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tured it in mid-13th century and assumed
the double title of king of Portugal and
Algarve.
before French reinforcements arrived.
Positioning his forces so as to take advan-
tage of such structures as an old Moorish
fort and a former monastery, he provoked
an attack by English troops under the earl
of Galway and then launched a fierce
assault on the opposite flank that totally
routed the unstable Portuguese infantry.
The result was a retreat of the alliance
forces and their subsequent loss of most of
northeastern Spain. After the fall of B
AR
-
CELONA
Austria's allies withdrew from the
war and signed the Treaty of Utrecht in
1713. Archduke Karl was compelled to
abandon his claim to the Spanish succes-
sion in 1714. The strategy and tactics of
the duke of Berwick at Almansa were
much admired by the leading generals of
the day, including Frederick the Great of
Prussia, who declared him to be a “scien-
tific” commander. His victory at Almansa
assured the future of the Bourbon dynasty
in Spain.
Almansa, Battle of
(1707)
What proved to be the decisive battle of the
W
AR
OF
THE
S
PANISH
S
UCCESSION
was fought
on April 25, 1707. The conflict had begun
nearly six years earlier with the designation
of Louis XIV's grandson, Philippe, as king of
Spain in the will of C
HARLES
II, the last Span-
ish H
ABSBURG
. Most Spaniards had rallied to
the young duke of Anjou, Charles's great
nephew, as his successor P
HILIP
V. The Aus-
trian Habsburgs, however, had insisted that
Archduke Karl, younger son of Emperor
Leopold I, had a better claim to the Spanish
throne and won support from some Span-
iards, chiefly in the northeastern provinces.
The Austrian pretender made this region his
stronghold, aided by an alliance that included
Britain, Portugal, and the Dutch Republic.
These forces had success in the earlier years
of the war, but by 1707 the rising fortunes of
the House of B
OURBON
threatened the alli-
ance. Their rival armies moved toward one
another on the plain of Almansa in Albacete
province near V
ALENCIA
.
The troops of Archduke Karl, number-
ing 26,000 infantry and 7,000 cavalry,
advanced upon those of the duke of Ber-
wick, which were slightly stronger in
horsemen and artillery. Berwick, a natural
son of James II of England, was a marshal
of France, his adopted country, and an
experienced commander despite his rela-
tive youth. He was particularly gifted in
his ability to obtain and evaluate intelli-
gence. On the eve of the battle scouts
informed him that the enemy was advanc-
ing, doubtless seeking to precipitate a clash
Almeida, António José de
(1866-1929)
Portuguese statesman
Active in the republican movement that
achieved the overthrow of the Portuguese
monarchy in 1910, Almeida served as
minister of the interior in the provisional
government established in the aftermath
of the revolution. He was leader of the
centrist group known as the Republican
Evolutionist Party. During World War I (in
which Portugal suffered grave losses), he
formed a coalition government and served
as prime minister. He was president of the
republic from 1919 to 1923 during a
period of great political and social
instability.
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