Battle of Montes Claros

Who Fought

History & Significance

The Battle of Montes Claros was fought on 17 June 1665, near Borba, 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 is considered one of the most important battles in the country's history.

By 1665, the Portuguese Restoration War had been raging for 25 years. Despite numerous setbacks, King Philip IV of Spain was determined to crush the Portuguese insurrection. After a disastrous campaign in Southern Portugal culminated in the 1662 Battle of Ameixial, the Spanish court re-evaluated the performance of the Spanish Army and came to the conclusion that the war could only be ended by decisive action. The court believed that the Portuguese insurrection could only be ended by the capture of a major Portuguese city or by the complete destruction of the Portuguese Army. Luis de Benavides Carrillo, Marquis of Caracena, a veteran of campaigns in Italy and the Netherlands, was appointed to lead the new invasion of Portugal. Carrillo had served as a field commander and as a military governor, and his organizational skills were lauded. Carrillo planned to end the war by capturing the Portuguese capital of Lisbon. To reach the city, he planned first to take Vila Viçosa, followed by Setúbal.

Once he was in command, Carrillo wanted to gather his army's strength to ensure that he outnumbered whatever Portuguese army chose to engage him. However, the worsening illness of King Philip caused the court to order him to proceed with the invasion, as they feared that the death of Philip would strengthen foreign support for the Portuguese. The Spanish crown was also facing financial difficulties, and there was a legitimate fear that the army would have to be disbanded for lack of funds if the war continued.

The Portuguese were prepared and had foreseen such an attack. 3,500 men were moved from Trás-os-Montes in the north to Alentejo in the south. A further 7,800 men came from Lisbon, under command of António Luís de Meneses, who had defeated the Spanish in the Battle of the Lines of Elvas six years earlier. They were reinforced by a veteran English contingent of 2,000 men under the command of the Duke of Schomberg.

A veteran commander who had been defending the Portuguese border with Spain for over 20 years, Meneses was aware that there were any number of ways for Carrillo to invade the country. As such, he reinforced the border garrisons of Elvas and Campo Maior, hoping to harden the frontier defenses and in doing so influence the route Carrillo would take. Having been present during the Portuguese victory at Ameixial, Meneses was well aware that the Spanish faced logistical challenges when invading Portugal, and as such he planned to keep Carrillo's army trapped in the border hinterlands as long as possible to wear down their numbers. The Portuguese were also conscious of the failing health of the Spanish king, and Meneses suspected that this would force them to attack.

The ground they fought on

The site of Battle of Montes Claros lies on Upper Devonian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Late Devonian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Scheduled Monuments near Battle of Montes Claros

Wayside cross in the grounds of Enys

Scheduled monument · ~1.8 mi

The wayside cross in the grounds of Enys is a medieval monument located in Cornwall. The cross represents a common form of religious and waymarking provision in the medieval landscape, serving functions both devotional and practical in directing travellers. Like many Cornish crosses of this perio…

Rod Allday / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Round barrow 650m east of Carrine

Scheduled monument · ~2.5 mi

Round barrow 650m east of Carrine is a Bronze Age burial mound located in Cornwall, England. The monument survives as an earthwork and represents a funerary tradition characteristic of the second millennium BC, when such barrows served as communal or individual burial places for members of Bronze…

Simon Burchell / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Churchyard cross in St Mylor churchyard

Scheduled monument · ~2.9 mi

St Mylor churchyard cross is a medieval stone cross located in the churchyard of St Mylor Church near Falmouth in Cornwall. The cross survives as a substantial example of a Cornish churchyard cross, a monument type that typically dates from the medieval period, though many were subject to later r…

Simon Cobb / CC0 / Wikimedia Commons

Fish Cross: standing cross immediately east of the Town Hall

Scheduled monument · ~3 mi

Fish Cross is a standing cross located immediately east of the Town Hall in Cornwall, England. The monument dates to the medieval period and represents a significant example of the stone crosses that once served important functions in Cornish market towns and settlements. The cross survives as a…

Simon Cobb / CC0 / Wikimedia Commons

College known as Glasney College, Penryn

Scheduled monument · ~3.1 mi

Glasney College is a late medieval ecclesiastical foundation established in Penryn, Cornwall, in the late fourteenth century as a collegiate church. The college functioned as an important religious and educational institution serving the Penryn area until its dissolution during the English Reform…

Simon Cobb / CC0 / Wikimedia Commons

Wayside cross in Gwennap churchyard

Scheduled monument · ~3.5 mi

Wayside cross in Gwennap churchyard is a medieval stone cross of uncertain date, likely to be medieval in origin though precise dating remains difficult without detailed archaeological investigation. The monument consists of a cross head mounted on a shaft or socket stone, typical of Cornish ways…

Tim Green from Bradford / CC BY 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

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• Battle of Montes Claros · Wikipedia