Battle of Toro
| Battle of Toro | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the War of the Castilian Succession | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Castilian Juanistas |
Castilian Isabelistas Crown of Aragon | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Afonso V of Portugal Prince John of Portugal Bishop of Évora Archbishop of Toledo |
Ferdinand II of Aragon Cardinal Mendoza Duke of Alba Álvaro de Mendoza Count of Alba de Aliste (POW) | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
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About 8,500 men:
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About 8,000 men:
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Near 1,000 (dead, prisoners and drowned) | Many hundreds (dead and prisoners) | ||||||
The Battle of Toro was part of the War of the Castilian Succession, fought on 1 March 1476, near the city of Toro, between the Castilian-Aragonese troops of the Catholic Monarchs and the Portuguese-Castilian forces of Afonso V and Prince John of Portugal.
The battle was militarily inconclusive, as both sides claimed victory: the Castilian right wing was defeated by the forces under Prince John who possessed the battlefield, but the troops of Afonso V were beaten by the Castilian left-centre led by the Duke of Alba and Cardinal Mendoza.
However, it was a major political victory for the Catholic Monarchs by assuring to Isabella the throne of Castile: The remnants of the nobles loyal to Juana de Trastámara adhered to Isabella. With great political vision, Isabella took advantage of the moment and summoned the 'Cortes' at Madrigal-Segovia (April–October 1476). There her daughter was proclaimed sworn heiress of the Castile's crown, which was equivalent to legitimising her own throne.
As noted by Spanish academic António Serrano: "From all of this it can be deduced that the battle [of Toro] was inconclusive, but Isabella and Ferdinand made it fly with wings of victory. (...) Actually, since this battle transformed in victory; since 1 March 1476, Isabella and Ferdinand started to rule the Spanish throne. (...) The inconclusive wings of the battle became the secure and powerful wings of San Juan's eagle [the commemorative temple of the battle of Toro] ".
The war continued until the peace of Alcáçovas (1479), and the official propaganda transformed the Battle of Toro into a victory which avenged Aljubarrota.