Battle of the Tagus
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The Battle of the Tagus was a naval engagement that took place on 11 July 1831 at the mouth of the
Tagus river The Tagus ( ; es, Tajo ; pt, Tejo ; see below) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales near Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally west with two main south-westward sections, to e ...
, in Portugal. A French fleet attacked and subdued Portuguese fortifications at the entrance of the Tagus, with the aim to strong-arm the government of Miguel I into recognising the newly established
Kingdom of the French The Kingdom of France ( fro, Reaume de France; frm, Royaulme de France; french: link=yes, Royaume de France) is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the medieval and early modern period. ...
. The damage to the forts defending access to the Tagus and the arrival of French warships at Lisbon forced the Portuguese to cave in and comply with French demands.


Background

The accession of King Miguel I to the throne of Portugal and abolition of the
Constitutional Charter A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these princi ...
had put the country under the rule of an absolutist monarch. Liberals challenged his rule, and the struggle of the
Liberal Wars The Liberal Wars (), also known as the Portuguese Civil War (), the War of the Two Brothers () or Miguelite War (), was a war between liberal constitutionalists and conservative absolutists in Portugal over royal succession that lasted from 18 ...
ensued. The government of Miguel I was hostile to France, and became even more so when the popular insurrection of the
July Revolution The French Revolution of 1830, also known as the July Revolution (french: révolution de Juillet), Second French Revolution, or ("Three Glorious ays), was a second French Revolution after the first in 1789. It led to the overthrow of King ...
deposed the absolutist Bourbon king
Charles X Charles X (born Charles Philippe, Count of Artois; 9 October 1757 – 6 November 1836) was King of France from 16 September 1824 until 2 August 1830. An uncle of the uncrowned Louis XVII and younger brother to reigning kings Louis XVI and Loui ...
, and established a
constitutional monarchy A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...
in which
Louis-Philippe Louis Philippe (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850) was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, and the penultimate List of French monarchs#House of Orléans, July Monarchy (1830–1848), monarch of France. As Louis Philippe, Duke of Chartres, h ...
had become "King of the French". Miguel refused to recognise the Monarchy of July,House of Commons papers, p. 307 while neither the French nor the British government recognised his. In early 1831, a French citizen, Edmond Potentin Bonhomme was sentenced to public flogging, a fine and exile for allegedly profaning a church,House of Commons papers, p. 299 a claim that French officials dismissed as "they had good reason to believe that many of the statements it comprehends, have no other foundation than the bigotry and malevolence of the Portuguese priesthood". Several other French citizen were similarly detained in what the French government judged to be arbitrary manners. The French consul in Lisbon, Cassas, was tasked to present a diplomatic demarche to the Portuguese government, but he was rebuffed as not having the diplomatic credentials of an ambassador.House of Commons papers, p. 288 Viscount d'Asseca requested a mediation of the British
Foreign minister A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...
,
Viscount Palmerston Viscount Palmerston was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created on 12 March 1723 for Henry Temple, who subsequently represented East Grinstead, Bossiney and Weobley in the British House of Commons. He was made Baron Temple, of Mount T ...
,House of Commons papers, p. 296 who advised the Portuguese to comply with French demands.House of Commons papers, p. 298 A squadron under Captain de Rabaudy, comprising the 60-gun frigate ''Melpomène'' and the 20-gun brig ''Endymion'', under Nonay, was sent to the mouth of the Tagus river to show the flag and give weight to the demands of the French consul. They arrived on 16 March 1831. Upon her departure from Brest, ''Melpomène'' ran aground on Basse Beuzec, and had to double back, leaving '' Endymion'' to continue her route. When ''Melpomène'' finally arrived on 16 May 1831, '' Endymion'' was already returning to France, with the consul aboard.Troude, ''op. cit.'', p.271 Rabaudy stated the purpose of his mission to Portuguese authorities and delivered the French ultimatum, demanding: # the release of the two imprisoned Frenchmen and the annulation of their sentence # an indemnity in their favour # destitution of the judges responsible # indemnities for a number of other Frenchmen # that Frenchmen be only arrested with the consent of a French judge, as was their privilege at the time. These demands had to be met 48 hours after reception. Portuguese authorities played for time. In consequence, Rabaudy's ''Melpomène'' started blockading Lisbon by preying upon shipping leaving and entering the Tagus, though their crew were immediately freed and sent ashore.House of Commons papers, p. 309 ''Melpomène'' was soon reinforced by a squadron under Captain Charmasson, of the 52-gun ''Sirène'', escorted by the 18-gun corvettes ''Diligente'' and ''Églé'', and the 20-gun brig ''Hussard''. While some of the ships cruised off the mouth of the Tagus, the others were detached to
Azores ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...
to hunt for a Portuguese Miguelist division that blockaded the Liberal controlled
Terceira Island Terceira () is a volcanic island in the Azores archipelago, in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is one of the larger islands of the archipelago, with a population of 53,311 inhabitants in an area of approximately . It is the location ...
; on 3 June, these ships captured the 24-gun corvette ''Urania'' and the 6-gun fluyt ''Oreste'',House of Commons papers, p. 312 but they failed to locate the rest of the Miguelist forces, and thus returned to the mouth of Tagus. In spite of the French blockade and their undermining of its war effort against Liberals, the Portuguese government refused to meet French demands, and the treatment of the French prisoners even deteriorated. The French therefore decided to escalate the matter, and
Henri de Rigny Marie Henri Daniel Gauthier, comte de Rigny (; 2 February 1782 – 6 November 1835) was the commander of the French squadron at the Battle of Navarino in the Greek War of Independence. Biography Family He was a nephew of Baron Joseph Domini ...
, French Minister of the Navy, appointed rear-Admiral Baron
Albin Roussin Albin Reine Roussin (21 April 1781 – 21 February 1854) was a French admiral and statesman. Republic and Empire His father was a lawyer who was arrested during the French Revolution when Roussin was aged twelve. He left home in Dijon and tra ...
to a 6-sail of the line squadron. Roussin was a veteran of the
Mauritius campaign of 1809–1811 The Mauritius campaign of 1809–1811 was a series of amphibious operations and naval actions fought to determine possession of the French Indian Ocean territories of Isle de France and Île Bonaparte during the Napoleonic Wars. The campaign la ...
, and had been honoured for his conduct at the
Battle of Grand Port The Battle of Grand Port was a naval battle between squadrons of frigates from the French Navy and the British Royal Navy. The battle was fought during 20–27 August 1810 over possession of the harbour of Grand Port on Isle de France (now Maur ...
.Troude, ''op. cit.'', p.272


Battle

The mission of Rear-admiral Roussin was to sail to Tagus, with his flag on the 90-gun ''Suffren'', and give the Portuguese authorities an ultimatum that demanded, in addition to that already given by Rabaudy, that the chief of the Portuguese police be dismissed; that all court sentences against French citizens be annulled; and that indemnities be paid to compensate for the costs induced by the expedition. The ultimatum expired 48 hours from reception, at which point the French forces would force the entrance of the Tagus, sail to Lisbon and bombard the city. Departed from Brest, the squadron arrived off the Tagus on 25 June, and stayed there waiting for the division inbound from Toulon, under Rear-admiral Hugon. On 31, the Portuguese government mobilised the warship on the Tage, though only two frigates and smaller warships could be marshaled at once; the strongest asset on Tage, the 74-gun ''Dom João VI'', needed over a month of work worth of repairs, and the 52-gun frigate ''Amazona'' could not be readied before twenty days. This left only the 54-gun ''Diana'' and the 44-gun ''Pérola'', with the 26-gun ''Dom João I'' and ''Lealdade'', to oppose the much stronger French squadron.House of Commons papers, p. 287 In addition, all the ships that the Portuguese could muster were much under-handed. The condition deteriorated on 1 July when ''Suffren'' and ''Melpomène'' chased the ''Lord Wellington'', a Portuguese merchantman inbound from Bahia; ''Lord Wellington'' fled under Fort Santo António to benefit from its protection. When the French ship approached, the fort opened fire, and a gunnery exchange broke out while the ships' boats were launched and captured the merchantman.House of Commons papers, p. 311 The French bombardment silenced the fort, killing five or six soldiers, and severely wounding thirty. On 6, Hugon's squadron arrived from Toulon. Being forced to inaction by unfavourable winds, Roussin attempted a last diplomatic demarche and on 10, he sent the 18-gun brig ''Dragon'', under Commander Théodore Deloffre,The House of Commons papers, p. 313, erroneously spell his name as "Theodore Delaffre"Roche, p. 156 to present a last ultimatum; ''Dragon'' also carried letters for the ships of the Tagus and for foreign diplomatic missions in Lisbon, and was under strict orders not to remain at anchor more than 24 hours.House of Commons papers, p. 313 The new ultimatum comprised the same condition as the first, but added that the Portuguese government should compensate France for the price of the naval expedition, and threatened of a "de facto war".House of Commons papers, p. 330 ''Dragon'' returned to the French fleet the next day with a refusal,Troude, ''op. cit.'', p.273 though Santarem attempted to surrender his French prisoners to the British as a token concession.House of Commons papers, p. 315 Captain
Vincent Moulac Vincent-Marie Moulac (Lorient, 22 March 1778 – Callao, 5 April 1836) was a French naval officer and privateer. Career Moulac volunteered as a boy in 1790, aged 12, and sailed with merchantmen to Ile de France. He then served on the 74-gun '' ...
, of ''Algésiras'', advised that the fleet attempt to force the entrance of the river and sail upstream to Lisbon.Levot, ''op. cit.'', p.465 On 11, the winds had turned, and a North-North-West wind allowed for the expedition upstream. The French squadron manoeuvred to form a
line of battle The line of battle is a tactic in naval warfare in which a fleet of ships forms a line end to end. The first example of its use as a tactic is disputed—it has been variously claimed for dates ranging from 1502 to 1652. Line-of-battle tacti ...
, and at 13:30, it sailed into the Southern pass. The French squadron sailed one by one in front of the forts, delivering broadsides at distances varying from 100 to 1000 metres, and reached
Paço de Arcos Paço de Arcos () is a locality of Oeiras, Portugal, Oeiras. In 2013, the parish of Paço de Arcos merged into the new parish Oeiras e São Julião da Barra, Paço de Arcos e Caxias. The population in 2011 was 15,315, in an area of 3.39 km² ...
in good order and with no serious damage. Roussin signaled his ships to sail on, but the two lead ships, ''Marengo'' and ''Algésiras'', failed to spot the signals and dropped their anchor, as was initially planned to repair damage sustained during the forcing of the pass; seeing that the flagship ''Suffren'' sailed before them without stopping, they promptly put to sail and took a place in the French line, but this mistake put ''Suffren'' at the front of the line.Troude, ''op. cit.'', p.274 Around 16:00, ''Suffren'' opened fire on the
Belém Tower Belém Tower ( pt, Torre de Belém, links=no, ), officially the Tower of Vincent of Saragossa, Saint Vincent ( pt, Torre de São Vicente, links=no) is a 16th-century fortification located in Lisbon that served as a point of embarkation and dis ...
at a distance of 100 metres, soon followed by the rest of the squadron, and anchored in front of the
Belém Palace The Belém Palace ( pt, Palácio de Belém), formally the National Palace of Belém, ( pt, Palácio Nacional de Belém), is the current official residence of the President of the Portuguese Republic, the head of state of Portugal. Located in the ...
while the other ships and frigates sailed on to the anchored Portuguese fleet. When the lead ship, ''Pallas'', opened fire on the Portuguese squadron, all its ships struck,Troude, ''op. cit.'', p.275 without firing a shot.House of Commons papers, p. 316 By 17:00, the entire French squadron was anchored before the docks of Lisbon, and Roussin sent his chief of staff,
Lieutenant commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding rank i ...
Charles Ollivier, to present the French ultimatum once again with a 2-hour delay. The Portuguese government attempted once again to turn its prisoners over to British officials, but the offer was once again refused.House of Commons papers, p. 317 The Portuguese government caved in, and a treaty was signed on 14 July on ''Suffren'' by Castello Branco and Roussin, with its dispositions published in the ''Lisbon Gazette'' on 15,House of Commons papers, p. 318–320 and the sums of money begin paid in cash by the 23. With the ultimatum accepted by the Portuguese, Roussin sent most of the squadron to sea, staying in front of Lisbon with only ''Suffren'', ''Pallas'' and ''Melpomène''; the 58-gun frigate ''Guerrière'', under Captain Kerdrain, rejoined him on 29.


Squadrons

Key *A † symbol indicates that the officer was killed during the action or subsequently died of wounds received. *The ships are ordered in the sequence in which they formed up for battle.


Aftermath

The treaty of 14 July specified that the French would return the ships captured before the attack on the Tagus, including the warships ''Orestes'' and ''Urania'' and the merchantmen with their cargo.House of Commons papers, p. 320House of Commons papers, p. 335 After a council of war on ''Trident'', the French decided to also return the captured 74-gun ''Dom João VI'' as, being neither armed nor manned during the action, she did not belong to an opposing force. Nothing was said, however, of the fleet captured at Lisbon itself. The Portuguese government protested,House of Commons papers, p. 339 and Roussin proposed that the ships be re-purchased for 1.5 million cruzados,House of Commons papers, p. 348 or to return half the captured ships, in exchange for the release of 400 political prisoners. When this offer was rejected, the ships in question were incorporated in the French fleet. The French squadron of Toulon departed on 25;House of Commons papers, p. 340 the prizes ''Diana'', ''Amazone'', ''Don João I'' and ''Don Pedro'' departed with on 12 with a brig, and the next day ''Perola'', ''Lealdade'', ''Saint Sebastian'' and ''Memoria'' followed.House of Commons papers, p. 349 The rest of the fleet eventually departed for Brest on 14 August, where it arrived on 4 September, leaving only ''Melpomène'' and ''Églé''. In recognition for the deed, Roussin was promoted to Vice-admiral. The Miguelists would suffer a crushing defeat at the hands of the Liberals at the Battle of Cape St. Vincent two years later, ending the reign of Miguel I.


Notes and references


Notes


References


Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tagus, Battle of the Conflicts in 1831 Naval battles involving France Naval battles involving Portugal Naval battles of the Liberal Wars 1833 in Portugal July 1831 events