The Third Fernandine War was the last conflict of the

Fernandine Wars 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 under King Ferdinand I and the Crown of Castile under Kings Henry II and later ...

, and took place between 1381–1382, between 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 Kingdom of Castile, Castile and Kingd ...

and the Kingdoms of

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

and

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. When

Henry II of Castile Henry II (13 January 1334 – 29 May 1379), called Henry of Trastámara or the Fratricidal (''el Fratricida''), was the first List of Castilian monarchs, King of Castile and List of Leonese monarchs, León from the House of Trastámara. He became ...

(''Henry of Trastamara'') died in 1379,

John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (6 March 1340 – 3 February 1399), was an English royal prince, military leader and statesman. He was the fourth son (third surviving) of King Edward III of England, and the father of King Henry IV. Because ...

claimed their rights of the throne of the

Kingdom of Castile The Kingdom of Castile (; : ) was a polity in the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages. It traces its origins to the 9th-century County of Castile (, ), as an eastern frontier lordship of the Kingdom of León. During the 10th century, the Ca ...

, and found an ally

Ferdinand I of Portugal Ferdinand I (; 31 October 1345 – 22 October 1383), sometimes called the Handsome () or occasionally the Inconstant (), was the King of Portugal from 1367 until his death in 1383. He was also briefly made King of Galicia, in 1369 (a claim whi ...

.Batista González. ''España estratégica'' Vol.6

Anglo-Portuguese alliance

In 1381, breaking the 1373 Treaty of Santarem, King Ferdinand I of Portugal decided to attack Castile, thus initiating the Third Fernandine War. For this, he signed an alliance with the Kingdom of England, ruled at that time by the young King

Richard II of England Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Edward, Prince of Wales (later known as the Black Prince), and Jo ...

, 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 ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

in support of the Portuguese troops in an 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

Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...

. In July 1381, from Lisbon, a Portuguese fleet under the command of João Afonso Telo, sailed towards the mouth of the

Guadalquivir The Guadalquivir (, also , , ) is the fifth-longest river in the Iberian Peninsula and the second-longest river with its entire length in Spain. The Guadalquivir is the only major navigable river in Spain. Currently it is navigable from Seville ...

river, to prevent the passage of the Castilian fleet.Pereira p.141 At the same time, the Admiral

Fernando Sánchez de Tovar Fernando (or Fernán) Sánchez de Tovar (died 1384) was a Crown of Castile, Castilian soldier and admiral. Soldier of Castile During the Castilian Civil War, Sánchez de Tovar initially supported King Peter the Cruel, who appointed him Adelantado ...

sailed from its base, heading out to the Portuguese coasts. The Portuguese fleet was decisively defeated by the fleet of Don

at the Battle of the Saltes Island, and the Castilian fleet obtained the total control of the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

. Meanwhile, the English troops disembarked in

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 Castile John I (; 24 August 1358 – 9 October 1390) was King of Castile and List of Leonese monarchs, León from 1379 until 1390. He was the son of Henry II of Castile, Henry II and of his wife Juana Manuel of Castile. John ascended to the throne in 137 ...

and the Admiral

, with a great and vigorous offensive by sea and land, came to the gates of

, 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.

Consequences

The Castilians were victorious, and the Crown of Castile gained the military supremacy in the

. Under the conditions of peace stipulated that

Beatrice of Portugal Beatrice (, ; 7–13 February 1373 – ) was the only surviving legitimate child of King Ferdinand I of Portugal and his wife, Leonor Teles. She became Queen consort of Castile by marriage to King John I of Castile. Following her father's d ...

, the heiress of Ferdinand I of Portugal, married King John I of Castile. This union meant ''de facto'' annexation of Portugal to the

, but this treaty did not please the Portuguese nobility, and became the main cause 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 Leonor Teles (or Teles de Meneses; ) was queen consort of Portugal by marriage to King Ferdinand I, and regent of Portugal. She was one of the protagonists, along with her brothers and her daughter Beatrice, of the events that led to the su ...

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.

Notes

References

* Cervera Pery, José. ''El poder naval en los reinos Hispánicos: la marina de la Edad Media''. Madrid (1992) * Condeminas Mascaró, Francisco. ''La Marina militar Española''. Málaga (2000) * 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) * Morais, Tancredo de. ''História da Marinha Portuguesa''. Clube Militar Naval. Lisboa (1940) * Quintella, Ignacio da Costa. ''Annaes da Marinha Portugueza''. Academia Real das Sciencias. Lisboa (1839) * 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 the Kingdom of Castile Wars involving Portugal Wars involving England Conflicts in 1381 Conflicts in 1382 1381 in Europe 1382 in Europe Wars of succession involving the states and peoples of Europe

Anglo-Portuguese alliance

Naval Portuguese offensive

Castilian offensive of 1382

Consequences

See also

Notes

References