Battle of Montijo The Battle of Montijo was fought on 26 May 1644 , in Montijo , Spain , between Portuguese and Spanish forces . Although the battle ended with a Portuguese victory , the Spanish saw it as a strategic success as they claimed to have prevented Matias de Albuquerque from capturing Badajoz , despite Albuquerque having no intention of attacking the city . Background . Portuguese General Matias de Albuquerque knew the Spanish were commanded by the Marquis of Torrecusa , a renowned military tactician , and wanted to affirm his own presence . He managed to gather 6 , 000 infantry , 1 , 100 cavalry and 6 cannons , in order to give battle . He crossed the frontier attacking , pillaging and burning Vilar del Rey , Puebla and Boca de Manfarete until reaching the town of Montijo who surrendered without a fight . Battle . Not having encountered the Spanish army , Matias de Albuquerque decided to return to Alentejo . While on march , the Portuguese were confronted by a Spanish force from Torrecusa ' s army led by the Baron of Mollingen consisting of 4 , 000 infantry and 1 , 700 cavalry . On the 26th of May 1644 the two armies met not far from Montijo . The forces of Mollingen adopted a semi circle formation , which would permit a simultaneous attack on the Portuguese front and flanks . Matias de Albuquerque , marching in a slow pace towards Portugal , had prepared for a rear attack by placing the infantry in two defensive lines with the strongest formations in the rear , the baggage wagons in the vanguard and the cavalry split between the two flanks . The six cannons of the Portuguese initiated the hostilities , the Spanish side soon replied , but very ineffectively . The Spanish cavalry attacked the Portuguese left flank , routing the 150 Dutch cavalry commanded by Captain Piper . The panic spread to the rest of the cavalry on both flanks who abandoned the field through their own lines , taking refuge in woods near Xévora , leaving the infantry disorganized . Led by Mollingen himself , the Spanish cavalry easily opened a breach in the centre of the Portuguese positions , taking the Portuguese artillery . Thinking that the Battle was won , Mollingen troops scattered themselves without care on the field looting . Albuquerque ' s horse was killed and he was found fighting on foot by a French officer named Lamorlé ( fighting for the Portuguese ) who gave him his own horse . Taking advantage of the Spanish lack of reserves and dispersion , Matias de Albuquerque and his officers rallied some of the scattered troops and quickly retook the Portuguese artillery . D . João da Costa , a Portuguese artillery officer , efficiently used the artillery to stop the Spanish forces from regrouping . The rallied Portuguese troops took back the field , and drove the Spaniards across the Guadiana inflicting heavy losses . Aftermath . On the following day the Portuguese troops returned to Campo Maior . Both sides claimed victory , as well as having caused high casualties to each other . When news of the victory achieved by Albuquerque reached King John IV of Portugal he awarded the general with the title of Count of Alegrete . Madrid , as well as Lisbon rejoiced with news of the battle that had great repercussion in the European courts . In Culture . The Spanish playwrights Pedro Francisco Lamini and Sr . Durán composed respectively the comedy " El más valiente Extremeño , Bernardo del Montijo , el segundo Don Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar " and the poem in his collection " Romances vulgares de valentías , guapezas y desafueros " in honor to the Battle . The Portuguese João Soares da Gama also did it in his " Batalha do Montijo " .