Battle of Nájera facts for kids

Quick facts for kids

Battle of Nájera (Navarrete)

The Battle of Nájera from a fifteenth-century manuscript of Froissart's Chronicles. The English and Peter of Castile are on the left.

Date	3 April 1367
Location	Nájera 42°25′39″N 02°42′00″W / 42.42750°N 2.70000°W / 42.42750; -2.70000
Result	Victory for Peter I

Belligerents

Other

Elite European mercenaries

Castilians supporting Henry

Kingdom of France

Crown of Aragon

Commanders and leaders

Henry of Trastámara
Bertrand du Guesclin
Alfonso of Ribagorza
Tello of Castile

Strength

Total: more than 10,000.
6,000 Elite European mercenaries
2,000 Aquitaine soldiers
1,000 English soldiers
800 Castilian soldiers
500 English longbowmen
300 Navarrese soldiers
Troops from Majorca
Henry deserters and other Spanish followers of King Peter.

Total: more than 4,500.
2,500 Castilian soldiers
1,000 Elite French mercenaries
1,000 Aragonese soldiers

Casualties and losses

Unknown

Heavy losses

The Battle of Nájera, also known as the Battle of Navarrete, was a big fight that happened on April 3, 1367. It took place near Nájera in La Rioja, Castile. This battle was a key part of the first Castilian Civil War. This war was a struggle for the throne of Castile between King Peter and his half-brother, Count Henry of Trastámara.

The Castilian Civil War became mixed up with the larger Hundred Years' War between England and France. Castile had a very strong navy, much better than France or England's. Both England and France wanted to control this navy. This is why they chose sides in Castile's civil war.

King Peter of Castile had help from England, Aquitaine, Majorca, and Navarre. He also hired some of the best soldiers-for-hire (mercenaries) in Europe. These mercenaries were led by Edward, the Black Prince, a famous English commander. His rival, Count Henry, had the support of many Castilian nobles. He also had help from French mercenaries led by the brave knight Bertrand du Guesclin. Even though Henry lost this battle badly, it caused big problems for King Peter and the Black Prince.

Why the Battle Happened
The Battle Begins
What Happened Next
See also

Why the Battle Happened

France's Plan and Mercenaries

After a peace treaty in 1360, the French wanted to avoid fighting England directly. They also wanted to team up with Castile. A big problem for France was what to do with all the soldiers-for-hire, called "great companies," who were now jobless. These soldiers were used to fighting and stealing.

In 1365, the French King Charles V of France and Pope Urban V found a way to send many of these soldiers away. They pretended to start a holy war against the Moorish Kingdom of Granada in Spain. Later, France and the Crown of Aragon paid these soldiers to fight for Henry. This got the mercenaries out of France and helped Henry try to become king of Castile. Henry's army was mostly made up of these experienced soldiers-for-hire.

England's Interests and Aquitaine

The Kingdom of England benefited from a peace treaty with Castile in 1362. This treaty kept sea trade routes safe and protected England from Castile's powerful navy. However, the Black Prince, who ruled Aquitaine (an English territory in France), didn't stop his Gascon and English subjects from helping Henry. This was actually against England's interests.

Aquitaine was a poor region that relied on wine and warfare for money. It wasn't getting enough support from England. So, its soldiers often joined mercenary groups to earn a living.

When King Peter started losing the war to Henry, he asked King Edward III for help. Edward III ordered his commanders to stop English and Gascon mercenaries from helping Henry. In early 1366, England sent some soldiers to help Peter, but it wasn't enough. Peter had to run away from Castile.

Building the Armies

England then decided to gather a huge army of mercenaries to help King Peter. They promised the soldiers lots of riches from Castile. The Black Prince brought together a very large and mixed army. It included nobles and famous mercenary leaders from many places like Gascony, England, Brittany, and Germany. Some of these mercenaries had even fought for Henry before! This army had about 8,000 to 10,000 men. Peter also had loyal Castilian soldiers, English archers, and troops from Majorca.

In August 1366, King Peter, the Black Prince, and King Charles II of Navarre met. They agreed that the army could pass through Navarre to get to Castile. King Peter promised to pay for the army and give some Castilian lands to Aquitaine.

Henry had sent most of his soldiers home because keeping them was too expensive. These soldiers often caused trouble or switched sides. Henry made a deal with King Charles II of Navarre. Charles promised to block the mountain pass from France to Castile for a reward. However, Charles of Navarre was playing both sides.

In February 1367, some English mercenaries who were working for Henry switched to Peter's side. They attacked towns in Navarre. This forced King Charles II to let the Black Prince's army through. He also gave them 300 men, just enough to pretend he was helping. To avoid fighting, King Charles even faked being captured!

When Henry heard the Black Prince's army was coming, he quickly gathered all the troops he could. He sent Bertrand du Guesclin back to Castile with his best commanders. Only about 1,000 French knights and some Aragonese nobles joined Henry's army.

How Many Soldiers?

Most historians agree that King Peter's army, with the Black Prince, had over 10,000 men. Many of these were the best mercenaries in Europe. Henry's army had about 4,500 men, including 1,000 elite French mercenaries.

Some older accounts, like those from Jean Froissart, claim much higher numbers. However, historians don't trust his numbers for this battle. He wasn't even in Spain at the time.

Early Fights

In March, Henry used smart "guerrilla" tactics against the Black Prince's huge army. He used quick raids and small attacks. Castilian troops were light and fast, perfect for this. Peter's army was slow and heavily armored. Henry knew the best way to fight such a big army was to wear them down. He wanted to use the tough Castilian land, hunger, and small attacks. This was also what the King of France and Bertrand du Guesclin advised.

In a small fight called the Battle of Aríñez in March 1367, Henry's fast cavalry and some French knights defeated a group from the Black Prince's army. They easily beat smaller groups and then met a larger scouting party. This party, led by Sir Thomas Felton, had 200 soldiers. After many losses, the Black Prince's men dug in on a mountain. English archers fought well, but the French and Aragonese soldiers got off their horses and attacked as foot soldiers. They won the fight. Many important English commanders were captured or killed.

This was the first time the Black Prince's army, thought to be unbeatable, had lost. Even though their losses weren't huge, it made his troops feel less confident. The Black Prince tried to move his army towards Burgos, but Henry blocked his way. This forced Peter's army to retreat again.

By the end of March, the Black Prince crossed the Ebro River at Logroño. Henry again blocked the way to Burgos by controlling the Najerilla River.

The situation was changing. More people started to support Peter, but his alliances were weakening. Henry was running out of time. He decided to leave the protection of the river to fight his half-brother. He had to face Europe's best mercenaries with fewer soldiers. He was also trapped with the river behind him, making retreat difficult. His commanders, like Bertrand du Guesclin, disagreed with this plan.

The Battle Begins

The Black Prince's army marched from Navarrete to Nájera at night. They took a long, winding path. At dawn, they quietly surprised Henry's army from behind a hill. Henry's soldiers were looking towards Navarrete, so they didn't expect an attack from the northeast.

Henry's lead group, commanded by du Guesclin, quickly turned to face the enemy. But in the confusion, some of Henry's soldiers panicked and ran away. This made du Guesclin charge forward with his best Castilian and French soldiers. He wanted to stop the situation from getting worse. His charge pushed back the English soldiers led by the Duke of Lancaster and John Chandos. The fighting was so close that soldiers dropped their long spears and fought with swords, axes, and daggers.

Meanwhile, the skilled Gascon mercenaries on the sides of the Black Prince's army started to attack du Guesclin's group from the flanks. Henry's light cavalry tried to stop this flanking attack. But they suffered terrible losses from the English archers' arrows. They didn't have enough protection and were forced to run away. Henry himself tried to help his lead group by charging the Gascon mercenaries. But his horses were easily killed by the English archers. Fighting on foot was not an option for Castilian cavalry, as they saw it as a disgrace.

Once the Gascon mercenaries attacked du Guesclin's group from the sides, it was quickly crushed. Most of Henry's main army, which hadn't even fought yet, ran away quickly towards the bridge of Nájera. They ignored Henry's shouts to keep fighting. The Aragonese cavalry chased them and killed many. The soldiers got trapped as they tried to cross the narrow bridge over the big river.

Henry's army lost most of its soldiers, more than half, in the last few minutes of the battle. After the battle, the Black Prince's army finished off any hidden soldiers in Nájera. They also looted the entire town and killed most of its people.

What Happened Next

After the battle, the Black Prince asked if Henry had been killed or captured. When told no, he said, "Non ay res fait" (nothing then is done). Even though they captured or killed most of the enemy army and had few losses, the battle had bad results for King Peter, the Black Prince, Aquitaine, and England. They missed their main goal: capturing Henry.

Henry showed he was a strong and brave leader to the Castilian nobles. He faced a huge enemy army in an open field. He also managed to escape to France and kept fighting his brother Peter.
Soon, all the nobles and soldiers who fought for Henry and were captured by the Black Prince's army paid their ransoms. They returned to fight Peter and were well rewarded when the war ended.
The Black Prince never got paid back by Peter I for the huge amount of money he spent hiring his army. He also didn't get the lands he was promised. This was either because King Peter was still fighting or because he never planned to pay. This was a huge financial disaster for the Black Prince. It probably ended his amazing military career and made him bitter until he died in 1376.
King Peter became isolated from other countries. He was killed by his brother two years later in the Battle of Montiel in 1369.
France avoided a direct fight with England. They found a strong ally in Castile, which lasted for a century. This happened because they helped Henry II become the new King of Castile.
England and Aquitaine had feared France teaming up with Castile, which had the largest war fleet in the Atlantic. This fear came true five years later at the Battle of La Rochelle, where the entire English fleet was destroyed.