Finally had a chance to play after a massive amount of homework lately. Here's a special birthday update for everyone, to celebrate my birthday, April 13.
Fighting on Three Fronts
With the Spanish lands in the Netherlands occupied by the Austrians, and no friendly ports nearby, the Spanish armada blockading Antwerp was forced to retreat back to the Iberian Peninsula. While transporting the troops that were stationed in Zeeland through the Bay of Biscay, a heavy storm swept through the area and two of the ships were sunk. The army finally reached the port in Bilbao in mid-April of 1566. It was then that it was decided that the Spanish possessions in the Low Countries were truly lost. Peace negotiations began with Austria’s King Anton I, while Spain’s army continued to fight the Austrians in Italy.
The war against Austria in Italy, however, was faring just as badly. The fortress at Napoli fell in early April as well, and the Austrians were sending small bands of men to attack the Spaniards in Calabria. These bands were being repulsed easily, but it was only a matter of time before the full brunt of the Austrian military force advanced into Calabria. Spain struggled to gather troops in Italy with the only substantial source of manpower nearby being Sicily, which was already training troops as fast as possible. On May 4, 1566, María Eugenia offered the Austrians a ceasefire with Spain ceding the province of Zeeland, but King Anton of Austria flatly rejected the offer. In response, Spanish troops stormed the fort at Santee and proclaimed the colony to be under the rule of the Spanish crown.
The fighting in Italy continued with Spanish armies holding the defence at Calabria, but was interrupted when on May 18, 1566, the Kingdom of Morocco declared war on Spain. Spain’s ally, Utrecht, and Morocco’s ally, Algiers, were brought into the war on their respective sides. The involvement of Morocco and Algiers meant Spain would have to face hostile navies in the Mediterranean while transporting troops to Italy. Luckily, the people of Austrian-owned northern Italy were getting tired of the war and Austrian rule in general, and were deciding to revolt. This eased the pressure on the Spanish hold in Italy, allowing them to spare forces against Morocco and Algiers.
The territories at the beginning of the Moroccan-Spanish war. Upon the Moroccan declaration of war, Spain had a few outposts in North Africa, and was already at war with Austria.
Forces were quickly raised in the Spanish Sahara and southern Iberia, to guard the fortress at Tangiers. The army stationed in Tunis moved south to the region of Gabes, which did not have a fort, and was taken easily. Additionally, the army that had disembarked in Bilbao was now being transported to Tangiers to defend the city. Morocco sent a small army of 1000 men to siege Tangiers, which arrived at the city on June 6, 1566.
One day later, the Austrians overran the army in Calabria and they began their retreat across the Strait of Messina to Sicily. Sicily was Spain’s last stronghold on the Italian peninsula, so further defenses were constructed on the island to protect against an Austrian attack. Troops continued to be trained on the island, to prepare for an all-out attack, as well as prepare for an attack on Algiers in case the Austrians offered and acceptable peace. So far, the only Austrian offer of peace had been for Holland, Zeeland, and Abruzzi, which Spain could not afford to give up.
The army from Bilbao arrived in the port of Tangiers on June 8, 1566, after two minor altercations with Moroccan and Algerian transport fleets. The army disembarked and immediately engaged the camping Moroccan forces, and within a day the Moroccan army was routed. The army in Tunisia had taken Gabes and headed to Constantine to attack the small Algerian force of 2000 men. The Tunisian army was led by Jorge Portocarrero, who had been transferred to the division after the retreat to Sicily.
On July 24, 1566, Austrian forces breached the walls of Reggio di Calabria and the city was taken, giving them control of all Spanish Italy. The Spanish army in Sicily was nowhere near ready to face the Austrians again, and something had to be done. In desperation, a peace agreement was offered to the Austrians ceding Zeeland and Holland back to Austria on July 28. Before July even ended, Austria responded accepting the terms of the peace treaty, known as the Peace of Messina, and the territories were handed over. The war would be seen as a devastating Spanish loss, as Austria was able to overcome the Spaniards on two fronts despite fierce Spanish defending of the respective provinces.
Spain's peace offer to Austria in July 1566, which Austria accepted. The treaty would be known as the Peace of Messina, for the town in which the two parties met to discuss the peace terms.