A talk by Peter Booker

Portugal and England have of course been allies for centuries, and so it may come as a surprise that they were at war for nearly thirty years. How did that happen? After the defeat and death of D Sebastião in 1578, Portugal became a part of Spain, and of course followed Spanish foreign policy. Spain was the greatest power in Europe at the time, and Philip II of Spain was determined to support the counter-reformation with force. His rebellious Calvinist subjects in the Spanish Netherlands enjoyed English support, and he felt that as the ex-King of England he should interfere in the protestant Queen Elizabeth´s role as Defender of the Faith and head of the Church of England. By 1588, the Spanish Armada had been despatched to invade England, and to prevent the English from giving support to the Dutch rebels. There was an effect in the Algarve, in which both Sir Francis Drake and the Earl of Essex took part, although at different times. This then is the story of the Anglo-Spanish/Portuguese War and the part which the English played in Portugal during that war.