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Battle of Najera (Navarette)
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Nájera, also known as the Battle of Navarrete, was fought on 3 April 1367 between an Anglo-Gascon army and Franco
-Castilian
forces near Nájera
, in the province of La Rioja, Castile
. The English were led by Edward, the Black Prince
, and John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster
, allied with Peter of Castile (sometimes called "Peter the Cruel") against his brother Henry of Trastámara (Spanish
: Enrique II).
Peter and Henry had been in armed conflict, the Castilian Civil War
, for some time before the intervention of foreign powers was sought. Peter begged assistance from the Black Prince in Bordeaux
to restore him to his throne. James IV of Majorca
also agreed to support Peter.
and crossed the river Ebro
at Logroño
. They took control of the fortified village of Navarrete
and continued towards Nájera to face Henry's Franco-Castilian army, the latter's strength being 60,000. Despite the large size of his army, Henry's commander, Bertrand du Guesclin
was later reported to have been reluctant to face the English in a pitched battle, but he was overruled.
The battle began with the English longbowmen gaining dominance over the French archers. Then, the English vanguard, led by Sir John Chandos
and the Duke of Lancaster, attacked the French mercenaries commanded by Du Guesclin and Arnoul D'Audrehem
. The chronicler Froissart gives detailed information about the participants in the battle.
The Castilian cavalry, under heavy arrow fire from the English longbowmen, fled early, leaving Henry's battle
exposed to attack from the mounted English rearguard. The Franco-Castilian army disintegrated and retreated, pursued by the English, back to the bank of the river Najerilla
. Du Guesclin was captured, but Henry escaped and fled.
Peter and the English completely routed Henry and the French, inflicting heavy losses. Unlike at other battles of the Hundred Years' War
, at Nájera it was the English who were attacking dismounted French troops. As with many other battles of the period, the English longbow
proved a significant advantage, probably for the first time in the Iberian Peninsula
. However, the battle was of dubious long-term significance as Peter and the Black Prince fell out over money, and Peter was not able to maintain his rule for long without foreign support.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
-Castilian
Crown of Castile
The Crown of Castile was a medieval and modern state in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and parliaments of the kingdoms of Castile and León upon the accession of the then King Ferdinand III of Castile to the vacant Leonese throne...
forces near Nájera
Nájera
Nájera is a small town located in the "Rioja Alta" region of La Rioja, Spain on the river Najerilla. Nájera is a stopping point on the Way of St James.-History:...
, in the province of La Rioja, Castile
Crown of Castile
The Crown of Castile was a medieval and modern state in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and parliaments of the kingdoms of Castile and León upon the accession of the then King Ferdinand III of Castile to the vacant Leonese throne...
. The English were led by Edward, the Black Prince
Edward, the Black Prince
Edward of Woodstock, Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall, Prince of Aquitaine, KG was the eldest son of King Edward III of England and his wife Philippa of Hainault as well as father to King Richard II of England....
, and John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster
Duke of Lancaster
There were several Dukes of Lancaster in the 14th and early 15th Centuries. See also Duchy of Lancaster.There were three creations of the Dukedom of Lancaster....
, allied with Peter of Castile (sometimes called "Peter the Cruel") against his brother Henry of Trastámara (Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
: Enrique II).
Peter and Henry had been in armed conflict, the Castilian Civil War
Castilian Civil War
The Castilian Civil War lasted three years from 1366 to 1369. It became part of the larger conflict then raging between the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of France: the Hundred Years' War...
, for some time before the intervention of foreign powers was sought. Peter begged assistance from the Black Prince in Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
to restore him to his throne. James IV of Majorca
James IV of Majorca
James IV of Majorca was King of Majorca from 1349 until his death.James was the son of James III of Majorca and Constance of Aragon...
also agreed to support Peter.
History
With 24,000 men, the Anglo-Gascon army marched south from AquitaineAquitaine
Aquitaine , archaic Guyenne/Guienne , is one of the 27 regions of France, in the south-western part of metropolitan France, along the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees mountain range on the border with Spain. It comprises the 5 departments of Dordogne, :Lot et Garonne, :Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Landes...
and crossed the river Ebro
Ebro
The Ebro or Ebre is one of the most important rivers in the Iberian Peninsula. It is the biggest river by discharge volume in Spain.The Ebro flows through the following cities:*Reinosa in Cantabria.*Miranda de Ebro in Castile and León....
at Logroño
Logroño
Logroño is a city in northern Spain, on the Ebro River. It is the capital of the autonomous community of La Rioja, formerly known as La Rioja Province.The population of Logroño in 2008 was 153,736 and a metropolitan population of nearly 197,000 inhabitants...
. They took control of the fortified village of Navarrete
Navarrete, La Rioja
Navarrete is a municipality of the autonomous community of La Rioja, Spain, with a population of 2,660 and an area of 28.49 km2. Named a conjunto histórico of Spain, Navarrete is located between Logroño and Nájera on the Way of St. James, a medieval pilgrim route.- Economy :Rioja wine is very...
and continued towards Nájera to face Henry's Franco-Castilian army, the latter's strength being 60,000. Despite the large size of his army, Henry's commander, Bertrand du Guesclin
Bertrand du Guesclin
Bertrand du Guesclin , known as the Eagle of Brittany or the Black Dog of Brocéliande, was a Breton knight and French military commander during the Hundred Years' War. He was Constable of France from 1370 to his death...
was later reported to have been reluctant to face the English in a pitched battle, but he was overruled.
The battle began with the English longbowmen gaining dominance over the French archers. Then, the English vanguard, led by Sir John Chandos
John Chandos
Sir John Chandos, Viscount of Saint-Sauveur in the Cotentin, Constable of Aquitaine, Seneschal of Poitou, KG was a medieval English knight who hailed from Radbourne Hall, Derbyshire. Chandos was a close friend of Edward, the Black Prince and a founding member and 19th Knight of the Order of the...
and the Duke of Lancaster, attacked the French mercenaries commanded by Du Guesclin and Arnoul D'Audrehem
Arnoul d'Audrehem
Arnoul d'Audrehem was a French soldier.He was born at Audrehem, in the present arrondissement of Saint-Omer, in the département of Pas de Calais. Nothing is known of his career before 1332, when he is heard of at the court of Philip VI of France.Between 1332 and 1342 he went three times to...
. The chronicler Froissart gives detailed information about the participants in the battle.
The Castilian cavalry, under heavy arrow fire from the English longbowmen, fled early, leaving Henry's battle
Battle (formation)
A battle or battaile was a medieval military formation, analogous and ancestral to the modern term battalion. In late medieval warfare, field armies were often drawn up into three main battles, also called guards: the vanguard, the middle guard, and the rearguard, often abbreviated to simply the...
exposed to attack from the mounted English rearguard. The Franco-Castilian army disintegrated and retreated, pursued by the English, back to the bank of the river Najerilla
Najerilla (river)
The river Najerilla is a tributary of the river Ebro, Spain's most voluminous river. The Najerilla rises in the province of Burgos and then flows through La Rioja....
. Du Guesclin was captured, but Henry escaped and fled.
Peter and the English completely routed Henry and the French, inflicting heavy losses. Unlike at other battles of the Hundred Years' War
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War was a series of separate wars waged from 1337 to 1453 by the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet, also known as the House of Anjou, for the French throne, which had become vacant upon the extinction of the senior Capetian line of French kings...
, at Nájera it was the English who were attacking dismounted French troops. As with many other battles of the period, the English longbow
English longbow
The English longbow, also called the Welsh longbow, is a powerful type of medieval longbow about 6 ft long used by the English and Welsh for hunting and as a weapon in medieval warfare...
proved a significant advantage, probably for the first time in the Iberian Peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
. However, the battle was of dubious long-term significance as Peter and the Black Prince fell out over money, and Peter was not able to maintain his rule for long without foreign support.
Sources
- Tuchman, BarbaraBarbara TuchmanBarbara Wertheim Tuchman was an American historian and author. She became known for her best-selling book The Guns of August, a history of the prelude to and first month of World War I, which won the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction in 1963....
: A Distant MirrorA Distant MirrorA Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century, published in 1978, is a work by American historian and Pulitizer Prize winner Barbara Tuchman, focusing on life in 14th century Europe....
: The Calamitous Fourteenth Century. - The Hundred Years War: A Wider Focus (History of Warfare) by L.J.Andrew Villalon and D.J. Kagay (Hardcover - 28 Feb 2005)