Portuguese Tangier (; ) covers the period of

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

rule over

Tangier Tangier ( ; ; ar, طنجة, Ṭanja) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel. The town is the cap ...

, today a city in

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

. The territory was ruled by the

Kingdom of Portugal The Kingdom of Portugal ( la, Regnum Portugalliae, pt, Reino de Portugal) was a monarchy in the western Iberian Peninsula and the predecessor of the modern Portuguese Republic. Existing to various extents between 1139 and 1910, it was also kno ...

from 1471–1661.

History

After the Portuguese started their

expansion Expansion may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''L'Expansion'', a French monthly business magazine * ''Expansion'' (album), by American jazz pianist Dave Burrell, released in 2004 * ''Expansions'' (McCoy Tyner album), 1970 * ''Expansio ...

by taking Ceuta in retribution for its piracy in 1415, Tangier became a major goal. Portugal attempted to capture Tangier in

1437 Year 1437 ( MCDXXXVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * February 20– 21 – James I of Scotland is fatally stabbed at Perth in a f ...

, 1458, and 1464 but only succeeded in 28 August 1471 after its population abandoned the city following the Portuguese

Conquest of Asilah The Portuguese conquest of Asilah ( ar, أصيلة، أرزيلة; Portuguese: ''Arzila'') in modern Morocco from the Wattasids took place on 24 August 1471. History Continuing with his policy of expansion of the Portuguese territories in Morocc ...

.. From Asilah King Afonso V dispatched the Marquis of Montemor Dom João ahead of a large detachment of troops to take possession of Tangier, and nominated as its first captain the Rodrigo Afonso de Melo, who took office with a garrison after the Marquis had left with the remainder of his troops. The original garrison of Tangier in 1471 numbered 40 horsemen; 470 infantry, of which 130 were crossbowmen; 10 gunners, 6 scouts. Tangier was considered too large for the Portuguese to adequately defend, hence King Afonso V ordered that three quarters of the city be demolished and the walls restricted to the remaining part. As in Ceuta, they converted its main

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

into the town's cathedral; it was further embellished by several restoration works. In addition to the cathedral, the Portuguese raised European-style houses and

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...

and Dominican chapels and monasteries..

Siege of Tangier, 1501

In 1501, the Sultan of Fez assembled an army of 12000 men to attack Tangier. The captain of Tangier Dom Rodrigo de Castro was warned of the impending attack shortly before the army of Fez reached the vicinity of the by a messenger dog that had arrived from Portuguese Asilah with a message hung around its neck. Dom Rodrigo readied the garrison, made a sally to cover the retreat of the farmers and the cattle still outside the walls, and after being wounded in the face and losing 9 men including his son, he withdrew behind the city walls. After fighting at the gate, the Sultan withdrew with his army four days later to attack Asilah instead.

Later history

The

Wattasids The Wattasid dynasty ( ber, Iweṭṭasen; ar, الوطاسيون, ''al-waṭṭāsīyūn'') was a ruling dynasty of Morocco. Like the Marinid dynasty, its rulers were of Zenata Berber descent. The two families were related, and the Marinids ...

assaulted Tangier in 1508, 1511, and 1515 but without success. In 1508, future Portuguese governor of India

Duarte de Menezes Dom Duarte de Menezes (before 1488 – after 1539), was a 16th-century Portuguese nobleman and colonial officer, governor of Tangier from 1508 to 1521 and 1536 to 1539, and governor of Portuguese India from 1522 to 1524. Background D. Duarte ...

succeeded his father as

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

, a function he had already been effectively performing in his father's name since 1507. He carved a formidable reputation as a military leader in numerous engagements around Tangier. The Sultan of Fez Abu Abd Allah al-Burtuqali Muhammad ibn Muhammad laid siege to Tangier in 1511. He succeeded in tearing down part of a bulwark and breach the defensive perimeter, however they were forced back by a force under the command of Dom Duarte de Meneses. Having attempted to storm the city again the following day, the Moroccans were once more prevented from advanving in urban combat, and the Sultan lifted the siege shortly afterwards.Luis Coelho de Barbuda: ''Empresas militares de Lusitanos'', 1624, p.170. In April 4 1512, the ''qaid'' of

Chefchaouen Chefchaouen ( ar, شفشاون, Shafshāwan, ), also known as Chaouen (), is a city in northwest Morocco. It is the chief town of the province of the same name and is noted for its buildings in shades of blue, for which it is nicknamed the "Blu ...

Ali Ibn Rashid al-Alam (''Barraxa'' in Portuguese) and the ''qaid'' of Tetouan Cid Almandri II (''Almandarim'' in Portuguese) devastated the region and villages around Tangier with 800 horse, however they were engaged by 200 horse and 200 foot of the garrison of Tangier under the command of Duarte de Meneses and routed, the Portuguese having captured plentiful spoil." Wattasids - Simplified map

An incident took place in Tangier on the night of September 16 1533: after Dom Álvaro de Abranches had handed the captaincy to Gonçalo Mendes Sacoto and was preparing to embark back to Portugal, two Moroccans managed to scale the wall with a ladder undetected by the ''Traição'' gate, and though an alarm was eventually sounded, they wounded the son of Dom Álvaro Dom Jorge with a spear, Domingues Gonçalves with two stabbings and made off with an African they captured. In 1532, King John III had already expressed to the Pope his intention of withdrawing from some fortresses in Morocco, however when he requested the opinions of the grandees of Portugal on the matter in 1534, he declared his wish to maintain Tangier. The

Portuguese Cortes In the Medieval Kingdom of Portugal, the Cortes was an assembly of representatives of the estates of the realm – the nobility, clergy and bourgeoisie. It was called and dismissed by the King of Portugal at will, at a place of his choosing.O'Ca ...

that held session between 1562 and 1563 after the Great Siege of Mazagan insisted that the king maintain Tangier and strenghten its garrison.

King Sebastian Sebastian ( pt, Sebastião I ; 20 January 1554 – 4 August 1578) was King of Portugal from 11 June 1557 to 4 August 1578 and the penultimate Portuguese monarch of the House of Aviz. He was the son of João Manuel, Prince of Portugal, and hi ...

entered Tangier on July 6th 1578 with a fleet of 50 warships and 900 transports bearing an army of over 15000 men, and while there was met by the former Sultan of Morocco

Abu Abdallah Mohammed II Saadi Abu Abdallah Mohammed II, Al-Mutawakkil, often simply Abdallah Mohammed () (died 4 August 1578) was a Sultan of Morocco from 1574 to 1576. He was the oldest son of Abdallah al-Ghalib and became Sultan after his father's death. Life Immediat ...

, who had appealed to Sebastian for help recovering his throne after having been deposed by his uncle

Abu Marwan Abd al-Malik I Saadi Abu Marwan Abd al-Malik I ( ar, أبو مروان عبد الملك الغازي), often simply Abd al-Malik or Mulay Abdelmalek, (b. 1541 – d. 4 August 1578) was the Saadian Sultan of Morocco from 1576 until his death right after the Battle ...

. Sebastian then moved his army to

Asilah Asilah (; ar, أزيلا or أصيلة; pt, Arzila; es, Arcila) is a fortified town on the northwest tip of the Atlantic coast of Morocco, about south of Tangier. Its ramparts and gateworks remain fully intact. History The town's history da ...

, and from there marched out for the fatal

Battle of Alcácer Quibir The Battle of Alcácer Quibir (also known as "Battle of Three Kings" ( ar, معركة الملوك الثلاثة) or "Battle of Wadi al-Makhazin" ( ar, معركة وادي المخازن) in Morocco) was fought in northern Morocco, near the t ...

, where the Portuguese were routed but all three monarchs perished in the action. The tenure of Jorge de Mendonça, the last captain of Tangier nominated by the Portuguese Crown before the

Iberian Union pt, União Ibérica , conventional_long_name =Iberian Union , common_name = , year_start = 1580 , date_start = 25 August , life_span = 1580–1640 , event_start = War of the Portuguese Succession , event_end = Portuguese Restoration War , ...

was marked by hardships in the city. The garrison had lost most of its horsemen and veteran soldiers in the Battle of Alcácer-Quibir, and there was a lack of food, which caused many to die of starvation, while poor weather prevented his successor from reaching the city with reinforcements for months. In 1580, it passed with the rest of Portugal's domains into

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...

control as part of the

but maintained its strictly Portuguese garrison and administration. In 1661, Tangier was given to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

dowry A dowry is a payment, such as property or money, paid by the bride's family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price and dower. While bride price or bride service is a payment b ...

Charles II of England Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651, and King of England, Scotland and Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685. Charles II was the eldest surviving child of ...

when he married

Catherine of Braganza Catherine of Braganza ( pt, Catarina de Bragança; 25 November 1638 – 31 December 1705) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England, List of Scottish royal consorts, Scotland and Ireland during her marriage to Charles II of England, ...

, along with the island of Bombay and 800,000 pounds sterling.Morse Stephens, 1891, p.330.

Portuguese captains of Tangier

*28 August 1471 to 1484? - Rodrigo Afonso de Melo, 1st Count of Olivença *1484? to 1486 - Manuel de Melo, Count of Olivença *1486 to 1489 - João de Meneses, 1st Count of Tarouca 1st Term *1487 to 1489 - Fernão Martins Mascarenhas, Interim *1489 to 1490 -

Manuel Pessanha Manuel Pessanha (Portuguese translation of Italian Emanuele Pessagno) was a Genoese merchant sailor who served in Portugal in the 14th century as the first admiral of Portugal at the time of King Denis of Portugal. His brother was Antonio Pessa ...

, Interim *1490? to 1501 - Lopo Vaz de Azevedo *1501 to 1501 - Dom Rodrigo de Castro *1501 to 1508 - João de Meneses, 1st Count of Tarouca, 2nd Term *1508 to 1521 - Duarte de Meneses, 1st Term

*1521 to 1522 - Henrique de Meneses *1522 to 1532 - Duarte de Meneses d'Évora *1532 to 16 September 1533 - Dom Álvaro de Abranches. *16 September 1533 to 1536 -

Gonçalo Mendes Sacoto Gonçalo is a Portuguese masculine given name and family name. People with the name include: *Gonçalo Brandão, a Portuguese footballer *Gonçalo Coelho, a Portuguese explorer of the South Atlantic and of the South American coast *Gonçalo Foro, ...

*1536 to 1539 - Duarte de Meneses, 2nd Term *1539 to 1546 -

João de Meneses João is the Portuguese equivalent of the given name John. The diminutive is Joãozinho and the feminine is Joana. It is widespread in Portuguese-speaking countries. Notable people with the name are enumerated in the sections below. Kings * Jo ...

*1546 to 1548 - Francisco Botelho *1548 to 1550 -

Pedro de Meneses Pedro is a masculine given name. Pedro is the Spanish, Portuguese, and Galician name for ''Peter''. Its French equivalent is Pierre while its English and Germanic form is Peter. The counterpart patronymic surname of the name Pedro, meaning ...

*1550 to 1552 - João Álvares de Azevedo *1552 to 1553 - Luís de Loureiro *1553 - Fernando de Menezes *1553 to 29 April 1554 -

Luís da Silva de Meneses Luis is a given name. It is the Spanish form of the originally Germanic name or . Other Iberian Romance languages have comparable forms: (with an accent mark on the i) in Portuguese and Galician, in Aragonese and Catalan, while is archaic ...

*29 April 1554 - 4 May 1554 - Pedro Garcia *4 May 1554 - 9 May 1554 Pedro Álvares Correia *9 May 1554 - Diogo Lopes de Franca *1554 to 1564 - Bernardim de Carvalho *1564 to 1566 - Lourenço de Távora *15 July 1566 to 1 August 1572 -

*1572 to 1573 - Rui de Carvalho *1573 to 1574 - Diogo Lopes da Franca *1574 to 15 August 1574 - António of Portugal *1574 to 1578 -

Duarte de Meneses, Viceroy of Portuguese India Duarte may refer to: * Duarte (surname), person's surname (or composed surname) and given name * Duarte, California, United States * Duarte Province, Dominican Republic * Pico Duarte Pico Duarte is the highest peak in the Dominican Republic, on th ...

*1578 to September 1578 - Pedro da Silva *7 September 1578 to 25 July 1581 -

Jorge de Mendonça Jorge is a Spanish and Portuguese given name. It is derived from the Greek name Γεώργιος ('' Georgios'') via Latin ''Georgius''; the former is derived from (''georgos''), meaning "farmer" or "earth-worker". The Latin form ''Georgius'' ...

*25 July 1581 to 1590 -

Francisco de Almeida Dom Francisco de Almeida (), also known as the Great Dom Francisco (c. 1450 – 1 March 1510), was a Portuguese nobleman, soldier and explorer. He distinguished himself as a counsellor to King John II of Portugal and later in the wars against the ...

*1590 to 17 June 1591 - Belchior da França and

Simão Lopes de Mendonça Simao may refer to: Portuguese name * Simão (footballer, born 1928), Brazilian footballer * Simão Sabrosa (born 1979), Portuguese footballer * Simão Mate Junior (born 1988), Mozambican footballer * Miguel Simão (born 1973), former Portugue ...

*17 June 1591 to 24 August 1599 -

Aires de Saldanha Aires de Saldanha (Santarém, Portugal, 10 May 1542 - Terceira, 19 August 1605) was a Portuguese military. He was the son of António de Saldanha, military and navigator who discovered the bay of Saldanha. He went to Portuguese India in 1558, wi ...

*24 August 1599 to 22 September 1605 -

António Pereira Lopes de Berredo Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular male ...

*22 September 1605 to March 1610 - Nuno de Mendonça *March 1610 to June 1614 -

Afonso de Noronha Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic kingdom in the Iberian peninsula. ...

*June 1614 to October 1614 - Luís de Meneses, 2nd Count of Tarouca *October 1614 to August 1615 - Luís de Noronha *August 1615 to 22 December 1616 - João Coutinho, 5th Count of Redondo *22 December 1616 to 1 July 1617 - André Dias da França *1 July 1617 to 1621 -

Pedro Manuel Pedro Manuel (died 1 January 1550) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Santiago de Compostela (1546–1550), Bishop of Zamora (1534–1546), and Bishop of León (1523–1534).

*1621 to 13 March 1622 - André Dias da França *13 March 1622 to July 1624 - Jorge de Mascarenhas, Marquis of Montalvão *July 1624 to 14 May 1628 -

Miguel de Noronha, 4th Count of Linhares Miguel de Noronha, 4th Count of Linhares (1585 – Madrid, 1647) was a Portuguese noble and military, loyal to King Philip III of Portugal (Philip IV of Spain). He became 4th Count of Linhares when his cousin in the third degree, Dom Fernan ...

*14 May 1628 to 18 June 1628 - Galaaz Fernandes da Silveira *18 June 1628 to 1637 - Fernando de Mascarenhas, Count of Torre *15 April 1637 to 24 August 1643 - Rodrigo Lobo da Silveira *1643 to 16 April 1645 - André Dias da França *16 April 1645 to 20 November 1649 - Caetano Coutinho *20 November 1649 to January 1653 - Luís Lobo, Baron of Alvito *January 1653 to 7 March 1656 - Rodrigo de Lencastre *7 March 1656 to 1661 -

Fernando de Meneses, 2nd Count of Ericeira Fernando de Meneses, 2nd Count of Ericeira (27 November 1614 — Lisboa; 22 June 1699), was a Portuguese nobleman and military man. He was Governor of Tangier until 1661. Governor of Tangier The Portuguese had started their colonial empire in ...

*1661 to 29 January 1662 - Luís de Almeida, 1st Count of Avintes

References

Source