Conflicts & Resolutions · Battle

Battle of Alcácer Quibir

1578 · 16th century

The Battle of Alcácer Quibir, also called the Battle of the Three Kings, was fought in northern Morocco in 1578. A Portuguese army under King Sebastian was destroyed by Moroccan forces, and Sebastian was killed along with much of the nobility. His death without an heir led to a succession crisis and the union of the Portuguese and Spanish crowns in 1580, a major blow to the Portuguese Empire.

Battle of Alcácer Quibir
Image: Georges Jansoone · CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 3 profiles

Portuguese EmpireMilitarySaadi SultanateMilitary, SummaryKingdom of PortugalMilitary

Mentioned in 3 state histories

Portuguese MoroccoSaadi SultanateIberian Union

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Battle of Alcácer Quibir. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/battle-of-alcacer-quibir
MLA
“Battle of Alcácer Quibir.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/battle-of-alcacer-quibir. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Battle of Alcácer Quibir.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/battle-of-alcacer-quibir.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Battle of Alcácer Quibir’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/battle-of-alcacer-quibir (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻