"Rather die free than peacefully subjected"

I would like to thank Pierre de Sousa Lima for this writing in regards to the inscription on the Azorean coat of arms.....

It was written by Cipriao de Figueiredo in 1589 (XVI century), at the time Terceira's island Governor, in a letter he sent to King Filipe II of Spain (Felipe I of Portugal) during Spaniard invasion of Portugal.
At the time Terceira Island, in the Azores, was the only piece of Portuguese land (all the other parcels of our national territory was occupied by the Spanish at the time), and Fillipe II of Spain wrote a letter to Terceira's Governor asking him to surrender too. But Cripiao Figeiredo replied to the Spanish King with that phrase (Ante morrer livre do que em paz sujeitos).
Then, with the help of D. Antonio Prior do Crato, ( a Portuguese monarch that was banished to Brasil and returned to Terceira island), he formed a new Portuguese army.
They sailed to north of Portugal where they achieved the deoccupation of part of the north of Portugal (batalha da Salga-Salga naval war), unfortunately not for too long.
He died in France in 1608 where the Spanish King exiled him after new Spanish occupancy.

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