Battle of Aljubarrota
The army of John I of Portugal and his constable Nuno Álvares Pereira, supported by English archers, routed the far larger army of John I of Castile, securing Portugal’s independence and the throne of the new Aviz dynasty.
- Date
- 14 August 1385exact dateDate in the Julian calendar
- Place
- São Jorge near Aljubarrotatoday: between Leiria and Alcobaça, Portugal · Western and Central Europe
- Participants
- John I of Portugal, Nuno Álvares Pereira, Kingdom of Portugal, Crown of Castile, Kingdom of England, Kingdom of France
- Threads
- History of Portugal since the Battle of Aljubarrota
- Also known as
- Batalha de Aljubarrota; Сражение при Алжубарроте
When King Ferdinand I died in 1383, his only daughter Beatrice was the wife of John I of Castile, and Portugal faced absorption by its neighbour. Lisbon and much of the country backed John, Master of the Order of Aviz and an illegitimate son of Peter I; in April 1385 the Cortes of Coimbra acclaimed him king, and Castile invaded.
Nuno Álvares Pereira chose a defensive position on a small plateau at São Jorge, protected by streams, ditches and pits. Late in the afternoon of 14 August the French heavy cavalry allied with Castile charged uphill and was destroyed by arrows and dismounted men-at-arms; the main Castilian army broke and fled within about an hour. In thanks for the victory John I founded the Monastery of Santa Maria da Vitória at Batalha. Castile recognised the new dynasty only in the Treaty of Ayllón of 1411.
Connections
Consequences
- Treaty of Windsor9 May 1386 · Western and Central Europethe victory, won with the help of English archers, was followed by a permanent alliance with England
- Portuguese conquest of Ceuta21 August 1415 · Africathe Aviz dynasty, secured at Aljubarrota, turned the energies of the nobility overseas after peace with Castile in 1411
Same participants
- Magna Carta15 June 1215 · Western and Central Europevia Kingdom of England
- Seventh Crusade1248–1254 · Middle East and Egyptvia Kingdom of France
- Battle of Castillon17 July 1453 · Western and Central Europevia Kingdom of France
- Fall of Granada2 January 1492 · Western and Central Europevia Crown of Castile
Same place
- Cortes of Tomar: Philip II becomes King of PortugalApril 1581 · Western and Central Europe
Sources
- Wikipedia (English): Battle of Aljubarrota
- Wikipedia (English): 1383–1385 Portuguese interregnum
- Wikipedia (Russian): Сражение при Алжубарроте
- Monteiro J. G. Aljubarrota — a batalha real. — Lisboa: Tribuna da História, 2003.
- Wikidata: Q1341972