Atlas of Battles

battle, early modern

First Battle of Salvador

First Battle of Salvador was a battle fought in May 1638 at Salvador, in what is now Brazil. It was part of the Dutch–Portuguese War, which ran from 1601 to 1661. The recorded result: Portuguese-Spanish victory. Recorded strength: 1,000 against 4,600 (3,600 Dutch troops and 1,000 Brazilian auxiliaries) or 6,000; 30 or 45 ships.

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Johan Maurits, portrait from the 17th century by unknown artist.
Johan Maurits, portrait from the 17th century by unknown artist.. originally uploaded to en.wikipedia by en:User:DO'Neil on 07:07, 17 March 2005 under the file name Johanmaurits.JPG.(+/−, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
FoughtMay 1638
WhereSalvador, Brazil12.971S, 38.511W
OutcomePortuguese-Spanish victory
BelligerentsKingdom of Portugal; SpainagainstDutch Republic; Dutch West India Company
Casualties and lossesLightand500 killed; 30 captured; Large amount of abandoned military equipment
Part ofDutch–Portuguese War1601 to 1661

Where it sits in the Dutch–Portuguese War

Battle of Príncipe, 1598Battle of Bantam, 1601Capture of Amboina, 1605Siege of Malacca, 1606Battle of Cape Rachado, 1606Battle of Pulo Buton, 1606Siege of Mozambique, 1607Siege of Mozambique, 1608Battle of Swally, 1612Battle of Elmina, 1625Battle in the Bay of San Salvador, 1627Battle of Jambi, 1630Battle of Abrolhos, 1631Battle of Mata Redonda, 1636Battle of Elmina, 1637Battle of Goa, 1638Second Battle of Salvador, 1638First Battle of Salvador, 1638Action of 30 September 1639, 1639Action of 12–17 January 1640, 1640Siege of Malacca, 1640Capture of Luanda, 1641Battle of Tabocas, 1645Action at Tamanana, 9 September 1645, 1645Battle of Tejucupapo, 1646First Battle of Guararapes, 1648Action of 23 March 1654, 1654Action of 2 May 1654, 1654Battle of Mannar, 165815981658First Battle of Salvador, 1638
29 placed engagements of the Dutch–Portuguese War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

DateMay 1638 (month precision)
to 18 May 1638
PlaceSalvador, Brazil
12.971S, 38.511W
KindBattle, early modern
Strength1,0004,600 (3,600 Dutch troops and 1,000 Brazilian auxiliaries) or 6,000; 30 or 45 ships
Casualties and lossesLight500 killed; 30 captured; Large amount of abandoned military equipment
Commanders
First Battle of SalvadorFirst Battle of SalvadorSiege of SalvadorSecond Battle of SalvadorBattle in the Bay of San SalvadorBattle of 4 MayBahia incidentBattle of 4 MayBahia incidentFeira de SantanaJequiéAlagoinhasValençaJaguaquara100 km12.971S, 38.511W
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 3 times between 1638 and 1822.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1638

First Battle of Salvador is one of 1,470 engagements of the 17th century in the atlas and one of 56 in present-day Brazil.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q932845, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Siege of Salvador (1638), revision 1370744949, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.