Conquest of Paraíba

Conquest of Paraíba
Part of the Dutch invasions of Brazil
Jaguaribe River, in the vicinity of Aracati
Date November 25 – December 25, 1634 Location Paraíba, Brazil Result Dutch victory
Belligerents
Portugal	Dutch Republic West India Company
Commanders and leaders
Albuquerque Maranhão † João de Mattos Cardoso † Gregorio Geudes Souto Maior	Jan Lichthart Gaspar van der ley
Strength
unknown	21 ships 11 yachts
Casualties and losses
unknown	82 dead, 102 wounded

The Conquest of Paraíba refers to the attempts by Dutch forces in 1630 to seize control of Paraíba, Brazil, from the Portuguese, mainly for the lucrative sugar cane market.

Details

After conquering Recife, Lichthart decided to set sail for Paraíba. In December, Lichthart led an expedition towards Paraíba with a fleet comprising 21 ships and 11 yachts, organized into two separate squadrons. The expedition reached the Jaguaribe River, the easternmost point of Brazil, on December 3. Upon arrival, they immediately deployed 600 soldiers due to an encounter with Portuguese forces. After their initial victory, reinforcements under Gaspar van der Ley arrived, and they proceeded southward along the peninsula of the Paraíba River, where they laid siege to the well-fortified Fort Santa Catarina do Cabelo. During the siege, the commander of the garrison, João de Mattos Cardoso, passed away, prompting the Dutch forces to appoint a replacement who also died just one day after taking charge. After two weeks of siege, the fort finally surrendered to the Dutch. The Dutch only having 82 dead, and 102 wounded, invaded Fort São Felipe and the regional capital, Filipeia de Nossa Senhora das Nevoas (known today as João Pessoa). Subsequently, they captured other nearby forts, and one of them, Fort Cabedelo, was renamed Frederiksdorp in honor of the Dutch Stadtholder, Frederik Hendrik, the Prince of Orange.