The First Castilian Civil War^[1] lasted three years from 1366 to 1369. It became part of the larger conflict then raging between England and France: the Hundred Years' War. It was fought primarily in the Kingdom of Castile and its coastal waters between the local and allied forces of the reigning king, Peter, and his illegitimate brother Henry of Trastámara over the right to the crown. Events Births Anne of Bohemia, Queen consort of Richard II of England. ... Events King Charles V of France renounces the treaty of Brétigny and war is declared between France and England. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification    - by Athelstan AD927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi   - Water (%) Population... Combatants England Burgundy Brittany Portugal France Castile Scotland Genoa Majorca Bohemia Aragon Navarre Flanders Hainault Aquitaine Luxembourg The Hundred Years War was a conflict between England and France, lasting 116 years from 1337 to 1453. ... A former kingdom of Spain, Castile comprises the two regions of Old Castile in north-western Spain, and New Castile in the centre of the country. ... Pedro of Castile (1290, Valladolid – 1319), Infante of Castile and Lord of Los Cameros, was the son of Sancho IV of Castile and his wife Maria de Molina. ... Henry of Trastamara (January 13, 1334 Sevilla - May 29, 1379 Santo Domingo de la Calzada) (Enrique de Trastámara), was the illegitimate son of Alfonso XI of Castile and Leonora de Guzman, and half brother to Pedro I the Cruel (or the Lawful, depending on who wrote the history). ...

Causes

Peter was called by his supporters "The Just" and by his detractors "The Cruel". To the higher ranks of the nobility, he was a tyrant, forcing the royal will on hitherto free men. He had greatly extended the royal authority and had entered into a war with Aragon.

His illegitimate brother Henry quickly obtained the support of not only the upper noblesse, but France, Aragon, and the Papacy. In 1366, he officially deposed his brother as king of Castile, León, Toledo, and Seville and had himself proclaimed king in the monastery of Las Huelgas. The Pope is the Catholic Bishop and patriarch of Rome, and head of the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Catholic Churches. ... The city of León was founded by the Roman Seventh Legion (for unknown reasons always written as Legio Septima Gemina (twin seventh legion). It was the headquarters of that legion in the late empire and was a center for trade in gold which was mined at Las Médulas... The façade of Toledo cathedral Toledo is a city located in central Spain, the capital of the province of Toledo and of the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. ... Seville (Spanish: Sevilla, see also different names) is the artistic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain, irrigated by the river Guadalquivir (, ). It is the capital of Andalusia and of the province of Sevilla. ...

Conflict

Battle of Nájera, from a fifteenth-century manuscript, the English and Pedro are on the left.

In 1366, Henry, then living in France, assembled a large army, with both French and Aragonese components and English mercenaries, at Montpellier and invaded Castile with the support of the kings of France and Aragon (Charles V and Peter IV respectively). He successfully forced Peter to flee. Capital Zaragoza Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 4th  47 719 km²  9,4% Population  â€“ Total (2005)  â€“ % of Spain  â€“ Density Ranked 11th  1 269 027  2,9%  26,59/km² Demonym  â€“ English  â€“ Spanish  Aragonese  aragonés Statute of Autonomy August 16, 1982 ISO 3166-2 AR Parliamentary representation  â€“ Congress seats  â€“ Senate... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification    - by Athelstan AD927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi   - Water (%) Population... , Location within France Montpellier (Occitan Montpelhièr) is a city in the south of France. ... Charles V the Wise (French: Charles V le Sage) (January 31, 1338 – September 16, 1380) was king of France from 1364 to 1380 and a member of the Valois Dynasty. ... Peter IV of Aragon (1319-1387), king of Aragon (1336-1387), the Ceremonious or el del punyalet (the one of the little dagger). ...

Peter fled to Bayonne, a city in English-held Gascony. There he petitioned Edward, the Black Prince, for aid and, in exchange for lands in Castile, received it. With English troops led by the prince, he returned to Castile and reasserted his royal power in 1367, forcing Henry to return to France after the successful Battle of Nájera. He refused, however to make good on his dealings with the English and his allies, including the Prince of Wales himself, soon left. In 1368, Henry and Charles of France signed the Treaty of Toledo whereby the Castilians lend a fleet in the Bay of Biscay to the French in return for military aid on land. Bayonne. ... Gascony (French: Gascogne, pronounced  ; Gascon: Gasconha, pronounced ) is an area of southwest France that constituted a royal province prior to the French Revolution. ... Edward of Woodstock, Prince of Wales, KG (June 15, 1330 – June 8, 1376), popularly known as the Black Prince, was the eldest son of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault, and father to King Richard II of England. ... Events Battle of Najera, Peter I of Castile restored as King. ... Battle of Najera from 15th century manuscript, the English and Pedro are on the left The Battle of Najera, also known as the Battle of Navarette, was fought in April 1367 between English and Franco-Castillian forces. ... Events Timur ascends throne of Samarkand. ... Map of the Bay of Biscay. ...

Henry reentered Castile in 1369 and murdered Peter at the Battle of Campo de Montiel. He was acclaimed Henry II and immediately solidified his rule by removing Jews from high office. Castile became, at this time, a stern ally of the French in their ongoing wars. Events King Charles V of France renounces the treaty of Brétigny and war is declared between France and England. ...

Notes

1. ^ For the second, see War of the Castilian Succession.

The War of the Castilian Succession (or the Second Castilian Civil War) was fought from 1475 to 1479 between the two claimaints to succeed Henry IV on the Castilian throne: Juana la Beltraneja, supported by Alfonso V of Portugal and Louis XI of France, and Isabella, supported by Ferdinand the...

Sources

• Wintle, Justin. The Rough Guide History of Spain. Penguin Group, 2003.