Battle of Guinea
Part ofWar of the Castilian Succession
16th century map of the Portuguese possessions in western Africa
Date Spring orSummer of 1478 Location NearElmina,Gulf of Guinea Result Portuguese victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of Portugal	Crown of Castile
Commanders and leaders
Jorge Correia Mem Palha	Pedro de Covides (POW) Joanot Boscà (POW)
Strength
11 ships	11~35 ships[1][2]
Casualties and losses
No ships lost	All ships, crew and guns captured[1] A huge cargo of gold captured[1][3]

TheBattle of Guinea took place on theGulf of Guinea, inwestern Africa, 1478, between a Portuguese fleet and a Castilian fleet in the context of theWar of the Castilian Succession.

The outcome of the battle of Guinea was decisive for Portugal, continuing its dominance of the Atlantic Ocean, and reaching a very favourable sharing of the Atlantic and territories disputed with Castile in thePeace of Alcáçovas (1479). All with the exception of theCanary Islands stayed under Portuguese control:Guinea,Cape Verde,Madeira,Azores and the exclusive right of conquering theKingdom of Fez. Portugal also won exclusive rights over the lands discovered or that were to be discovered south of the Canary Islands.

In 1478, PrinceJohn of Portugal, who had been charged since 1474 by his father, KingAfonso V of Portugal, with the administration of thePortuguese maritime expansion, received news that a large Castilianfleet of up to thirty five ships commanded by Pedro de Covides^[4] had been sent from Seville byIsabella I of Castile andFerdinand of Aragon to Portugal's claimedMina, in the region of the Gulf of Guinea, to attack the Portuguese there and trade with the natives. He immediately prepared and organized a fleet of eleven ships with the objective of intercepting the Castilian expedition, giving the command of the fleet to Jorge Correia and Mem Palha, two of hisknights.^[5]

When the Portuguese fleet of eleven ships arrived at the Gulf of Guinea, the Castilians were already in the area for about two monthstrading with the Africans. Cheap goods like shells, old clothes, brass bracelets, and other items were being traded in exchange forgold.^[5]

The Castilian fleet was anchored in aharbor near Mina when the Portuguese fleet initiated an attack early in the morning. The Castilians were caught by surprise and ended up being quickly and totally defeated, being forced to surrender to the Portuguese, who without much harm to themselves were able to capture the entire Castilian fleet along with its large cargo of gold.^[1][2]

The captured fleet was then taken toLisbon. The large amount of gold captured by the Portuguese was enough to financeKing Afonso's military campaign inCastile.^[5]

At the end of the war, the Portuguese exchanged the Castilianprisoners of the captured fleet for the Portuguese prisoners captured in theBattle of Toro.^[6]

In the following year, theTreaty of Alcáçovas was signed between Portugal and Castile, where King Afonso V of Portugal gave up his claim to the Castilian throne, recognizing theCatholic Monarchs as sovereigns of Castile and abandoning his claim to theCanary Islands, while QueenIsabella I of Castile recognized the Portuguese hegemony in theAtlantic Ocean, confirming Portuguese sovereignty overMadeira,Azores, theCape Verde Islands and the:

"...lands discovered and to be discovered, found and to be found... and all the islands already discovered and to be discovered, and any other island which might be found and conquered from the Canary Islands beyond toward Guinea..."^[7]

• History of Portugal
• Portuguese Empire
• House of Avis
• Henry the Navigator
• Age of Discovery
• Treaty of Tordesillas
• Elmina Castle

• Blake, John W. (2008).Europeans in West Africa: 1450–1560. Verlag nicht ermittelbar.ISBN 978-1-4437-2447-0.
• Diffie, Bailey Wallys; Shafer, Boyd C.; Winius, George Davison (1977).Foundations of the Portuguese empire, 1415–1580. University of Minnesota Press.ISBN 0-8166-0782-6.
• Newitt, M. D. D. (2005).A history of Portuguese overseas expansion, 1400–1668. Routledge.ISBN 0-415-23979-6.

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• Naval battles of the War of the Castilian Succession
• Naval battles involving Portugal
• 1478 in Portugal
• Conflicts in 1478
• Naval battles involving Castile
• Maritime history of Portugal
• 15th century in Africa

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