Portuguese conquest of Ceuta
| Conquest of Ceuta | |||||||
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| Part of Moroccan-Portuguese conflicts | |||||||
 Panel of azulejos by Jorge Colaço (1864-1942) at the São Bento railway station, depicting Prince Henry the Navigator during the conquest of Ceuta |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Kingdom of Portugal
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 Marinid Empire
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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John I of Portugal Henry the Navigator (WIA) |
Governor Ben Salah | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 45,000 men | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 8 men killed | Several thousands killed or taken prisoners 1 cannon captured |
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The conquest of Ceuta (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈθeuta]) by the Portuguese on 21 August 1415 marks an important step in the beginning of the Portuguese Empire in Africa.
Shortly after the conquest of the region by the Arabs from the Byzantine Empire, Ceuta served as a staging ground in the Umayyad conquest of Hispania in 711, but it was destroyed in 740 and only rebuilt in the 9th century, passing to the Caliphate of Córdoba in the 10th century. In the subsequent centuries it remained under the rule of the Almoravids and Almohades as well as various Andalusian Taifas. Prior to its capture by the Portuguese, Ceuta had seen a period of political instability in previous decades, under competing interests from the Marinid Empire and the Kingdom of Granada.
The chief promoter of the Ceuta expedition was João Afonso, royal overseer of finance. Ceuta's position opposite the straits of Gibraltar gave it control of one of the main outlets of the trans-African Sudanese gold trade; and it could enable Portugal to flank its most dangerous rival, Castile.
The attack on Ceuta also offered the younger nobility an opportunity to win wealth and glory.
The Portuguese fleet captained by King John I of Portugal held a Council of war, before carrying out the conquest of Ceuta, while anchored off Punta Carnero, Spain.
On the morning of 21 August 1415, John I of Portugal led his sons and their assembled forces in a surprise assault on Ceuta, landing on Playa San Amaro. The battle itself was almost anti-climactic, because the 45,000 men who traveled on 200 Portuguese ships caught the defenders of Ceuta off guard. By nightfall the town was captured. On the morning of August 22, Ceuta was in Portuguese hands. Álvaro Vaz de Almada, 1st Count of Avranches was asked to hoist the flag of Ceuta, which is identical to the flag of Lisbon, but in which the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Portugal was added to the center, a symbol that still stands today.
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Wikipedia