Battle of Nájera
The Battle of Nájera, also known as the Battle of Navarrete, was fought on 3 April 1367 to the northeast of Nájera, in the province of La Rioja, Castile. It was an episode of the first Castilian Civil War which confronted King Peter of Castile with his half-brother Count Henry of Trastámara who aspired to the throne; the war involved Castile in the Hundred Years' War. Castilian naval power, far superior to that of France or England, encouraged the two polities to take sides in the civil war, to gain control over the Castilian fleet.
Battle of Nájera (Navarrete) | |||||||
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Part of the Castilian Civil War | |||||||
The Battle of Nájera from a fifteenth-century manuscript of Froissart's Chronicles. The English and Peter of Castile are on the left. | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Other Elite European mercenaries | |||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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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 |
King Peter of Castile was supported by England, Aquitaine, Majorca, Navarra and the best European mercenaries hired by the Black Prince. His rival, Count Henry, was aided by a majority of the nobility and the Christian military organizations in Castile. While neither the Kingdom of France nor the Crown of Aragon gave him official assistance, he had on his side many Aragonese Soldiers and the French free companies loyal to his lieutenant the Breton knight and French commander Bertrand du Guesclin. Although the battle ended with a resounding defeat for Henry, it had disastrous consequences for King Peter, the Prince of Wales and England.