The English expedition to Portugal also known as the British Brigade in Portugal was a brigade raised during the reign of King Charles II for service in

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

during the ongoing

Portuguese Restoration War The Portuguese Restoration War ( pt, Guerra da Restauração) was the war between History of Portugal (1640–1777), Portugal and Habsburg Spain, Spain that began with the Portuguese revolution of 1640 and ended with the Treaty of Lisbon (1668), ...

against

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

in August 1662.Riley pp 75-78 The brigade, many of which were veterans of the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

s and the

Dutch Revolt The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt ( nl, Nederlandse Opstand) (Historiography of the Eighty Years' War#Name and periodisation, c.1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and t ...

, then fought in all the major battles and skirmishes under the command of

Frederick Schomberg, 1st Duke of Schomberg Friedrich Hermann von Schönberg, 1st Duke of Schomberg, 1st Count of Mertola, (french: Frédéric-Armand; pt, Armando Frederico; 6 December 1615 – 1 July 1690) was a Marshal of France and a General in the English and Portuguese Army. He was ...

and remained in Portugal until the end of the war being subsequently disbanded by mid 1668.McMurdo pp 424-25 The brigade under Schomberg's leadership, proved a decisive factor in winning back Portugal's independence.Riley p. Backcover

Background

The war between

and

had begun with the Portuguese revolution of 1640 and had resulted in the break up of 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 , ...

. After the

peace of the Pyrenees The Treaty of the Pyrenees (french: Traité des Pyrénées; es, Tratado de los Pirineos; ca, Tractat dels Pirineus) was signed on 7 November 1659 on Pheasant Island, and ended the Franco-Spanish War that had begun in 1635. Negotiations were ...

in 1659, the independence of

was threatened by a resurgent Spain, and thus Portugal asked for outside support. They turned to their old ally England but

the Restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...

of Charles II as monarch of

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 ...

proved a concern. He had previously been allied to Spain through the

Treaty of Brussels The Treaty of Brussels, also referred to as the Brussels Pact, was the founding treaty of the Western Union (alliance), Western Union (WU) between 1948 and 1954, when it was amended as the Modified Brussels Treaty (MTB) and served as the foundin ...

after

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...

Republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

had been at war with Spain. Charles however immediately annulled the treaty citing King

Philip IV of Spain Philip IV ( es, Felipe, pt, Filipe; 8 April 160517 September 1665), also called the Planet King (Spanish: ''Rey Planeta''), was King of Spain from 1621 to his death and (as Philip III) King of Portugal from 1621 to 1640. Philip is remembered f ...

's failure to aid in his restoration and instead answered Portugal's call for help.Davenport pp. 57-59 His marriage with

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, ...

, renewed the alliance between England and Portugal despite the protestations of Spain. As part of the treaty a brigade was raised for service in Portugal in 1662 to help win her independence.Riley pp 54-56 The decision to send troops to Portugal came from the need to find employment for

Cromwellian Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in History of England, English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 ...

and

Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governme ...

veterans of the English Civil War, and the Portuguese military needed experienced veterans to help fight the Spanish. The infantry were raised from three

New Model Army The New Model Army was a standing army formed in 1645 by the Parliamentarians during the First English Civil War, then disbanded after the Stuart Restoration in 1660. It differed from other armies employed in the 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Th ...

regiments in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

that were still not disbanded. The cavalry were raised from volunteers, the majority from the

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.fought the Spanish there in 1658.

English parliament The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England from the 13th century until 1707 when it was replaced by the Parliament of Great Britain. Parliament evolved from the great council of bishops and peers that advised ...

was to raise, pay and equip the brigade, and then once in Portugal they would be paid by the

Portuguese crown This is a list of Portuguese monarchs who ruled from the establishment of the Kingdom of Portugal, in 1139, to the deposition of the Portuguese monarchy and creation of the Portuguese Republic with the 5 October 1910 revolution. Through the nea ...

. Most of the soldiers were parliamentarians but also included many

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Royalist

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

and Scottish soldiers. They were formed, trained and commanded by Thomas Morgan, a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

veteran soldier from the Dutch Revolt and the Civil War. Once formed the brigade consisted of two infantry regiments, each of 1,000 men, and a cavalry regiment, just under 1,000 men totalling for the brigade around 3,000 men.Glozier, pp. 63-68

Portugal and Spain

Once in Portugal the British regiments at once were put into action but in the first few months of deployment, difficulties arose from the opposition of many Portuguese officers. To add to this, the Portuguese treated the British with contempt, not the least because of their

protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

religion. Despite this the Portuguese soon recognised that the British were the more reliable component in the army and made a more serious impression on the Spanish than other troops in the Portuguese Army. The brigade, however, suffered with sickness, which accounted for many losses, and battle casualties were rarely ever replaced from home. The British army uniform had red jackets ( doublets) as a colour having been established during the

Elizabethan The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history. The symbol of Britannia (a female personifi ...

times. By the 1660s red had become the predominant colour in British uniforms since the creation of the New Model Army in 1645. The regiment of infantry or horse was usually just designated as a regiment number, and not by the name of the colonel as was custom at the time. The first colonel was

Murrough O'Brien, 1st Earl of Inchiquin Murrough MacDermod O'Brien, 1st Earl of Inchiquin (September 1614 – 9 September 1673), was an Irish nobleman and soldier, who came from one of the most powerful families in Munster. Known as "''Murchadh na dTóiteán''" ("Murrough the Burner" ...

, who also commanded the British Brigade in the early stages. In 1662 he was succeeded, by the

in 1663 who was sent as military adviser to

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

with the secret approval of Charles II.

Louis XIV of France , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Versa ...

, in order not to infringe the treaty just made with Spain, deprived Schomberg of his French officers. In the field, however, the regiment was commanded by Michael Dongan, later by Lawrence Dempsey and finally by Frederick's son Meinhardt Schomberg.Childs pp. 169-71 The first infantry regiment was commanded by Henry Pearson while the second infantry regiment was commanded by James Apsley as colonel, and also Francis Moore as acting colonel. In 1665 the 2nd regiment was commanded by William Sheldon.Riley pp. 85-87 In the spring of 1663, a Spanish army under the command of Don Juan de Austria, son of

, had overrun the greater part of south Portugal with the important city of

Évora Évora ( , ) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. It has 53,591 inhabitants (2021), in an area of 1307.08 km2. It is the historic capital of the Alentejo and serves as the seat of the Évora District. Due to its well-preserved old to ...

taken on 22 May. This opened up for potential march on

, to the west. The British brigade moved with the Portuguese army under

Sancho Manoel de Vilhena Sancho Manuel de Vilhena, 1st Count of Vila Flor (1610–3 February 1677), was a Portugal, Portuguese Aristocracy (class), aristocrat and military leader, of royal background. He participated in several battles in Central Europe and fought the D ...

. The first battle took place near Degebe in June where a Spanish attempt to cross the river was defeated. Following this the army met up with the Spanish army outside Évora.McMurdo pp 419-20 At the

Battle of Ameixial The Battle of Ameixial, was fought on 8 June 1663, near the village of Santa Vitória do Ameixial, some north-west of Estremoz, between Spain, Spanish and Portugal, Portuguese as part of the Portuguese Restoration War. In Spain, the battle is b ...

fought nearby, the Anglo-Portuguese swiftly defeated the Spanish - Juan of Austria's standard was captured when his squadron was almost wiped out.Great Britain Royal Manuscripts, pp. 111-12 The standard was later presented to King

Afonso VI of Portugal Afonso VI (; 21 August 164312 September 1683), known as "the Victorious" (), was the second king of Portugal of the House of Braganza from 1656 until his death. He was initially under the regency of his mother, Luisa de Guzmán, until 1662, wh ...

himself. The Spanish casualties were very high, all of their artillery and baggage was captured, and the army was forced to retreat to

Badajoz Badajoz (; formerly written ''Badajos'' in English) is the capital of the Province of Badajoz in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain. It is situated close to the Portuguese border, on the left bank of the river Guadiana. The population ...

Extremadura Extremadura (; ext, Estremaúra; pt, Estremadura; Fala: ''Extremaúra'') is an autonomous community of Spain. Its capital city is Mérida, and its largest city is Badajoz. Located in the central-western part of the Iberian Peninsula, it ...

. The Spanish garrison of Évora nearly 3,700 men was then besieged but they being abandoned, capitulated on 24 June without a single casualty being inflicted on the British brigade.Riley pp. 96-98 Batalha de Montes Claros - gravura

After more quarrels with the Portuguese high command to get supplies to his men, Schomberg and the British brigade pressed ahead in the next campaign. On 10 June 1664 the siege of

Valencia de Alcántara Valencia de Alcántara (Population: 6178) is a municipality located in the province of Cáceres, in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain. It is near the Portuguese border (District of Portalegre), separated from it by the Sever. Histor ...

took place and a fortnight later after a breach had been in the defences - the English who bore the brunt leading the main assault suffered heavy casualties but forced the surrender of the Spanish garrison. The Portuguese soon realised their mistake in the mistrust and sent heaps of praise upon Schomberg and the English. The Count of Castelo Melhor made a comment soon after the surrender of Valencia de Alcantara. On 17 June 1665 at the

Battle of Montes Claros The Battle of Montes Claros was fought on 17 June 1665, near Vila Viçosa, between Spanish and a combined Anglo-Portuguese force as the last major battle in the Portuguese Restoration War. The battle resulted in a decisive Portuguese victory and ...

the brigade was crucial in the outcome.Riley pp. 122-23 The Portuguese under commander

António Luís de Meneses, 1st Marquis of Marialva António Luís de Meneses, 1st Marquis of Marialva and 3rd Count of Cantanhede (13 December 1596 – 16 August 1675) was a member of the Forty Conspirators and a Portuguese general who fought in the Portuguese Restoration War, that ended t ...

positioned his heaviest infantry, composing the British brigade under Schomberg once more, in two lines in the most vulnerable area and ordered his artillery to support them. As the battle raged Schomberg had his horse shot from under him, and was nearly captured, but the veteran brigade were able break the defences to bring about a decisive victory over the Spaniards under

Luis de Benavides Carrillo, Marquis of Caracena Luis Francisco de Benavides Carrillo de Toledo, Marquis of Caracena, Marquis of Fromista (20 September 1608 in Valencia – 6 January 1668 in Madrid) was a Spanish general and political figure. He served as Governor of the Habsburg Netherlands ...

. After Montes Claros the Spaniards failed to gain any compensating advantage but the war continued and Portugal was safe from further attack. Over the next two years Schomberg and the depleted English brigade helped to lead a series of raids across the border. In November they captured the fortress of A Guarda, plundered Alburquerque and stormed Tui. Over the course of the next year little fighting took place as France signed a treaty in March 1667. This never took effect as France never declared war on Spain. A ceasefire in September 1667 was declared after a palace coup within the Portuguese court forced King

into exile. Castelo Melhor was dismissed and went into exile in England, where he became an adviser to King Charles II.

Aftermath

A treaty had been signed by England and Spain at Madrid in 1667; in that treaty England agreed to mediate a treaty between Portugal and Spain or at least a thirty-year truce.Davenport pp.98-99 In 1668, desperate to reduce its military commitments, at almost any price, Spain accepted the loss of the Crown of Portugal and formally recognized the sovereignty of the House of Braganza by signing the

Treaty of Lisbon The Treaty of Lisbon (initially known as the Reform Treaty) is an international agreement that amends the two treaties which form the constitutional basis of the European Union (EU). The Treaty of Lisbon, which was signed by the EU member sta ...

with the promised English mediation.Barton p. 139McMurdo pp 439 At the conclusion of peace and with the war over, the brigade was then broken up with 1,000 men remaining in total out of the 3,500 men who made up the force.Riley p. 165 The remainder returned to seek service in England or abroad - but places and positions were hard to find. About half of the men were incorporated in the

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 ...

garrison, and the remainder were shipped back to England. Some remained in Portugal having found wives or sought to join various trades.

Notes

References

* * * * * * * Attribution: * {{DEFAULTSORT:English expedition to Portugal (1662-1668) Conflicts in 1662 17th-century conflicts 17th century in Portugal 17th century in Spain Wars involving Portugal Wars involving Spain Wars involving England 17th-century military history of the Kingdom of England Portuguese Restoration War English Army Portugal–United Kingdom military relations England–Portugal relations