The Dutch Wars, 1624-1654 (Part 2)

Invasion of Pernambuco - 2nd Period 1630-54

Dutch privateer Peter Heyn captured the Spanish Silver Fleet in the Antilles, that was more than twice the initial capital of the West Indies Company. This encouraged another invasion of Brazil.

The Dutch chose Pernambuco, a prosperous hereditary and not royal captaincy, less defended than Bahia, closer to Europe and the African coast.

In addition, there was the port of Recife, an excellent natural naval base, capable of harbouring and protecting huge attack squadron and protected by two natural moat rivers.

Based in Recife, they believed they would dominate and maintain Brazil with few expenses, ruin Portuguese-Spanish shipping on the coast, and seize, through privateering, fabulous wealth transported from South America to Europe through Spain and Portugal.

With little spending Recife could become impregnable against land attacks, as long as they kept control of maritime access.

Such strategic appreciation was valid as this naval and land base, Recife, would withstand for 24 years, until the Dutch lost naval supremacy in the area to England.

Thus in Pernambuco they sought not sugar, but an impregnable land, naval and land base, Recife, protected by two enormous natural moats, the rivers Capibaribe and Beberibe. This is the real vision of the choice of Pernambuco in the strategic Saliente Nordestino.

The people of Pernambuco were not given treaties of "mutual friendship and alliance" with the ruler, for after a century of Portuguese colonisation, they already had fond love for the land and its symbols. The great majority of the people of Pernambuco already communed with the Portuguese-Spanish ideal - The expansion of the Faith and the Empire.

The governor of Pernambuco Matias de Albuquerque, on learning of the intended invasion, did everything in his power to transform Recife and Olinda into strong places of war.

The conquest of Recife and Olinda

On February 15, 1630, the powerful Dutch fleet commanded by Admiral Hendrick Loncq appeared threatening in front of Recife. It consisted of 50 ships and a total of 7,000 men.

The invader knew that the effective Luso-Brazilian derision could not cover the entire coast of Pernambuco and that the defenders had not received reinforcements from the Metropolis.

While most of the fleet was battling with Recife, 16 ships with 3,000 men sailed north under the command of Colonel Waerdenburg. They disembarked, quietly, without any reaction, on the unprotected beach of Pau Amarelo.

On February 16, in the morning, the invader began the progression to Olinda with three regiments. The resistance in Olinda was fierce, but unequal. Recife was attacked on February 20 and Forte São Jorge reacted bravely under the leadership of António Lima. The enemy attacked Fort St. George on March 1. To crush this fort and its brave defenders, they concentrated a storm of grenades, thrown from cannons of the sea and earth. The Pernambucans were not discouraged, redoubled in courage and firmness, repelling all attacks for a day. On March 2, after a few hours of bombing, Antonio Lima noticed that the walls of the fort had collapsed, the guns had been dismantled, with a great number of dead and wounded among their brave due to the enemy fire.

The Fort of St George surrendered to the overwhelming enemy warlike superiority, but he showed Colonel Waerdenburg, as he wrote to Holland: "The soldiers of this land are alive and impetuous and are by no means lambs." and not as he had previously thought, "easy to be drawn to each other's friendship and covenant."

After the surrender of Fort St. George, the Dutch, eagerly awaiting the surrender of numerous garrisons, were surprised and disconcerted when they saw the brave António Lima come out of the ruins, accompanied by half a dozen survivors.

Recife was occupied on March 3, 1630 after 15 days of memorable and moving resistance. But the Pernambucans did not give up the fight. Matias de Albuquerque proclaimed to the whole captaincy the disposition to fight to the death.

Gathering all the brave, solidary with his attitude, and in a place where many of the paths that Olinda and Recife demanded the interior, established in the short term Arraial do Bom Jesus.

This fort was built with solid ramparts and well protected by formidable trenches and pits, and would have resisted for five years the rush and the eagerness to conquer the invader.

The defensive system completed the establishment of a ring of fence around Recife and Olinda, made up of offices, to prevent the enemy from leaving with impunity from Recife to obtain water and firewood.

This group was part of the defense system of the interior of Pernambuco and the blockade line of Olinda and Recife.

It was a strategic, intelligent and creative Brazilian solution to the military problem and a manifestation of genuine military or Brazilian land doctrine.

The Dutch have fortified themselves. They built the forts of the Brum and of the Five Tips, until existing today. This work of fortifications was not calm and tranquil. The Luso-Brazilians organized ambushes and, at all hours of the day and night, made bold and deadly blows against the enemy. The invader was not allowed to walk unconcerned, even in his domains. Death followed in their footsteps as they ventured out of the fortifications. The land connection Olinda - Recife became a fatal road for the Dutch.

Consequently, planted in the earth, they had nothing to enjoy for the sustenance and maintenance of the conquest.

Its food has become dependent on Europe or some corsair expedition on the coast. The land and the children of Pernambuco denied everything to the invader, making life a living hell.

In the siege places of Recife and Olinda, the defenders took turns in the hoe and the musket, planting and fighting.

According to Lopes Santiago "The food was scarce, many times the soldiers did not have an ear of corn for the ration."

The invader was continuously reinforced. By the end of 1630, 3,500 men arrived in Pernambuco. For the defenders, nothing was sent from the Metropolis in a year and a half.

At the beginning of 1631, he founded in Recife the squadron of Adrian Jansen Pater, composed of 16 ships and about 1,000 men. On July 13, the Portuguese-Spanish fleet under the command of D. António de Oquendo, made up of 32 ships with 2,000 men, arrived in Salvador.

On September 12, the two squadrons met in Abre Olhos, (Abrolhos) with the Spanish-Portuguese victory. It enabled the Arraial do Bom Jesus (Velho) to be reinforced with troops of the Prince of Bagnuoli.

More daring strikes were fired at the enemy, who feared the double attack by land and sea. He tried to abandon Olinda and to fortify himself even more in Recife. Before the abandonment of Olinda, the Dutch proposed to deliver it by heavy ransom, otherwise they would destroy it.

Matias de Albuquerque, the 1st Luso-Brazilian to be a general of Portugal, replied:

'The Pernambucans, with arms in hand, do not buy, conquer. They know how to give loads of musket balls, not sugar boxes. With the enemies who lack faith are unstable contracts that establish the blood, and of no firmness those who secure the word. Burn Olinda, if you can not keep her, we'll know how to build a better one.'

And he concluded that he wished to leave in the memory of Pernambuco, for all future times the triumphs of the captaincy and the punishment that the invader would suffer.

On November 25, 1631, the brave heroes of the resistance, with tears in their eyes and the revolt in their souls, saw the burning of the beautiful, rich and majestic capital of Pernambuco, the fruit of nearly a century of hard work and enormous sacrifices. The Dutch soldiers soldier were disillusioned with this way of warfare that consumed lives, wasted time and had few results.

When discouragement began to plow between them, the Pernamban Domingos Fenandes Calabar deserted to their ranks and came to assist them,  His defection changed the course of the war. Skilled and cunning in ambushes, he began to guide the Dutch by revealing the secrets of the land and teaching the Brazilian war.

And the expansionist campaign of conquest took place.

During this victorious expansionist campaign, stood out the brave resistance in Rio Formoso, a strong one commanded by Pedro Albuquerque and having 20 men.

Intimited to surrender, they replied that they would fight to the last breath of life.

On the fourth thrust, the enemy entered the fortification and found the bodies of their 20 brave defenders, who performed with honor and glory the oath they made, in protest against the invasion. Pedro de Albuquerque, wounded, was lying on the ground.

Chief Von Schkoppe was moved by the bravery and heroism of these men and pointed the fine example to his soldiers. Seeing Pedro de Albuquerque fall, but with the sword wielded, a Dutch fighter ran to take the sword.

Von Schkoppe, upon realizing, shouted, "Stop! Do not take the glorious sword of a hero." Pedro de Albuquerque was rescued and treated with great respect. They granted him freedom on his word until he left for Lisbon.

What a great difference of attitude of the Pernambuco Calabar leading the enemy over the Rio Formoso and the legendary and heroic reaction of the brave Pernambucano and his 20 brave soldiers of Rio Formoso!

The valiant defender died as governor of Maranhão. Its remains are in Belém do Pará, in the Church N. S. of the Carmo.

On March 24, 1633, led by Calabar, 1,200 Dutch attacked the Arraial do Bom Jesus by surprise. Luís Barbalho and other brave captains counterattacked outside the fort with tremendous violence. They repelled the attempt, causing heavy casualties. The Dutch governor himself mortally wounded died soon after.

The war reached a barbaric and inhuman stage. An agreement was reached to curb savagery. temples were forbidden, church fortification, destruction of images, shotguns, poisoned and chewed bullets, offences against prisoners, and the execution of priests, children and women.

And the Dutch expansion accelerated. On December 12, the fort of the Three Magi was capitulated and Paraíba was left in a crossfire. And the Luso-Brazilians were present when the enemy tried to land. This was due to the excellent strategic position of Arraial do Bom Jesus (Velho) where the defensive effort of the Pernambucans was concentrated. This combined with the excellent spy network in Recife. As soon as Matias de Albuquerque discovered the departure of the Dutch fleet to a point on the coast, he sent reinforcements from the Arraial to the threatened point, which came together with the invader's ships.

On the night of March 1, 1634, the celebrated captain, Martim Soares Moreno, made a bold attack on Recife. This is what would be called a commando type operation today. He aimed to burn the village and destroy supplies. With 500 men, he attacked the port at different points. The incursion spread death, confusion and terror among defenders, by reaching the interior of the fortified enclosure. After an epic resistance and furious dispute and a month long siege, on April 8, 1635 the Arraial de Bom Jesus (Velho) capitulated.

He fulfilled his duty, as Headquarters of Resistance to the Invader, for 5 years, when his defenders wrote immortal page with much blood, lives, hunger, renunciations, heroism, and sacrifices. In it, the vigorous soul of the people, catalyzed by the ideal of defending the land and the Catholic faith, had gathered for a long, suffering, immortal and epic protest against the invasion of the Brazilian land.

They surrendered with dignity, exhausted their food and ammunition, and lost hope of receiving any help. There is in the long history of the Dutch war the most significant symbol of the spirit of resistance. Therefore, the ruins in present-day Recife, on the site of the Trinity, should be traveled with respect and reverence patriotic by all who visit the place. The brave people who attacked there made a significant contribution in the distant past to the achievement of the high goals of Sovereignty, Integrity, Integration and Preservation of Brazil's moral and spiritual values.

And under the leadership of Matias de Albuquerque they retired to Alagoas. The course was marked by tombs and crosses of many retreatants who succumbed along the way, of tiredness, weakness, hunger and disease.

It was the "exodus of those who did not despair," in Capistrano de Abreu's expression.

Those brave men lost a battle. Many would return to win the decisive war. Many had the good fortune to return.

In the withdrawal they reconquered Porto Calvo where they arrested the traitor Calabar. He was sentenced to death. The column of suffering and humiliation witnessed the execution and quartering of the traitor Calabar.

The column of Matias de Albuquerque met the troops of Count Bagnuoli in Alagoas. On January 18, 1836 took place the Battle of Mata Redonda commanded by D.Rojas y Borja, there dead in combat and to replace Matias de Albuquerque called to Europe. Without leadership, the Portuguese-Brazilians withdrew. The tactical disaster was not completed, thanks to the brave Rebelinho and Felipe Camarão. These, in the cover of the retreat, practiced prodigies of audacity and courage, creating conditions for the wreckage of the army to be welcomed in Porto Calvo.

In fact, the operations of General D.Rojas marked so tragically in the tactical field were, in the strategic field, of brilliant consequences. He forced the enemy to leave Porto Calvo once more, interrupting the execution of his plan to create a dead zone south of the Manguaba River. Occupying heavily the region of Porto Calvo by ours, was the invader, without its route of terrestrial transport, if not cut, at least seriously threatened, etc.

Bagnuolo took command and concentrated the resistance in Porto Calvo, covering the north direction, in the line of the Una river. The locality attracted to her how many they wanted to fight against the invader, gathering 2,000 men. It then became the most powerful bulwark of resistance, centre of irradiation of fights and last hope of a victory.

Ambush Companies were organized under the leadership of the bravest and most experienced captains. They burst forth unexpectedly in all parts of the occupied territory, destroying sugarcane plantations, taking resources, punishing collaborators, and keeping alive in the invaded populations the hope of freedom.

The enemy has lost the possibility of getting around in the conquest. In every corner and time and place, death rode its steps in the form of arrow, sword, or bullet.

The initiatives of economic uplift of the sugar plantation by the invader were frustrated by the ambushes that set them afire and destroyed as strategy of the weak against the strong.