. Luna: So he became a king in exile. Where did he go? Lucas: That's where the Azores come in. Specifically the island of Terceira, in the central group. The Azores were strategically vital — they were the last stop for ships returning from the Indies, laden with spices and gold. Most of the islands accepted Philip II, but Terceira and a couple of others declared for António. The local governor, Ciprião de Figueiredo, fortified the island and refused to surrender. Luna: So Terceira became a rebel stronghold in the middle of the Atlantic. Lucas: Exactly. For four years, from 1580 to 1583, Terceira held out against the Spanish Empire. The islanders, along with a motley collection of French and English volunteers, turned their harbours into a base for privateering against Spanish shipping. And António himself arrived in 1581, setting up a rival court in Angra, the main town. It was a tiny, embattled outpost of Portuguese independence. Luna: How did Philip react? He couldn't just leave a hostile island in the middle of the Atlantic, right? Lucas: He sent two expeditions. The first, in 1581, was a small fleet under the command of Pedro de Valdés, but it was driven off by storms and French privateers. That gave the Terceirenses a boost in morale. But Philip was determined. He ordered his best admiral, Álvaro de Bazán, the Marquis of Santa Cruz, to assemble a massive fleet. Meanwhile, António managed to secure French support — Catherine de Medici sent a fleet under Philippe Strozzi, a Florentine admiral in French service. Luna: So there was going to be a big naval battle. Lucas: The Battle of São Miguel, on 26 July 1582. Strozzi had about 60 ships, mostly French and Portuguese, with around 7,000 men. De Bazán had around 40 ships, but they were heavily armed and manned by veteran Spanish soldiers. The two fleets met off the coast of São Miguel Island, near the town of Vila Franca do Campo. It was a brutal, close-quarters fight. Strozzi tried to board the Spanish flagship, but de Bazán was a brilliant tactician. He used his artillery to shatter the French formation, then sent in his soldiers. Strozzi was killed, and his fleet was annihilated — over 1,500 men died, and many French ships were captured. Luna: That's a huge defeat. What happened to the survivors? Lucas: De Bazán treated the captured French soldiers harshly, executing many of them as pirates. But the Portuguese rebels he treated as traitors — he had about 800 of them hanged or thrown overboard. It was a brutal signal: no mercy for those who defied Philip. But even after that naval victory, Terceira itself remained unconquered. The island's fortifications were strong, and the defenders were determined. Luna: So de Bazán had to come back the following year? Lucas: He did, in July 1583, with an enormous invasion force: over 15,000 men on more than 100 ships. He landed at the bay of Mole, on the north coast of Terceira, and met surprisingly little resistance at first — the defenders had concentrated their forces near Angra. De Bazán's troops quickly captured the coastal forts and marched overland. The governor, Ciprião de Figueiredo, tried to mount a defence at a fortified hill called Salga, but it was hopelessly outnumbered. In a desperate move, he released cattle into the Spanish ranks to disrupt them — it worked briefly, but the Spanish reformed and overwhelmed the Portuguese. Figueiredo was captured and later executed. Within a month, the entire island was under Spanish control. Luna: Wait — cattle? Like, they used stampeding cows as a weapon? Lucas: That's the story. During the Battle of Salga, Portuguese peasants drove cattle into the Spanish lines. It caused confusion and some casualties, but it wasn't enough. The Spanish infantry were too disciplined. Still, it shows the desperation of the defenders — they used everything they had. Luna: What happened to António? Was he on the island during the invasion? Lucas: He had left Terceira a few months earlier, in early 1583. He sailed for France, then England, trying to drum up more support. He even met with Queen Elizabeth I, who was sympathetic but cautious — she didn't want an open war with Spain just yet. António eventually died in exile in Paris in 1595, still claiming to be the rightful king. He was buried in a convent, and his cause faded. Luna: It's such a tragic end. A king without a kingdom. Lucas: It is. And the fall of Terceira marked the final consolidation of the Iberian Union. The Azores became a key base for Spanish fleets, and the Portuguese resistance was crushed — at least for a while. But the memory of Terceira's defiance lived on. When Portugal finally regained its independence in 1640, the Azores were among the first territories to declare for the new king, João IV. And the story of António, Prior of Crato, became part of the national myth — a symbol of resistance against foreign domination. Luna: I'd never heard about the cattle tactic before. That's the kind of detail that makes history feel so vivid. Lucas: Yeah, it's those small, desperate choices that stick with you. And speaking of choices that make a difference — we've been doing these episodes without any ads, and we want to keep it that way. If you enjoy hearing these stories, you can support the show at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Just a simple way to say thanks and help us keep going ad-free. Luna: Absolutely. It's nice to know that listener support lets us cover these overlooked stories without any commercial breaks. Lucas: So after the fall of Terceira, the Iberian Union lasted until 1640. But the resistance didn't end entirely. There were plots, uprisings, and a steady undercurrent of Portuguese nationalism. And one of the most interesting figures in that period was a woman — a nun from the Azores who became a symbol of Portuguese resistance. But that's a story for another time. Luna: A nun? I'm going to hold you to that. Next episode? Lucas: Let's see. There's plenty more to explore — the role of the Azores in the Age of Sail, the privateers, the volcanic island of São Miguel... But for now, I think we've given Terceira its due. A tiny island that stood up to an empire. Luna: And almost won.