At Guararapes Battles were the main war actions that took place in northeastern Brazil against the presence of the Dutch in the region. Started in April 1648 and February 1649, the battles weakened the Dutch positions in the Portuguese colony, which culminated in the departure of the Flemings in 1654.
In addition, the Battles of Guararapes brought two new elements to Brazilian history: in the military aspect, the appearance of guerrilla tactics; in the social aspect, the joint action between Europeans, Africans and indigenous peoples against an external enemy.
The two Battles of Guararapes took place in the context of the Dutch occupation in the Northeast of the Portuguese colony in the Americas. The Dutch occupation of Portuguese territories occurred when the Kingdom of Portugal came under the administration of the Kingdom of Spain, after the death of Dom Sebastião, in 1580. The Netherlands, of which Holland was the main province, was also a Spanish possession and was at war to gain independence from Iberian domination.
A way adopted by the Dutch to attack the Spaniards was to occupy the Portuguese colonies. To this end, the Netherlands created two companies with international operations, the East and West India Companies. The first was responsible for the occupation of the Brazilian Northeast, an action that began in 1624, in Bahia. But the Dutch stay there only lasted a year, as they were expelled in 1625.
However, in 1630, the Dutch managed to occupy the captaincy of Pernambuco, extending over the years their domain from the mouth of the São Francisco River (in Alagoas and Sergipe) to Ceará. The objective of the Dutch was to explore the production of sugar in the region, complementing the work of refining the product that they had already performed.
The relationship between Portuguese and Dutch settlers deteriorated after the intensification of the collection of taxes and debts contracted by planters with the Companhia das Índias Westerners. Faced with this, the inhabitants of Portuguese origin decided to fight for the expulsion of the Dutch, mainly due to the lack of support from the Portuguese metropolis in this endeavor.
The main battles against the Dutch took place in Morro dos Guararapes, where Jaboatão dos Guararapes, a city in Greater Recife, is located today. The action against the Dutch included the union of the three ethnic groups that make up the Brazilian population: Europeans, Africans and indigenous people.
The Portuguese born in Brazil were known as mazombos and were led into battle by Antônio Dias Cardoso. Cardoso adopted guerrilla actions as a combat strategy, since his men were outnumbered and armed with less than the Dutch. The aim was to harness the region's knowledge of the terrain to ambush the Dutch and thus overcome the armaments and contingent deficiencies. In this way, the combats could take place hand to hand, nullifying the Dutch military power.
The battles took place when the Dutch tried to attack the Portuguese by land, heading south to Recife, where the Guararapes hill was located. To face them, Dias Cardoso also had the support of indigenous people led by the converted Potiguar Indian to Catholicism, Felipe Camarão, as well as by a force of Africans commanded by the freed slave Henrique Days.
The terrain formed by mangroves and narrow roads was crucial for the victory of the Portuguese-Portuguese troops. Even with the Dutch contribution after the first setbacks, the 4000 to 6000 men commanded by the Flemish were no match for the 2500 commanded by the Portuguese-Brazilians. The balance of conflicts was 500 casualties and 500 wounded among the Dutch, and 80 deaths and 400 wounded among the commanded by the Mazombos. Despite the last battle taking place in 1649, the Dutch only left the Northeast in 1654.
Within Brazilian historiography there is an assertion that the reason for the victory over the Dutch was not just economic, but that the religious feeling of Portuguese Catholics against Dutch Jews and Protestants was a powerful stimulus to combat.
Furthermore, in the historical process of constitution of the national identity, the Battles of Guararapes served as a starting point for what would be the Brazilian people. The joint action of Europeans, Africans and indigenous peoples would set the tone for what the Brazilian would become in the future. At that time, the forces that fought the Dutch were known as patriots, pointing to the beginning of the creation of this national identity.
By Tales Pinto
Graduated in History
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/guerras/batalhas-dos-guararapes-1648-1649.htm
