Third Ferdinand War
Encyclopedia
The Third Ferdinand War was the last conflict of the Ferdinand Wars
, and took place between 1381–1382, between the Crown of Castile
and the Kingdoms of Portugal
and England
. When Henry II of Castile (Henry of Trastamara) died in 1379, John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster
claimed their rights of the throne of the Kingdom of Castile
, and again found an ally in Ferdinand I of Portugal
.
, King Ferdinand I of Portugal decided to attack back to Kingdom of Castile
, thus initiating the Third Ferdinand War
. For this, he signed an alliance with the Kingdom of England, ruled in this time by the young King Richard II of England
.
John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster
, also had, since 1371, claims to the Castilian throne, and saw in this deal a means of enforcement of this cause. In June, the Duke of Lancaster sent an English army (composed by the famous English archers) under the command of the Earl of Cambridge
to Lisbon
in support of the Portuguese troops in a incursion into the Castilian territory.
. In July 1381, from Lisbon, a Portuguese fleet under the command of João Afonso Teles de Menezes, Count of Barcelos
, sailed towards the mouth of the Guadalquivir
river, to prevent the passage of the Castilian fleet. At the same time, the Admiral Fernando Sánchez de Tovar
sailed from its base, heading out to the portuguese coasts. The Portuguese fleet was decisively defeated by the fleet of Don Fernando Sánchez de Tovar
at the Battle of the Saltes Island
, and the Castilian fleet obtained the total control of the Atlantic Ocean
. Meanwhile, the English troops disembarked in Lisbon
without any problem.
and the Admiral Fernando Sánchez de Tovar
, with a great and vigorous offensive by sea and land, came to the gates of Lisbon
, finally forcing the King of Portugal to sign a favourable peace by the Castilians in August, with John I, by the Treaty of Elvas
of 1382.
The Castilians were victorious, and the Crown of Castile gained the military supremacy in the Atlantic Ocean
.
Under the conditions of peace stipulated that Beatrice of Portugal
, the heiress of Ferdinand I of Portugal, married King John I of Castile. This union meant de facto annexation of Portugal to the Crown of Castile
, but this treaty did not like the Portuguese nobility, and will be the main consequence of the future important crisis of 1383-1385
. On October 22, King Ferdinand died. According to the marriage contract, dowager Queen Leonor Telles de Menezes
assumed regency in the name of her daughter Beatrice and son-in-law, John I of Castile. Since diplomatic opposition was no longer possible, the party for independence took more drastic measures, starting the 1383–1385 Crisis
.
Ferdinand Wars
The Ferdinand Wars were a series of three conflicts between the Kingdom of Portugal, supported by the Kingdom of England, and the Crown of Castile. Ferdinand I of Portugal, John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster, and the Castilian Kings of the House of Trastámara, faced for the throne of Castile,...
, and took place between 1381–1382, between the Crown of 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...
and the Kingdoms of Portugal
Kingdom of Portugal
The Kingdom of Portugal was Portugal's general designation under the monarchy. The kingdom was located in the west of the Iberian Peninsula, Europe and existed from 1139 to 1910...
and England
Kingdom of England
The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England...
. When Henry II of Castile (Henry of Trastamara) died in 1379, John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster
John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster
John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster , KG was a member of the House of Plantagenet, the third surviving son of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault...
claimed their rights of the throne of the Kingdom of Castile
Kingdom of Castile
Kingdom of Castile was one of the medieval kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula. It emerged as a political autonomous entity in the 9th century. It was called County of Castile and was held in vassalage from the Kingdom of León. Its name comes from the host of castles constructed in the region...
, and again found an ally in Ferdinand I of Portugal
Ferdinand I of Portugal
Ferdinand I , sometimes referred to as the Handsome or rarely as the Inconstant , was the ninth King of Portugal and the Algarve, the second son of Peter I and his wife, Constance of Castile...
.
Anglo-Portuguese alliance
In 1381, breaking the Treaty of Santarem (1373)Ferdinand Wars
The Ferdinand Wars were a series of three conflicts between the Kingdom of Portugal, supported by the Kingdom of England, and the Crown of Castile. Ferdinand I of Portugal, John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster, and the Castilian Kings of the House of Trastámara, faced for the throne of Castile,...
, King Ferdinand I of Portugal decided to attack back to Kingdom of Castile
Kingdom of Castile
Kingdom of Castile was one of the medieval kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula. It emerged as a political autonomous entity in the 9th century. It was called County of Castile and was held in vassalage from the Kingdom of León. Its name comes from the host of castles constructed in the region...
, thus initiating the Third Ferdinand War
Ferdinand Wars
The Ferdinand Wars were a series of three conflicts between the Kingdom of Portugal, supported by the Kingdom of England, and the Crown of Castile. Ferdinand I of Portugal, John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster, and the Castilian Kings of the House of Trastámara, faced for the throne of Castile,...
. For this, he signed an alliance with the Kingdom of England, ruled in this time by the young King Richard II of England
Richard II of England
Richard II was King of England, a member of the House of Plantagenet and the last of its main-line kings. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince, and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III...
.
John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster
John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster
John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster , KG was a member of the House of Plantagenet, the third surviving son of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault...
, also had, since 1371, claims to the Castilian throne, and saw in this deal a means of enforcement of this cause. In June, the Duke of Lancaster sent an English army (composed by the famous English archers) under the command of the Earl of Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
to Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
in support of the Portuguese troops in a incursion into the Castilian territory.
Naval Portuguese offensive
To prevent the English contingent being intercepted at sea by the navy of Castile, the Portuguese monarch planned a naval offensive against the Castilian fleet, anchored in SevilleSeville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
. In July 1381, from Lisbon, a Portuguese fleet under the command of João Afonso Teles de Menezes, Count of Barcelos
Count of Barcelos
Count of Barcelos is a title of nobility, the first to be granted in Portugal. It was created in 1298 by king Denis I and initially it was a non hereditary title, although most of the holders belonged to the Teles de Menezes family...
, sailed towards the mouth of the Guadalquivir
Guadalquivir
The Guadalquivir is the fifth longest river in the Iberian peninsula and the second longest river to be its whole length in Spain. The Guadalquivir is 657 kilometers long and drains an area of about 58,000 square kilometers...
river, to prevent the passage of the Castilian fleet. At the same time, the Admiral Fernando Sánchez de Tovar
Fernando Sánchez de Tovar
Fernando Sánchez de Tovar or Fernán Sánchez de Tovar was a significant Castilian soldier and Admiral of the Middle Ages.-Soldier of Castile:...
sailed from its base, heading out to the portuguese coasts. The Portuguese fleet was decisively defeated by the fleet of Don Fernando Sánchez de Tovar
Fernando Sánchez de Tovar
Fernando Sánchez de Tovar or Fernán Sánchez de Tovar was a significant Castilian soldier and Admiral of the Middle Ages.-Soldier of Castile:...
at the Battle of the Saltes Island
Battle of the Saltes Island
The naval Battle of the Saltes Island or Battle of Saltes took place on 17 July 1381, off Saltes Island, between the Kingdom of Castile and the Kingdom of Portugal during the Third Ferdinand War...
, and the Castilian fleet obtained the total control of the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. Meanwhile, the English troops disembarked in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
without any problem.
Castilian offensive of 1382
Fedinand I of Portugal, exhausted by war and by the constant defeats at the hands of the Castilians, began to rethink peace with Castile. In 1382, the Castilians, led by the King John I of CastileJohn I of Castile
John I was the king of Crown of Castile, was the son of Henry II and of his wife Juana Manuel of Castile, daughter of Juan Manuel, Prince of Villena, head of a younger branch of the royal house of Castile...
and the Admiral Fernando Sánchez de Tovar
Fernando Sánchez de Tovar
Fernando Sánchez de Tovar or Fernán Sánchez de Tovar was a significant Castilian soldier and Admiral of the Middle Ages.-Soldier of Castile:...
, with a great and vigorous offensive by sea and land, came to the gates of Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, finally forcing the King of Portugal to sign a favourable peace by the Castilians in August, with John I, by the Treaty of Elvas
Elvas
Elvas is a Portuguese municipality, an episcopal city and frontier fortress of Portugal, located in the district of Portalegre in Alentejo. It is situated about 230 km east of Lisbon, and about 15 km west of the Spanish fortress of Badajoz, by the Madrid-Badajoz-Lisbon railway...
of 1382.
Consequences
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
.
Under the conditions of peace stipulated that Beatrice of Portugal
Beatrice of Portugal
Beatrice was the only surviving child of King Ferdinand I of Portugal and his wife, Leonor Telles de Menezes. She married King John I of Castile. In the absence of a male heir, she claimed the throne of Portugal, supported by her husband. This led to the 1383–1385 Crisis, in which the Portuguese...
, the heiress of Ferdinand I of Portugal, married King John I of Castile. This union meant de facto annexation of Portugal to the Crown of 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...
, but this treaty did not like the Portuguese nobility, and will be the main consequence of the future important crisis of 1383-1385
1383–1385 Crisis
The 1383–1385 Crisis was a period of civil war in Portuguese history that began with the death of King Ferdinand I of Portugal, who left no male heirs, and ended with the accession to the throne of King John I in 1385, in the wake of the Battle of Aljubarrota.In Portugal, this period is also known...
. On October 22, King Ferdinand died. According to the marriage contract, dowager Queen Leonor Telles de Menezes
Leonor Telles de Menezes
Leonor Telles de Menezes was a queen consort of Portugal and regent during the years 1383–1385. She was the wife of a Portuguese nobleman from whom she was forcibly divorced by King Ferdinand I, who afterward married her...
assumed regency in the name of her daughter Beatrice and son-in-law, John I of Castile. Since diplomatic opposition was no longer possible, the party for independence took more drastic measures, starting the 1383–1385 Crisis
1383–1385 Crisis
The 1383–1385 Crisis was a period of civil war in Portuguese history that began with the death of King Ferdinand I of Portugal, who left no male heirs, and ended with the accession to the throne of King John I in 1385, in the wake of the Battle of Aljubarrota.In Portugal, this period is also known...
.
See also
- Hundred Years' WarHundred Years' WarThe Hundred Years' War was a series of separate wars waged from 1337 to 1453 by the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet, also known as the House of Anjou, for the French throne, which had become vacant upon the extinction of the senior Capetian line of French kings...
- Castilian Civil WarCastilian Civil WarThe Castilian Civil War lasted three years from 1366 to 1369. It became part of the larger conflict then raging between the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of France: the Hundred Years' War...
- Medieval Spain
- List of Castilian monarchs
- List of English monarchs
- List of Portuguese monarchs