Second Battle of Guararapes

Battle of Guararapes
Part of Dutch-Portuguese War
The Battle of Guararapes by Victor Meirelles
Date 19 February 1649 Location Pernambuco, Brazil Result Decisive Portuguese victory
Belligerents
Dutch Republic	Portugal Brazilian Colonial Forces
Commanders and leaders
Colonel Van Den Brinck †	Francisco Barreto de Meneses Henrique Dias Felipe Camarão André Vidal de Negreiros
Strength
3,500	2,600
Casualties and losses
1,045 dead, wounded or captured	45 killed 200 wounded

 Portugal

The Second Battle of Guararapes was the second and decisive battle in a conflict called Pernambucana Insurrection, between Dutch and Portuguese forces in 1649 at Jaboatão dos Guararapes in the state of Pernambuco, ending the Dutch occupation of the Portuguese colony of Brazil.

Though the Dutch West India Company fielded a larger, better equipped force, they suffered morale problems as most of their army was made up of mercenaries from Europe (primarily Germany) who felt no real passion for the war in Brazil, as opposed to the Natives and Portuguese settlers who considered Brazil to be their home and were fighting for a patriotic cause. The Dutch force was also unused to fighting in the dense jungle and humid conditions of the country, wearing thick, brightly coloured European clothing and heavy metal armour which inhibited their dexterity. Contemporary accounts describe Dutch troops at the battle as "pale and sickly". The Dutch army at Guararapes were armed with pikes, cannon and an assortment of bladed weapons. It is thought by historians that the use of short blades by the Dutch was an attempt to imitate previously successful Portuguese weaponry and tactics.

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