Battle of Alcácer Quibir

The Battle of Alcácer Quibir (also known as "Battle of Three Kings" (Arabic: معركة الملوك الثلاثة) or "Battle of Wadi al-Makhazin" (Arabic: معركة وادي المخازن) in Morocco) was fought in northern Morocco, near the town of Ksar-el-Kebir (variant spellings: Ksar El Kebir, Alcácer-Quivir, Alcazarquivir, Alcassar, etc.) and Larache, on 4 August 1578.

Battle of Alcácer Quibir
Part of the Moroccan-Portuguese conflicts

Battle at Ksar el Kebir, depicting the encirclement of the Portuguese army on the right
Date4 August 1578
Location
Alcácer Quibir, Morocco
Result

Moroccan victory

  • 1580 Portuguese succession crisis
  • Rise of the Saadi Empire
Belligerents
  • Portuguese Empire
  • Moorish allies
Mercenaries from:
Spanish Empire
Holy Roman Empire Papal States
  • Sultanate of Morocco
  • Supported by:
  • Ottoman Empire
Commanders and leaders
Strength
23,000 men
including:
  • 6,000 Moors
  • 3,000 Flemish and Germans
  • 2,000 Castilians
  • 600 Italians
40 cannons		 60,000–100,000 men
34 cannons
Casualties and losses
8,000 killed
15,000 captured
or
12,000 killed
(Spanish sources)		 7,000 killed
(Portuguese sources)
or
1,500 killed
(Spanish sources)

A Moroccan victory, the battle has been described as "the greatest military disaster the Portuguese ever suffered in the course of their overseas expansion." It marked an end to Portuguese attempts to reconquer territories it had lost in Morocco.

The combatants were the army of the deposed Moroccan Sultan Abu Abdallah Mohammed II, with his ally, the King of Portugal Sebastian I, against a large Moroccan army under the new Sultan of Morocco (and uncle of Abu Abdallah Mohammed II) Abd Al-Malik I.

The Christian king Sebastian I had planned a crusade after Abu Abdallah asked him to help recover his throne. Abu Abdallah's uncle, Abd Al-Malik, had taken it from him with Ottoman support. The defeat of Portugal and disappearance of the childless Sebastian led to the end of the Aviz dynasty, and the integration of the country in the Iberian Union for 60 years under the Philippine Dynasty in a dynastic union with Spain.

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