Battle of Vila Franca do Campo 1582
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Year | 1582 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
|---|---|---|
| Era | Early modern (1500–1799) | derived from year |
| Nearest landmass | At sea (nearest continent: Islands & open ocean) | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Islands & open ocean | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | War of the Portuguese Succession | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | Dutch Republic, Hispanic Monarchy, Kingdom of England, Kingdom of France, Kingdom of Portugal | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 38.6440, -27.6530 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The naval Battle of Vila Franca do Campo, also known as Battle of Ponta Delgada and Naval Battle of Terceira Island, took place on 26 July 1582, off the coast of the island of São Miguel in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores, during the War of the Portuguese Succession. A combined corsair expedition, mainly French (a French, and English fleet with Portuguese forces included), sailed against a Spanish naval force made up of Portuguese and Castilian ships, to preserve control of the Azores under the pretender António, Prior of Crato and to defend the islands from incorporation into the Iberian Union, the largest French force sent overseas before the age of Louis XIV.
In the first engagement between large fleets of carracks and galleons operating at great distances from the mainland, the mercenary fleet under Filippo di Piero Strozzi was severely defeated by a squadron under Álvaro de Bazán. The Spanish victory resulted in the rapid Spanish conquest of the Azores and completed the incorporation of Portugal into the Spanish Empire.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Vila Franca do Campo (revision 1381315572), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Siege of São Filipe 1641 · 37 km
- Battle of Salga 1581 · 48 km
- Action of Faial 1594 · 91 km
- Battle of Flores (1591) 1591 · 320 km
- Battle of Flores (1592) 1592 · 320 km
Other battles of the War of the Portuguese Succession
- Battle of Salga 1581
Browse more: battles at sea · Islands & open ocean · Early modern battles