Battle of Alcântara (1580)

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Battle of Alcântara

Part of the Spanish Annexation of Portugal

Date	August 25, 1580
Location	Alcântara (Lisbon), Portugal
Result	Decisive Spanish victory

Combatants

Portugal

Spain

Commanders

António I of Portugal and the Count of Vimioso

Duke of Alba

Strength

6,500 infantry
750 cavalry
30 guns

8,000 infantry
1,800 cavalry
22 guns

Casualties

4,000 dead, wounded, or captured

500 dead or wounded

The Battle of Alcântara took place on August 25, 1580, near the river Alcântara, in the vicinity of Lisbon, Portugal, and was a decisive victory of the Spanish over the Portuguese.

In Portugal, the death of Sebastian of Portugal in 1578, without any heirs to succeed him, had plunged the country into a dynastic crisis. King Philip II of Spain was one of seven who laid claim to the Portuguese throne, and in June 1580 a Spanish army invaded Portugal, under the command of Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alba.

The Duke of Alba met little resistance and in July landed his forces at Cascais, west of Lisbon. By mid-August, the Duke was only 10 kilometers from the city. West of the small river Alcântara, the Spanish encountered a Portuguese force on the eastern side of the river, commanded by Dom António, Prior of Crato (a grandson of Manuel I who had proclaimed himself king as António I) and his lieutenant, the Count of Vimioso.

The battle ended in a decisive victory for the Spanish, both on land and sea. Two days later, the Duke of Alba captured Lisbon, and on March 25, 1581, Philip II was crowned king of Portugal.

Spain and Portugal would remain personally united under one king for the next 60 years, until 1640.