Portugal’s catastrophic defeat at Alcazarquivir enabled Philip II’s takeover of Portugal

Evidence

The sympathies of the Spaniards might on that day have been on the side of the Portuguese against their Muslim enemies, and indeed some Spanish military aid came to Sebastian’s cause, but since Sebastian of Portugal had led his army into a defeat in which such a very large proportion of the Portuguese ruling classes, Sebastian himself included, were killed or captured, the opportunity for Philip to take over in Lisbon presented itself. And that opportunity was seized. — L. P. Harvey, Muslims in Spain, 1500 to 1614, 1574

Categorization

• CANDY: The Battle of the Three Kings — where a Christian defeat created the opportunity for the Iberian union — is a great dinner-party history fact.