Portugal's Forgotten Royal Refuge: The Island of Terceira

When the heirless King Sebastião fell at Alcácer Quibir in 1578, Portugal faced a succession crisis that would lead to 60 years of Spanish rule. But not everyone accepted Philip II of Spain as king. On the remote Azorean island of Terceira, a small but fierce resistance held out for four years, defying the Spanish Empire with the help of French and English privateers. This episode follows António, Prior of Crato, the controversial claimant who fled to Terceira and made it the last bastion of Portuguese independence. We explore the 1582 naval Battle of São Miguel, where the Spanish commander Álvaro de Bazán crushed the Franco-Portuguese fleet, and the brutal 1583 Spanish invasion of Terceira that ended the resistance. Along the way, we meet figures like the French admiral Philippe Strozzi, the English privateer Francis Drake, and the Terceirense captain Ciprião de Figueiredo. This is the story of Portugal's forgotten royal refuge — and the blood-soaked end of the House of Aviz. #Terceira #AntónioPriorDeCrato #ÁlvaroDeBazán #BattleOfSãoMiguel #Azores #PhilippeStrozzi #CipriãoDeFigueiredo #PhilipII #HouseOfAviz #IberianUnion #1580 #1582 #1583 #PortugueseHistory #AgeOfSail #NavalWarfare #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo