Battle of the Three Kings

August 4, 1578

At Alcacer Quibir in Morocco, the young King Sebastian of Portugal and two rival sultans all died in a chaotic battle in the desert. Portugal lost its king, its army, and shortly thereafter its independence. Philip II of Spain would claim the vacant Portuguese throne within two years. Sebastian's unidentified body spawned a messianic cult of Sebastianism believing the young king would return, a belief persisting for centuries.