A Burgundian map of the Siege of Pernambuco.
On 13 September 1594, one thousand Spaniards arrived on the shores of Recife, Pernambuco. There, they met with the other two thousand that had already arrived over the past few months and reinforced the ongoing siege of Recife and Olinda, two of the major cities of the captaincy. This was the start of the Spanish side of the Colonial War against Portugal, a direct follow-up of the War of the Triple Alliance.
To maintain the siege, Spain sent over sixty ships, led by the Reina Catalina and the Santa María, to prevent anyone from leaving the two cities and any assistance from coming in. This was done because, at the time, Pernambuco was the largest and richest sugar-producing area in the world. Its prime position and importance to the Portuguese crown meant it was highly desirable by the enemies of Philip I, which explained the sudden need of Philip III to gain it.
The siege, which started in August was short-lived, lasting just under two months before the officials of the two cities surrendered on the first of October, 1594. Alexander Farnese, the Duke of Parma, led the assault on the city, sacking Recife and Olinda of all its riches, which included mounts of unrefined sugar that were worth around one million reals. Because of his brutality, Alexander Farnese, or Alexandre Farnésio in Portuguese is still known as o Terrível in Pernambuco or the Terrible. It’s rumored that around a thousand Portuguese Brazilians, women, and children including, were killed by his hand, but the number of just a hundred is more likely.
The fleet returned victorious to Spain, leaving 1,500 men in Brazil to control the conquered land. They brought a bulk of cotton, sugar, brazilwood, and expensive merchandise. To celebrate the conquest, King Philip declared a month of festivities in Madrid with masques, parties, and feasts to commemorate the defeat of the enemies of Spain.
But the Portuguese were not humiliated by the defeat. Instead, King Philip worked to secure his personal rule, and win back the lost lands in the Americas. As his court celebrated his brother’s wedding to Elizabeth of Braganza, he began to plan his return to power.
The two most powerful noble families of Portugal were the Lencastres and the Braganzas, the latter of whom were already on Philip's side. Unfortunately, Philip's youngest brother, Prince Francis, had been dedicated to the church at a young age and the king's own religion prevented him from marrying his brother before he took his vows.
Instead, in early 1595, King Philip promised his daughter, Infanta Maria, to the son and heir of Afonso de Albuquerque, 3rd Duke of Goa, a boy of just four years also called Afonso. This pleased the Albuquerques, who had been mostly ignored by King Sebastian and would one day bring them to the line of succession when Maria eventually had children with her husband.
Coat of arms of the Dukes of Goa.
With two powerful families by his side, Philip felt secure in performing a coup d'etat against his mother and her lover, the Duke of Aveiro. Just before midnight, on 13, March 1595, King Philip and fifty guardsmen overpowered the guards of the Duke of Aveiro and Queen Margaret, who were found sleeping in the same bed. There, Philip announced their arrests for charges of conspiracy and sedition against the King, charges which were treasonous according to Portuguese law at the time. As evidence, Philip produced a letter written by his mother to George of Lencastre, planning the continuation of the regency despite his majority in 1589.
Queen Margaret was put under house arrest at the Castle of Palmela in Lisbon, where she was forbidden to write to anyone and was kept under vigilant guard by men loyal to her son. Saddened by what she saw as a filial betrayal, she began to write her entire memoirs, detailing her childhood, arrival in Lisbon, and her relationship with the Duke of Aveiro. The book, published years later, was censored in Portugal and Philip was known to have never read it.
Despite her imprisonment, however, Margaret was still treated according to her rank as queen and her status as the King’s mother. George of Lencastre, on the other hand, was thrown in prison, where he would face charges of treason.
Queen Margaret's memoirs.