Battle of Valverde (1385)
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Valverde was fought in 14 October 1385, near Valverde de Mérida
, Castile
, between the Kingdom of Portugal and the Crown of Castile, and was part of the Portuguese Crisis of 1383–1385.
, the Constable of Portugal Nuno Álvares Pereira
had decided to take the offensive and invade Castile
.
The Portuguese army departed from Estremoz, passing by Vila Viçosa and Olivença
. He then entered into Castilian territory, where he took Villagarcia, which he found undefended, from here he then proceeded to the town of Valverde.
While waiting for reinforcements, the Castilians marched on to face the Portuguese and prevent them from crossing the river Guadiana
. The Castilian reinforcements were made up mainly of local townspeople and the army numbered about 20,000 men.
to protect the baggage and fight the enemy, while with his vanguard
he crossed over. The Castilian forces on the opposite shore, numbering about 10,000 men, unsuccessfully oppose their landing. After placing the Portuguese vanguard in position, defending the shore from the Castilians, Nuno Álvares Pereira again crossed the river to reach his rearguard, which was under a rain of arrow
s launched from the Castilian side. The Constable of Portugal
noticing that the Castilians had used all of their projectiles, ordered an attack. Nuno Álvares Pereira himself, seeing the banner of the Grand Master of Santiago, fought his way trough the Castilian army until encountering him, and after a brief duel, the Grand Master fell mortally wounded. With his fall and the overthrow of his standard, the Castilian army demoralized and was soon broken and in disorder, and could not stop the Portuguese attack, being quickly and totally defeated.
.
Valverde de Mérida
Valverde de Mérida is a municipality located in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain. According to the 2005 census , the municipality has a population of 1193 inhabitants....
, Castile
Crown of Castile
The Crown of Castile was a medieval and modern state in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and parliaments of the kingdoms of Castile and León upon the accession of the then King Ferdinand III of Castile to the vacant Leonese throne...
, between the Kingdom of Portugal and the Crown of Castile, and was part of the Portuguese Crisis of 1383–1385.
Prelude
Two months after the decisive Portuguese victory in the Battle of AljubarrotaBattle of Aljubarrota
The Battle of Aljubarrota was a battle fought between the Kingdom of Portugal and the Crown of Castile on 14 August 1385. Forces commanded by King John I of Portugal and his general Nuno Álvares Pereira, with the support of English allies, opposed the army of King John I of Castile with its...
, the Constable of Portugal Nuno Álvares Pereira
Nuno Álvares Pereira
Dom Nuno Álvares Pereira, O. Carm. , also spelled Nun'Álvares Pereira, was a Portuguese general of great success who had a decisive role in the 1383-1385 Crisis that assured Portugal's independence from Castile...
had decided to take the offensive and invade Castile
Crown of Castile
The Crown of Castile was a medieval and modern state in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and parliaments of the kingdoms of Castile and León upon the accession of the then King Ferdinand III of Castile to the vacant Leonese throne...
.
The Portuguese army departed from Estremoz, passing by Vila Viçosa and Olivença
Olivenza
Olivenza or Olivença is a town in the autonomous community of Extremadura, situated on a disputed section of the border between Portugal and Spain...
. He then entered into Castilian territory, where he took Villagarcia, which he found undefended, from here he then proceeded to the town of Valverde.
While waiting for reinforcements, the Castilians marched on to face the Portuguese and prevent them from crossing the river Guadiana
Guadiana
The Guadiana , or Odiana, is an international river located on the Portuguese–Spanish border, separating Extremadura and Andalucia from Alentejo and Algarve...
. The Castilian reinforcements were made up mainly of local townspeople and the army numbered about 20,000 men.
Battle
A portion of the Castilian army crossed the river and placed themselves on the opposite shore, while the rest remained were they were with the plan of surrounding the Portuguese while they crossed the river. Nuno Álvares Pereira then ordered his army to form a square with the baggage on the center, and impetuously crossed the Castilian forces, which attempted to oppose him. Upon reaching the river shore, Nuno Álvares Pereira ordered his rearguardRearguard
Rearguard may refer to:* A military detachment protecting the rear of a larger military formation, especially when retreating from a pursuing enemy force. * Rear Guard , a computer game released in 1982...
to protect the baggage and fight the enemy, while with his vanguard
Vanguard (military tactics)
The vanguard is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force.- Medieval origins :...
he crossed over. The Castilian forces on the opposite shore, numbering about 10,000 men, unsuccessfully oppose their landing. After placing the Portuguese vanguard in position, defending the shore from the Castilians, Nuno Álvares Pereira again crossed the river to reach his rearguard, which was under a rain of arrow
Arrow
An arrow is a shafted projectile that is shot with a bow. It predates recorded history and is common to most cultures.An arrow usually consists of a shaft with an arrowhead attached to the front end, with fletchings and a nock at the other.- History:...
s launched from the Castilian side. The Constable of Portugal
Constable of Portugal
Constable of Portugal or Constable of the Kingdom was a title created by the King of Portugal Ferdinand I in 1382, to substitute the title Alferes Mór do Reino. The constable was the second most powerful person in the kingdom, after the King of Portugal...
noticing that the Castilians had used all of their projectiles, ordered an attack. Nuno Álvares Pereira himself, seeing the banner of the Grand Master of Santiago, fought his way trough the Castilian army until encountering him, and after a brief duel, the Grand Master fell mortally wounded. With his fall and the overthrow of his standard, the Castilian army demoralized and was soon broken and in disorder, and could not stop the Portuguese attack, being quickly and totally defeated.
Aftermath
The Portuguese army pursued the Castilians till nightfall, returning to Portugal in the morning. The disaster that Castile experienced at Aljubarrota was thus quickly followed by another crushing defeat at Valverde. Most of the Portuguese towns that were still occupied by the Castilians soon surrendered to John I of PortugalJohn I of Portugal
John I KG , called the Good or of Happy Memory, more rarely and outside Portugal the Bastard, was the tenth King of Portugal and the Algarve and the first to use the title Lord of Ceuta...
.
See also
- History of PortugalHistory of PortugalThe history of Portugal, a European and an Atlantic nation, dates back to the Early Middle Ages. In the 15th and 16th centuries, it ascended to the status of a world power during Europe's "Age of Discovery" as it built up a vast empire including possessions in South America, Africa, Asia and...
- House of Avis
- Battle of TrancosoBattle of TrancosoThe Battle of Trancoso was fought in 29 May of 1385 between the Kingdom of Portugal and the Crown of Castile.Following the coronation of João of Aviz, John I of Castile sent an army into the Portuguese region of Beira in retaliation for Portuguese defiance, where they committed all the kinds of...
- Battle of AtoleirosBattle of AtoleirosThe Battle of Atoleiros took place on 6 April 1384, between a Portuguese force and a punitive expedition from Castile sent by John I. The battle took place near the population centre of the same name in Alentejo...
- Hundred Years War
- João das RegrasJoão das RegrasJoão das Regras, in English, literally John of the Rules, was a Portuguese jurist of the second half of the 14th-century. João das Regras was born in Lisbon in an unknown date and died there on 3 May 1404...
- Treaty of Windsor (1386)