Portuguese Crisis of 1383-1385

The crisis of 1383-1385 was one civil period of war and of chaos of the known Histoire of Portugal also as Interrègne considering there was no king. The crisis started with the death of the king Ferdinand Ier of Portugal without heirs and finished with the rise with the throne of Jean Ier of Portugal, large-Master of the Ordre of Aviz in 1385 after the Bataille of Aljubarrota.

Be a prelude to

In 1383, the king Ferdinand Ier of Portugal is dying. Of her marriage with Éléonore TVS of Menezes, only a girl, Beatrice of Portugal, survived. The marriage of the latter is thus of first importance for the future of the kingdom. The various political factions propose possible husbands, of which English and French princes.

At the beginning of the decade of 1380, Ferdinand decides for the first choice of Éléonore: the king Jean Ier de Castille. The marriage is celebrated in May of 1383.

But this solution is not accepted by the majority of the Portuguese, because it is about a dynastic union of the two kingdoms and consequently, the loss of the independence of Portugal. Many personalities, so much of the nobility than of the class of the tradesmen, are against this option, but do not have a common alternative.

Two candidates emergent against king de Castille: two bastard half-brothers of the dying king:

Jean, wire of the king Pierre Ier of Portugal and Inês of Castro who lives in Castille.
Jean, Large Main of Aviz, another bastard of very popular Pierre Ier in the middle-class and the aristocracy.

October 22nd, dies Ferdinand of Portugal. According to the marriage contract of Beatrice and Jean de Castille, the regency of the kingdom is entrusted to Éléonore, now widowed queen.

As from this moment, it is not possible any more to solve the dynastic crisis diplomatically and the faction favorable to independence rebels: thus the crisis of 1383-1385 starts.

1383-1384

The first act of hostility comes from the partisans of the Master of Aviz in December 1383. Jean de Aviz and a group of conspirators enter to Lisbon and assassinate the Count de Andeiro, lover and allied political of Éléonore Tellès of Menezes and one of the principal organizers of the marriage of Beatrice with king Jean de Castille.

Thus, Jean d' Aviz becomes the chief of the separatist faction and calls at his sides D. Nuno Álvares Pereira, a recognized military chief. Together, they seize the cities like Lisbon, Beja, Portalegre, Estremoz and Évora. In answer, king Jean de Castille enters to Portugal and occupies the strategic town of Santarém in an attempt to keep the throne of his wife.

The first political victim is Éléonore itself because of its incompetence. Jean de Castille obliges his mother-in-law to abdicate and exiles it in a convent.

Portuguese resistance and the army of Castille meet on April 6th, 1384 with the Bataille back Atoleiros (“battles of the mud pits”). D. Nuno Álvarès Pereira gains a victory for the faction of Aviz but the result is not decisive: Jean Ier de Castille withdraws himself towards Lisbon and encircles the capital; with its navy, it blocks the port and controls the Tage. This seat is a serious threat with the cause of Aviz, considering without Lisbon and its money, it is not possible to overcome Castille On another side, Jean de Castille needs Lisbon to be made crown king with his wife.

Entrusting the military command to Álvares Pereira, Jean de Aviz tries to reinforce his international position. In 1384, the Guerre One hundred Year old beats full sound, the French and the English fighting for the crown of France.

The conflict quickly exceeds the dynastic question and influences, for example, the schism of papacy. Considering Castille is the allied traditional one of the French, the logical option for Portugal is to require the British assistance. In May 1384, Jean sends an embassy to the king Richard II of England, a 17 year old boy, directed by the regent his uncle, Jean of Ghent, Duc of Lancaster. At the beginning, the duke is reticent to reach at the request of assistance, but, finally, it agrees to send troops to Portugal what interests it to weaken Jean de Castille of which it claimed with the throne by his Constance wife of Castille.

The English intervention will be decisive. However, in Lisbon, one starts to suffer from the hunger. Blocked by ground and the river, the city does not hope for large-thing of the too small army of Jean de Aviz to be risked in a direct conflict with the Castilians and defendant of other cities. June 18th, a squadron ordered by the captain Rui Perreira breaks the blockade and manages to provide a loading of food to Lisbon. The operation is a success, but the cost in is very high considering practically all the Portuguese buildings are run and that proper Rui Pereira dies in the combat.

In spite of this small Portuguese success, the seat continues and a few weeks after, Almada goes to Castille. The situation appears lost for the inhabitants of the city, when the chance smiles to them. The seat is also difficult behind for Castille for problems of provisioning because of the action of Nuno Álvares Pereira guard. At the end of the summer, an epidemic of Black Death emerges in the army Castilian, forcing Jean Ier to withdraw itself towards Castille on September 3rd. A few weeks after, the fleet castellane gives up Tage and Lisbon can breathe.

1385

At the end of 1384 and at the beginning of 1385, Nuno Álvares Pereira takes again the majority of the Portuguese cities which had declared their support with the Béatrice princess and her husband Jean de Castille. At Easter, the English troops sent at the request of Jean de Aviz arrive at Portugal. Although they are not very numerous, approximately 600 men, they are troops of veterans of the One hundred Year old war, well trained in the victorious tactics of the English infantry. Among the English quota, there are divisions of archers who proved their value against the loads of cavalry to the Bataille of Crécy for example. With these assets in his play, Jean de Aviz organizes a meeting of the Cortes with Coimbra, gathering all the important figures of the kingdom. And on April 6th, he is proclaimed Jean Ier, king de Portugal, first of the Dynastie of Aviz; what is an act of war against the claims Castilians.

By one of his first edicts, Jean Ier names Álvares Pereira, Connétable and guard of the kingdom. A little later the king and the constable leave for north, to finish some with the last hearths of resistance.

In Castille, Jean Ier prepares an answer to demolished, sending a punitive forwarding to Portugal. The result is the Bataille of Trancoso in May, where the troops of Jean Ier d' Aviz obtain an important victory. With this defeat, king de Castille sees that it needs an enormous army to put an end so that it considers a rebellion. During the second week of June, the majority of the army of Castille, ordered by the king and accompanied in person by a quota of French cavalry enters to the north of Portugal. This time, the numerical advantage is side of Castille. Jean Ier takes into account 30.000 men against the 6.000 at disposal of Jean Ier of Portugal. The Castilians move immediately towards the south, in the direction of Lisbon and Santarém, the main cities of the kingdom.

Meanwhile, Jean Ier and his constable find themselves with Tomar and decide to avoid a new head office of Lisbon and thus await the enemy in the surroundings of Leiria close to the borough of Aljumbarrota. August 14th, the army of Castille, very slow because of the weight of its equipment, meets finally the Portuguese reinforced by the English detachment. It will be the Bataille of Aljubarrota, delivered in the style of the battles of Crécy and Azincourt where the tactics used made it possible small armies to resist great quotas and loads of cavalry. The use of archers on the sides and the obstacles to prevent the progression of the horses constitute the principal elements of them. The army of Castille is overcome and completely destroyed. The losses of the battle of Aljubarrota are such as Castille cannot more try new invasions lasting of the years.

With this victory, Jean Ier is recognized as king of fine Portugal putting at the interregnum and the anarchy of the crisis of 1383-1385. Castille will recognize Portugal only in 1411, during the signature of the Traité of Aytion-Segovia. Alliance luso-British will be renewed with the Traité of Windsor in 1386 and will be reinforced with the marriage of Jean Ier with Philippa of Lancaster (girl of Jean of Ghent). This treaty, still into force, is a pact of mutual assistance between England and Portugal.

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