Siege of Mazagan (1562)

Great Siege of Mazagan
Part of the Moroccan–Portuguese conflicts

Defesa de Mazagão, illustration by Roque Gameiro in História de Portugal, Popular e Ilustrada, volume 4
Date18 February 1562 – 7 May 1562
Location
Mazagan, present-day Morocco
Result Portuguese victory[1]
Belligerents
Kingdom of Portugal Kingdom of Portugal Morocco Sultanate of Morocco
Commanders and leaders
Kingdom of Portugal Rui de Sousa de Carvalho
Kingdom of Portugal Álvaro de Carvalho		 Morocco Abu Abdallah Mohammed II Saadi[2]
Strength
About 2,800 soldiers[3] 85,000[4]–120,000 men
24 cannons[2]
Casualties and losses
117 killed
270 wounded[2]		 Heavy

The siege of Mazagan of 1562, also known as the Great Siege of Mazagan (Portuguese: Grande Cerco de Mazagão) was an armed engagement that took place in the modern city of El Jadida, then known as Mazagan, between Portuguese forces and those of the Saadi dynasty, which had unified Morocco a few years prior.

The Moroccans ultimately failed to breach the defenses of the city, and in the face of continuous Portuguese reinforcements and vigorous defence were forced to withdraw after a two and a half month long siege. It was one of the hardest fought sieges withstood by the Portuguese at Mazagan, of a total of nine.[5]

  1. ^ Comer Plummer: Siege of Mazagan, 1562 at militaryhistoryonline.com
  2. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference barlavento was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Fernando Pessanha: As Guarnições Militares nas Praças Portuguesas da Região da Duquela, no Algarve Dalém Mar, Universidade do Algarve, Faro, 2012, p.67.
  4. ^ Agostinho de Gavy de Mendonça: História do Cerco de Mazagão, Impresso na Typ. do commercio de Portugal, 1890, p.41.
  5. ^ J. Semedo de Matos: Cidade Portuguesa de Mazagão: Património Mundial em 2004 in Revista da Armada, December 2004, p.19.