Castilian Civil War

Impact and
the Trastamara Line

HIST 3141
2021
 Castile and Leon Monarchies
13th to 15th Centuries
• Ferdinand III Castile 1217 – y Leon 1230 – 1252
• Alfonso X “el Sabio” (son) C y L 1252 – 1284
• Sancho IV “the fierce” (son) 1284 – 1295
• Ferdinand IV 1295 – 1312
• Alfonso XI 1312 – 1350
• Pedro I “el Cruel” 1350 – 1369
• Civil War and new Trastamara Line
 Castile and Leon Monarchies
13th to 15th Centuries (part 2)
• Trastamara Line
• Enrique II 1369 – 1379
• Juan I 1379 – 1390
• Enrique III “the Ailing” 1390 – 1406
• Juan II 1406 – 1454
• Enrique IV “the Impotent” 1454 – 1474
• Civil War
• Isabel I “la Catolica” 1474 – 1504
 Alfonso XI (1310 r.1325 – 1350)
• Was only 2 years old when his father Fernando IV died in 1312
• Struggle between his uncle, grand uncle and third cousin nearly tore Castile
apart
• 1325 – Alfonso XI came of age – royal power was reasserted
• Merinid – new Moroccan empire with eyes on the peninsula
• 1319 – slew both Castilian regents in battle and enforced some tribute
• 1333 reconquered Gibraltar and preparations for larger invasion of Castile
• Merinid Sultan Abu’l Hassan would face Castilian King and allies
• 1340 – Algeciras fell in a naval battle, a few months later Castilians defeated
the Merinids at the Salado River
• Siege of Algeciras 1342 – 1344 (aided by France, Portugal and the Pope)
• Castile then controlled the Straits of Gibraltar
 Pedro I “the Cruel” (1350 – 1369)
• Alfonso XI died at age 40; Pedro legitimate heir was 16 years old
• With Maria of Portugal had two children – Fernando (infant) and Pedro
• Alfonso also had 10 children with his favorite mistress – Leonor de Guzman
• Their oldest son Enrique was given title of Count of Trastamara (in Galicia)
prior to Alfonso’s death in 1350.

• Pedro was strongly influenced by Juan Alfonso de Albuquerque, a bastard

son of the King of Portugal
• He convinced Pedro to get rid of Leonor de Guzman
• Other sources say that Maria had Leonor de Guzman arrested and
executed
Castile’s Civil War
• After the murder of Enrique’s mother, he came out at war with the
King
• Enrique championed himself as defender of the aristocracy
• Pedro had followed his father’s policies limiting noble power
• Church – he restricted privileges of secular senorios and church
abadengos
• Jurists from the middle class in place of aristocracy
• Offered towns a preferential treatment (royal authority) to aristocratic
authority
• Aristocratic support turned the Trastamara revolt into a large scale civil
war
International Ties of Castilian Civil War
• In the early years Pedro had little difficulty driving the Trastamara
forces from the kingdom.
• Becomes part of Hundred Years War
• Enrique will seek and receive support from France and Aragon.
• Pedro will enter Aragon and briefly occupied Valencia
• French “free companies” will tip the scales in favor of Enrique
• Enrique will drive out Peter and declared himself Enrique II in 1366.
• Pedro fled to Bayonne and there seeks help from the English
• Edward, the Black Prince and his English archers will help Pedro win
the Battle of Najera (1367) – reestablished as King Peter I
• English support and archers are withdrawn over money matters
Trastamara victory
• Trastamara and their allies moved in for the kill.
• Aided by Aragon, France, and various Castilian nobles
• Enrique relied on full support from King Charles V of France
• Enrique once again invaded Castile
• Trastamara practice great cruelty in execution of royalist leaders in
the northeastern towns during the 1368 decisive campaign.
• Pedro is captured and slain by Enrique at Montiel in 1369
Enrique II and the Trastamara Monarchy
• Enrique II (r. 1369 – 1379)
• Primary Goals:
• Strengthen the power of the Crown
• Establish a loyal oligarchy of nobles
• Strengthen the Franco-Castilian and anti-English Alliance
 Trastamara Monarchy
• Enrique II accepted the idea of a strong dynasty
• Much of the “old Castilian aristocracy” was ruined by the civil war
• New Aristocracy – closest relatives; his military leaders; and those
backers who had switched sides during the war (left Pedro)
• Created the Castilian “high aristocracy” -- Grandes
• Given major land grants and privileges
• Crown’s state services; many offices became hereditary
• Received further wealth and emoluments (salaries and fees from offices)
• Spanish Grandes considered the richest aristocracy of Europe
• (Did not stand when the King entered the room – equals)
Enrique II and the Church
• Church was controlled by members of the Aristocracy
• Castilian Church had all privileges reconfirmed
• During his time there was a “reform element” that controlled the
institution for a period
• He used their support and supported their ideas. One key idea was
the belief that a stronger royal power sould provide the impetus and
authority for effective church reforms.

• Towns – He gave minor concessions to the consejos. Also tried to

dampen the anti-Jewish wave against the Jewish community. (Part of
the Trastamara propaganda for removal of Pedro)
 Trastamara Monarchy
• Juan I (r.1379 – 1390) Second King
• Attempted to place some limits on the “high aristocracy”
• Church support – at the Cortes of Soria, he agreed to have recently
usurped church lands returned by the aristocracy
• He also employeed many petty nobles in royal administration
• Tried to avoid honors and appointments (more privileges to Grandes)
• Attempted invasion of Portugal during a succession crisis (1383 – 1385)
• Prince Joao I (r.1385 – 1433) and the military orders are able to defeat
Castilian forces at the Battle of Aljubarrota (Aug 14, 1385)
• Joao I signed a “perpetual alliance” with England and married Philippa of
Lancaster, granddaughter of King Edward III.
Trastamara Monarchy
• Enrique III “the Ailing” (r.1390 – 1406)
• First years of his reign marked by civil war between upper and lower
aristocracy
• Almost a complete victory for the lower aristocracy; which would not last
• Juan II (r. 1406 – 1454)
• Castilian standing army
• 4,000 lances (backed by 3 to 5 men each)
• 1,500 Andalusian light cavalry
• More central direction in the affairs of state (regional audiencias,
Hermandad Nueva - constabulary)
Theory of Royal Absolutism
• Enrique III foresaw the problem of a long minority for his son Juan II
(born 1405). Enrique died the following year.
• Regents to supervise the government: brother Ferdinand (of
Antequera), wife Catherine of Lancaster and royal council.
• 1412 Ferdinand was elected to succeed the childless Martin I of
Aragon. Trastamara on the Aragon throne as well. He would also
continue his regency until his death in 1416. His elder son would
become Juan II of Aragon. But the family of Ferdinand of Antequera
would continue to interfere in Castilian politics and were known as
the leaders of the Aragonese party. Became powerful in 1420s.
• Catherine of Lancaster died in 1418.
Theory of Royal Absolutism
• Juan II married Mary of Aragon – Ferdinand’s daughter – in 1418
• Ferdinand’s sons – infantes Juan and Enrique – created a power base
among some of the Castilian nobility (Aragonese party)
• Alvaro de Luna – royal favorite and Constable of Castile – Juan II’s
most trusted official.
• 1445 – Alvaro de Luna convinced Pedro II that he could make laws
unilaterally, without the approval of the cortes (parliament).
• It was at the site of the cortes of Olmedo that the infantes and the
Aragonese party will challenge the king.
• Juan II and Alvaro de Luna decisively defeat the enemy in battle
Theory of Royal Absolutism
• Even before the Battle of Olmeda (1445) the cortes was used as a
mouthpiece for royal authority. Citing that the authority of the king
comes from God and his authority cannot be challenged or resisted.
• Pedro II used the Siete Partidas of Alfonso X to justify the position that
the king is above the law and received his authority directly from God.
• Divine right of the king and absolute authority
• Quod principi placuit legis habet vigorem (what pleases the prince has
the force of law)
• Princeps legibus solutus est (the prince is free from the limitations of
the law)
Theory of Royal Absolutism
• Juan II even used this authority to order the execution of his favorite
Alvaro de Luna in 1453. (A decision that affected him – some say
greatly)
• Enrique IV “el Impotente” (1454 – 1474) gave into noble pressure in
1465, but a month later citing royal absolutism said that all proposals
and his acceptance were null and void.
• Isabel and Fernando, los Reyes Catolicas, received the power of
absolutism complete when they began their rule. They would use this
power for the foundation of the early modern state in Spain