The Fernandine Wars (from the Portuguese ''Guerras Fernandinas'') were a series of three conflicts (1369–70, 1372–73, 1381–82) between the

Kingdom of Portugal The Kingdom of Portugal ( la, Regnum Portugalliae, pt, Reino de Portugal) was a monarchy in the western Iberian Peninsula and the predecessor of the modern Portuguese Republic. Existing to various extents between 1139 and 1910, it was also kn ...

under King Ferdinand I and the

Crown of Castile The Crown of Castile was a medieval polity in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and, some decades later, the parliaments of the kingdoms of Castile and León upon the accessi ...

under Kings Henry II and later

John I John I may refer to: People * John I (bishop of Jerusalem) * John Chrysostom (349 – c. 407), Patriarch of Constantinople * John of Antioch (died 441) * Pope John I, Pope from 523 to 526 * John I (exarch) (died 615), Exarch of Ravenna * John I ...

. They were fought over Ferdinand's claim to the Castilian succession after the murder of King

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 ...

in 1369.

Treaty of Salvaterra

The Treaty of Salvaterra de Magos was an agreement signed in 1383 between

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of th ...

and Castile in order to end a period known in Portugal as the Fernandine Wars (after the name of Fernando I). To celebrate the peace between the two kingdoms, king Fernando I of Portugal agreed on the marriage of his daughter and heir, Beatrice of Portugal, with king

John I of Castile John I ( es, Juan I; 24 August 1358 – 9 October 1390) was King of Castile and León from 1379 until 1390. He was the son of Henry II and of his wife Juana Manuel of Castile. Biography His first marriage, to Eleanor of Aragon on 18 June 137 ...

. However, to avoid the union of the two countries, this pre-nuptial agreement established the rules to the succession for the two thrones. It was never Fernando's intention to form a union of the kingdoms of Portugal and Castile. Therefore, it was agreed that following his death his wife, queen

Leonor Telles de Menezes Leonor Teles (or Teles de Meneses; ) was queen consort of Portugal by marriage to King Ferdinand I, and one of the protagonists, along with her brothers and her daughter Beatrice, of the events that led to the succession crisis of 1383–1385 ...

would assume the

regency A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

in Portugal until the son of Beatrice and John would reach 14 years old, when he would become the future king of Portugal. The main clauses of the Treaty of Salvaterra stipulated: *The separation between the kingdoms of Portugal and Castile only could be eliminated with the consent of the Cortes; *The recognition of Beatrice and her husband as kings of Portugal (him, as king consort), if Fernando I would die without any other male heir; *The succession in the throne of Portugal to the offspring of Beatrice and her husband; *The succession in the throne of Portugal to John of Castille and his offspring of the first marriage, if Beatrice would die childless before him, but the Portuguese naturals (property owners) must to receive him as their king; *That queen Leonor Telles de Menezes should remain regent of the kingdom if Fernando I would die without any other heirs and while Beatrice didn't have a 14-year-old son; *And other less important clauses (included in ''Chronicle of king Fernando I'', by

Fernão Lopes Fernão Lopes () (c. 1385 – after 1459) was a Portuguese chronicler appointed by King Edward of Portugal. Fernão Lopes wrote the history of Portugal, but only a part of his work remained. His way of writing was based on oral discourse, ...

, Chapter CLVII). In the famous Cortes of Coimbra (1385),

João das Regras João das Regras (??? - 3 May 1404), in English, literally John of the Rules, was a Portuguese jurist of the second half of the 14th century. In the context of the 1383—1385 Crisis, in Portugal, he stood out for his masterly representation for ...

, a lawyer supporting John Master of Aviz claims to the throne of Portugal, defended that due to the disrespect to the Treaty of Salvaterra clauses, Beatrice and John I of Castile should be excluded from the throne.

References

* Cervera Pery, José. ''El poder naval en los reinos Hispánicos: la marina de la Edad Media''. Madrid (1992) * Lopes, Fernão. ''Crónica do Senhor Rei D. Fernando Nono Rei de Portugal''. Livraria Civilização. Porto (1966) * Fernández Duro, Cesáreo. ''La Marina de Castilla''. Madrid (1995) * Pereira, António Rodrigues. ''História da Marinha Portuguesa''. Escola Naval. Lisboa (1983) * Batista González, Juan. ''España estratégica. Guerra y diplomacia en la historia de España''. Madrid (2007) {{ISBN, 978-84-7737-183-0 Wars involving Portugal Wars involving the Kingdom of Castile Wars involving England 1370s in Europe 1380s in Europe 14th century in Portugal 14th century in Castile Wars of succession involving the states and peoples of Europe