Battle of Villanueva de Barcarrota facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Villanueva de Barcarrota |
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| Part of Luso-Castillian War | |||||||
 Kingdoms of the Iberian peninsula in the 14th century |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Kingdom of Castile |
 Kingdom of Portugal |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Enrique Enríquez the Younger, Juan Alonso Pérez de Guzmán y Coronel, Pedro Ponce de León the Elder | Pedro Afonso de Sousa | ||||||
The Battle of Villanueva de Barcarrota was a fight that happened in 1336. It took place near the town of Villanueva de Barcarrota in Spain. The battle was between the Kingdom of Portugal and the Kingdom of Castile.
Portuguese troops were led by Pedro Afonso de Sousa. Castilian troops were led by Enrique Enriquez the Younger. He was helped by Juan Alonso Pérez de Guzmán y Coronel and Pedro Ponce de León the Elder. The Castilian forces won the battle.
Because of this defeat, King Afonso IV of Portugal had to stop his attack on the city of Badajoz. He then took his soldiers back to Portugal. This battle was part of a larger war in 1336. In this war, King Afonso IV of Portugal and his allies fought against King Alfonso XI of Castile.
Contents
Why the Battle Happened
In 1335, a disagreement started between Juan Manuel of Villena and King Alfonso XI of Castile. Juan Núñez III de Lara, another powerful lord, was also involved.
A Marriage Problem
A few years earlier, a marriage was planned. It was between Constanza Manuel, Juan Manuel's daughter, and Prince Pedro of Portugal. Prince Pedro was the son of King Afonso IV of Portugal.
However, the kings of Castile and Aragon did not like this plan. They thought Prince Pedro of Portugal was still supposed to marry Blanche of Castile. She was the daughter of Peter of Castile, Lord of Cameros. But Blanche had health problems. So, King Afonso IV and Prince Pedro of Portugal did not want to go through with that marriage.
An Alliance Against the King
King Afonso IV of Portugal then made an alliance. He joined forces with Juan Manuel, Pedro Fernández de Castro, Juan Núñez III de Lara, and Juan Alfonso de Alburquerque. They promised to go to war against King Alfonso XI of Castile. This would happen if King Alfonso XI did not give back lands to María Díaz II de Haro. She was the wife of Juan Núñez III de Lara. They also promised to fight if King Alfonso XI attacked any of their lands.
King Alfonso XI's Actions
In June 1336, King Alfonso XI of Castile attacked Juan Núñez III de Lara. He surrounded the town of Lerma, Burgos. Other Castilian armies also attacked nearby towns.
King Alfonso XI also sent his army leaders to Peñafiel Castle. This was where Juan Manuel of Villena was. The king wanted to stop Juan Manuel from helping Juan Núñez III de Lara. Pedro Fernández de Castro, who had promised to help King Alfonso XI, went to Peñafiel. He challenged Juan Manuel to a fight. But Juan Manuel stayed safe inside his castle. So, Pedro Fernandez de Castro joined King Alfonso XI at the siege of Lerma.
The town of Torrelobatón soon gave up to the king's troops. Pedro Fernandez de Castro and Juan Alfonso de Haro then went to help attack Lerma. King Afonso IV of Portugal warned King Alfonso XI of Castile. He said he would go to war if the siege of Lerma did not stop.
Siege of Badajoz
When King Afonso IV of Portugal heard that King Alfonso XI would not stop attacking Lerma, he acted. Portuguese troops entered Castile. They began to attack the city of Badajoz. King Afonso IV hoped this would make King Alfonso XI stop his attack on Lerma.
But King Alfonso XI kept attacking Lerma. He sent messages to his noblemen. He asked them to send troops to help Badajoz. These noblemen included Pedro Ponce de León the Elder and Enrique Enríquez the Younger.
King Alfonso XI also asked for help from several cities. These included Córdoba, Seville, and Cáceres. The Master of the Order of Alcántara also sent help. All these forces joined together. They quickly went to Badajoz to help the city.
Enrique Enríquez the Younger's Actions
Enrique Enríquez the Younger was a lord from Villalba de los Barros. He left the city of Seville with his men. He went to the town of Villanueva de Barcarrota. This town was about 49 kilometers from Badajoz.
Enrique Enríquez began to bother the Portuguese. He stopped them from getting food and supplies. He also raided into Portugal. He took a lot of goods, animals, and prisoners.
King Afonso IV of Portugal was still attacking Badajoz. He heard about Enrique Enríquez's raids. So, he ordered Pedro Afonso de Sousa to go to Villanueva de Barcarrota. Pedro Afonso de Sousa was told to capture the Castilian soldiers. He was also told to destroy the town.
When the Portuguese troops arrived near Barcarrota, Enrique Enríquez and his men came out of the town. They were fewer in number than the Portuguese. The Portuguese set up camp on a nearby hill. From there, they made small attacks on the Castilians. The Castilians did not dare to fight them directly because they were outnumbered.
Castilian Reinforcements Arrive
While the two sides were waiting, more Castilian troops arrived. These forces were from Seville. They were led by Juan Alonso Pérez de Guzmán and Pedro Ponce de León the Elder. They did not know the Portuguese were there. So, they were not ready for a fight.
A person climbed the church tower in Villanueva de Barcarrota. He saw the new troops arriving. He knew they were Castilian because of their flags. He quickly told Enrique Enríquez the Younger. He said that if they attacked the Portuguese quickly, they could win.
The new Castilian troops were ready for battle. They were sent to fight the Portuguese. The Portuguese quickly ran away. Enrique Enríquez the Younger's troops were close to the Portuguese. They joined the chase before the new troops even started fighting.
The Portuguese army was badly defeated. They were chased for more than 10 kilometers. Almost all the Portuguese foot soldiers were killed. Many knights also died. When night came, the Castilian troops returned to Barcarrota. There, they learned that more help was coming from the city of Cordoba.
After the Battle
King Afonso IV of Portugal was still attacking Badajoz. When he heard about his army's defeat in Barcarrota, he was very sad. This loss made it even harder to capture Badajoz.
Badajoz was a strong city. It had good defenses and experienced soldiers. The Portuguese knights, however, were not used to fighting. Also, the King of Portugal received news that more Castilian armies were coming to help Badajoz. The victorious Castilian troops from Barcarrota were also still nearby.
Seeing so many enemy troops coming, King Afonso IV of Portugal decided to stop attacking Badajoz. He took his army and went back to Portugal.
On his way back, King Afonso IV attacked the lands of the Order of Alcántara. This was because they had fought against him. The Order defended their lands. However, their leader, Ruy Pérez Maldonado, was later criticized for not being brave enough against the Portuguese.
See also
In Spanish: Batalla de Villanueva de Barcarrota para niños
Images for kids
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Kingdoms of the Iberian peninsula in the 14th century
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Flag of the Kingdom of Castile
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Flag of the Kingdom of Portugal
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Afonso IV of Portugal
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Alfonso XI, King of Castile
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Alcazaba de Badajoz
