The Battle of Cape Espichel took place on 29 July 1180 between the fleets of the Kingdom of Portugal and the Almohad Caliphate, off Cape Espichel, Atlantic Ocean, on the coast of Setúbal. The Portuguese left the battle victorious and it marked their first naval battle in history.
Due to the great maritime activity by the Almohads near the Portuguese coasts, King Afonso I of Portugal decides to create a powerful fleet, appointing Fuas Roupinho to be its admiral. At the time, Fuas was already a very respected Portuguese. In 1179, he was Mayor of Coimbra and was at the Castle of Leiria when he heard about the presence, of the Moorish King of Mérida, Gamir. He left the castle with his forces and attacked the Moors, who were defeated. He then went, with King Gamir and almost the entire Moorish army captive, to Coimbra, where he was received with triumphant acclamations.
The Almohad fleet, led by Gamin ben Mardanis, departed from Sevilla with the aim of attacking Lisbon once again. The Portuguese, after receiving news of the attack, quickly put together a powerful fleet to try to combat the Muslim threat.
After some time, the two nations entered into direct combat. The Portuguese sailors were inexperienced, after all it was their first naval battle. However, their courage made up for the lack of experience and so they ended up managing to defeat the enemy, inflicting many losses, capturing several vessels and killing the Muslim commander.
With victory assured, the Portuguese chased the Almohads to Algarve and then to Ceuta, where Fuas Roupinho captured more vessels in the harbour, doing great damage.
In June 1182, the Portuguese fleet, emboldened by its previous successes, sails in the ocean off the Almohad territories. The Almohad fleets from Ceuta and Seville, totaling 40 galleys and commanded by Abd Allâh ben Ishâq ben Jâmi and Ahmed es-Sekili, respectively, converge in Cadiz. From there, they set course towards Silves, intercepting the Lisbon Portuguese fleet stationed there. The naval battle tilts in favor of the Almohads, inflicting a severe defeat on the Portuguese, resulting in the loss of over 20 to 30 ships and 1,800 prisoners.
Following the setback near Silves, Fuas Ropinho decided to launch a new raid on Ceuta with a naval force of 21 galleys. However, the Portuguese navy was struck by a storm on the Algarve coast, forcing him to enter the Mediterranean. On 17 September, Fuas found himself in Ceuta, surrounded by a large Almohad fleet of 54 galleys who had already learned of the upcoming raid. The Portuguese chose to fight despite the inequality of the forces. The Portuguese were defeated with a loss of 11 galleys, and Fuas was killed. The remaining ships returned to the kingdom, reporting the news of the defeat.