The Battle of Montiel was a battle fought on 14 March 1369 between the Franco-Castilian forces supporting

Henry of Trastámara Henry II (13 January 1334 – 29 May 1379), called Henry of Trastámara or the Fratricidal (''el Fratricida''), was the first King of Castile and León from the House of Trastámara. He became king in 1369 by defeating his half-brother Peter the ...

and the Granadian-Castilian forces supporting the reigning

Peter of Castile Peter ( es, Pedro; 30 August 133423 March 1369), called the Cruel () or the Just (), was King of Castile and León from 1350 to 1369. Peter was the last ruler of the main branch of the House of Ivrea. He was excommunicated by Pope Urban V for ...

Background

In 1366 there was a civil war of succession in Castile. The ruling

's forces were pitched against those of his half brother

, a bastard of the former king. Peter was supported by England, Trastámara by the French. Edward, Prince of Wales (known as the Black Prince), in his capacity as

Prince of Aquitaine A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. ...

, led the English forces and the French were led by

Bertrand du Guesclin Bertrand du Guesclin ( br, Beltram Gwesklin; 1320 – 13 July 1380), nicknamed "The Eagle of Brittany" or "The Black Dog of Brocéliande", was a Breton knight and an important military commander on the French side during the Hundred Years' Wa ...

Curry. The Hundred Years War. pp. 69-70 The reason Edward represented

Aquitaine Aquitaine ( , , ; oc, Aquitània ; eu, Akitania; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Aguiéne''), archaic Guyenne or Guienne ( oc, Guiana), is a historical region of southwestern France and a former administrative region of the country. Since 1 Janu ...

rather than England, was to avoid the breach of a

peace treaty A peace treaty is an agreement between two or more hostile parties, usually countries or governments, which formally ends a state of war between the parties. It is different from an armistice, which is an agreement to stop hostilities; a surre ...

between the French and English that was in place at the time.Wagner. Encyclopedia of the Hundred Years War. p. 178 The armies in support of Trastámara were defeated at the

battle of Nájera The Battle of Nájera, also known as the Battle of Navarrete, was fought on 3 April 1367 to the northeast of Nájera, in the province of La Rioja, Castile. It was an episode of the first Castilian Civil War which confronted King Peter of Casti ...

in 1367, but Peter of Castile lost the advantage because he did not remunerate his ally the Black Prince. The Black Prince, also affected by dysentery, withdrew his support from Peter and returned to Aquitaine.Wagner. Encyclopedia of the Hundred Years War. p. 122

The battle

The Franco-Castilian force was led by

, while Peter of Castile led a Castilian-Granadine force. The Franco-Castilians were victorious largely thanks to the enveloping tactics of du Guesclin.

The aftermath

After the battle, Peter fled to the castle of Montiel, where he became trapped. In an attempt to bribe Bertrand du Guesclin, Peter was lured into a trap outside his castle refuge. In the confrontation his half-brother Henry stabbed Peter multiple times. His death on 23 March 1369 marked the end of the

Castilian Civil War The Castilian Civil War was a war of succession over the Crown of Castile that lasted from 1351 to 1369. The conflict started after the death of king Alfonso XI of Castile in March 1350. It became part of the larger conflict then raging betwee ...

. His victorious half-brother was crowned Henry II of Castille. Henry made du Guesclin Duke of Molina and formed an alliance with the French King

Charles V Charles V may refer to: * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise * Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690) * Infa ...

. Between 1370 and 1376, the Castilian fleet provided naval support to French campaigns against Aquitaine and the English coast while du Guesclin recaptured

Poitou Poitou (, , ; ; Poitevin: ''Poetou'') was a province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers. Both Poitou and Poitiers are named after the Pictones Gallic tribe. Geography The main historical cities are Poitiers (historical c ...

and

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

from the English.

Notes

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Montiel, Battle of Battles of the Hundred Years' War Battles involving Castile Montiel Conflicts in 1369 1369 in Europe Battles involving France 14th century in Castile History of the province of Ciudad Real