Battle of Berlengas Islands
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The Battle of Berlengas Islands was a naval battle which took place off the Portuguese coast on 15 July 1591, during the
war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...
between
Elizabeth I of England Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is ...
and
Philip II of Spain Philip II) in Spain, while in Portugal and his Italian kingdoms he ruled as Philip I ( pt, Filipe I). (21 May 152713 September 1598), also known as Philip the Prudent ( es, Felipe el Prudente), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from ...
. It was fought between an English privateer squadron under
George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland Sir George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland, 13th Baron de Clifford, 13th Lord of Skipton, (8 August 155830 October 1605), was an English peer, naval commander, and courtier of Queen Elizabeth I of England. He was notable at court for his jo ...
, who had set out his fortunes by large-scale privateering, and a squadron of 5 Spanish
galleys A galley is a type of ship that is propelled mainly by oars. The galley is characterized by its long, slender hull, shallow draft, and low freeboard (clearance between sea and gunwale). Virtually all types of galleys had sails that could be used ...
commanded by Francisco Coloma tasked with patrolling the Portuguese coast against privateers. While anchored off the
Berlengas The Berlengas are a Portuguese archipelago consisting of small Atlantic islands off the coast of Peniche, Portugal, in the Oeste region. These islands were traditionally known to British mariners as "the Burlings". The only inhabited island is ...
, the English ships were surprised by the Spanish galleys, which succeeded in taking one English ship and rescuing two prizes.


Expedition

Having undertaken naval expeditions to the coasts of Spain in 1587, 1588, and 1589, in the spring of 1591, the Earl of Cumberland sailed to
Cape St. Vincent Cape St. Vincent ( pt, Cabo de São Vicente, ) is a headland in the municipality of Vila do Bispo, in the Algarve, southern Portugal. It is the southwesternmost point of Portugal and of mainland Europe. History Cape St. Vincent was already sacr ...
in a new privateering campaign with one royal ship, the 600-ton galleon ''
Garland A garland is a decorative braid, knot or wreath of flowers, leaves, or other material. Garlands can be worn on the head or around the neck, hung on an inanimate object, or laid in a place of cultural or religious importance. Etymology From the ...
'', and four of his own, the 260-ton ''Sampson'', the ''Golden Noble'', ''Allegarta'', and the small pinnace ''Discovery''.Bourne p. 267 Sir William Monson of Stuart, later Admiral of the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
, was his second in command. Off the Spanish coast they took a pair of
Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...
ships sailing from
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
spice A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of plants used for flavoring or as a garnish. Spices a ...
s. Though the Dutch Republic was allied with England against the Spanish Crown, the ships taken by the English squadron had the goods of Portuguese merchants on board.Southey, p. 9 The English squadron took further prizes: one ship loaded with wine and two with sugar, which were sent back to England. One of these ships had a leak in the hull and was forced to cast off. Its boarding crew was saved on the shore. The two other vessels met contrary winds and, lacking of provisions, were obliged to enter the port of
A Coruña A Coruña (; es, La Coruña ; historical English: Corunna or The Groyne) is a city and municipality of Galicia, Spain. A Coruña is the most populated city in Galicia and the second most populated municipality in the autonomous community and s ...
, where they were immediately taken.Campbell, p. 209 The English squadron, meanwhile, sailed to the Berlengas islands, a group of small islands off the Portuguese coast near the city of Peniche. There, the Earl of Cumberland ordered Monson to escort the Dutch prizes to England with Captain Peter Baily's ''Golden Noble''. During the night, however, Cumberland's ''Garland'' and the other warships fell separated from Monson and the prizes.


Battle

The ''Golden Noble'' was discovered by a squadron of five Spanish galleys under Francisco Coloma, General of the ''Armada de Guarda Costa'' (Coast-guard armada). Archduke Albert, Spanish
Viceroy of Portugal The Viceroy of Portugal was the political chief of the Kingdom of Portugal and the highest representative of the King of Portugal during the period of the Iberian Union, when a personal union existed between the monarchies of Portugal and Spain ...
, noticed the presence on those waters of English privateers and had sent Coloma's squadron to sail the coast of
Algarve The Algarve (, , ; from ) is the southernmost NUTS II region of continental Portugal. It has an area of with 467,495 permanent inhabitants and incorporates 16 municipalities ( ''concelhos'' or ''municípios'' in Portuguese). The region has it ...
till
Cape St. Vincent Cape St. Vincent ( pt, Cabo de São Vicente, ) is a headland in the municipality of Vila do Bispo, in the Algarve, southern Portugal. It is the southwesternmost point of Portugal and of mainland Europe. History Cape St. Vincent was already sacr ...
and join forces with
Alonso de Bazán Alonso de Bazán, son of Admiral Álvaro de Bazán the Elder, Marquis del Viso, and brother of the better known Admiral Álvaro de Bazán, 1st Marquis of Santa Cruz, was a Spanish naval commander during the Anglo–Spanish War (1585–1604) and t ...
's galleons.Fonseca, Luís José Torres Falcão da.
Guerra e navegação a remos no mar oceano:as galés na política naval hispânica (1550-1604)
'' Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Letras, 2013, pp. 185-186.
Taking advantage of the calm, the Spanish galleys rowed up, engaged and took the English ships after a bloody fight. Captain Peter Baily and the principal men were killed in the fight. Coloma captured the 14-gun, 150-man
man-of-war The man-of-war (also man-o'-war, or simply man) was a Royal Navy expression for a powerful warship or frigate from the 16th to the 19th century. Although the term never acquired a specific meaning, it was usually reserved for a ship armed wi ...
''Golden Noble'' and recovered the Dutch prizes, a
caravel The caravel (Portuguese: , ) is a small maneuverable sailing ship used in the 15th century by the Portuguese to explore along the West African coast and into the Atlantic Ocean. The lateen sails gave it speed and the capacity for sailing win ...
and a zabre, at the slight cost of two men killed. Cumberland heard the artillery of Monson's ship in distance, but he was unable to come in relief because of contrary winds.


Aftermath

After the action, Cumberland wrote to Archduke Albert requesting him that the English prisoners should be humanely treated or he would retaliate the injuries which they might suffer with "double severity" upon the Spaniards. Monson, who was among the prisoners, was carried to Portugal and imprisoned two years at
Cascais Cascais () is a town and municipality in the Lisbon District of Portugal, located on the Portuguese Riviera. The municipality has a total of 214,158 inhabitants in an area of 97.40 km2. Cascais is an important tourism in Portugal, tourist de ...
and
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 ...
, together with 6 other officers, being the sailors and soldiers provided with new clothing and freed. Monson spent several months as a
galley slave A galley slave was a slave rowing in a galley, either a convicted criminal sentenced to work at the oar ('' French'': galérien), or a kind of human chattel, often a prisoner of war, assigned to the duty of rowing. In the ancient Mediterran ...
in the ''Leiva'' galley together with 100 other English captives. Two weeks after the encounter, a much larger English fleet under
Lord Thomas Howard Lord Thomas Howard (1511 – 31 October 1537) was an English courtier at the court of King Henry VIII. He is chiefly known for his marriage (later invalidated by Henry) to Lady Margaret Douglas (1515–1578), the daughter of Henry VIII's sis ...
, dispatched to the
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 capture the annual Spanish treasure convoy sailing from the Americas, was put to the flight at the Battle of Flores. The English galleon ''
Revenge Revenge is committing a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. Francis Bacon described revenge as a kind of "wild justice" that "does... offend the law ndputteth the law out of office." Pr ...
'' was dismasted and captured by the Spanish and Portuguese ships after a protracted action, but later the prize foundered in a storm.Sáiz Cidoncha, Carlos. ''Historia de la Piratería en América Española''. Madrid: San Martin, p. 87.


Notes


References

* * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Berlengas Islands, Battle of 1591 Naval battles of the Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604) Conflicts in 1591 Naval battles involving Spain Naval battles involving England 1591 in Europe
Battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
1591 in the British Empire 1591 in the Spanish Empire 1591 in Portugal