Battle of Nájera

The Battle of Nájera was fought on 3 April 1367. A clash in a Castilian Civil War, it formed part of the wider conflict between England and France due to alliances. This was reflected at Nájera through the presence of high profile commanders from beyond the Iberian Peninsular, most notably forces under Edward, the Black Prince on one side, and under Bertrand du Guesclin, on the other. The Battle of Nájera was a victory for the side of Peter I of Castile and his Anglo-Gascon allies over Henry of Trastámara and his primarily French allies. 

Battle of Nájera

The Civil War in Castile had broken out as a dispute over the succession to the crown. It pitted Peter I of Castile against his half-brother, Henry of Trastámara. As the feud became violent, both sought aid and looked to their neighbours for help. Peter forged an agreement with the Black Prince. In simple terms, he offered a high payment in return for military assistance. Henry also looked for experienced military assistance. He made an agreement with Bertrand du Guesclin to act as his Lieutenant at the head of a force formed from French Free Companies. 

Why did Anglo-Gascon and French forces fight in the Castilian Civil War?

Involvement in the Castilian Civil War offered a great deal.

The Black Prince was offered substantial financial reward for aiding Peter of Castile. It would significantly boost the coffers of his princedom of Aquitaine. Furthermore, the lull in open conflict between England and France following the Treaty of Bretigny had been followed, in 1362, by a naval agreement between the English and Castile. A victory for Peter would secure the future of that agreement. As a result, the Black Prince hired mercenaries to bolster the forces available to him.

Bertrand du Guesclin and his men were also motivated by money. The French Free Companies were also mercenary forces in nature. France itself was not officially involved in the Castilian conflict.

The Black Prince’s invasion of Castile

Peter of Castile needed the assistance of men such as the Black Prince because he had been forced out of Castile. To press home his claim, and gain the funds needed to recompense his allies, a successful invasion would need to be planned.

The Black Prince’s army was able to march into Castile due to several factors. Charles II of Navarre, whose territory controlled the passes through which the force would need to travel, pandered to both sides.  When a mercenary force switched allegiance [to Peter] and began to raid throughout Castile, Charles did nothing to stop the Anglo-Gascon force marching.

News of this alarmed Henry of Trastámara. He sent his Lieutenant, Bertrand du Guesclin, to raise as many men as possible. The famed French commander was able to deploy forces which hindered the Anglo-Gascon advance. The Frenchman, however, had far fewer men than the Black Prince is reputed to have marched with. They met at Nájera in northern Castile. 

Victory at Nájera

The Anglo-Gascon force had superior numbers but were advancing on a foe who were potentially in entrenched positions. A contemporary account ‘The Chandos Herald’ notes how the Black Prince had scouts dispatched on a regular basis to identify the strength and movements of his foe. This account shows that Bertrand du Guesclin arrived to take command of Henry of Trastámara’s force as the Anglo-Gascons neared their positions.

An advance party of the Black Prince’s force, possibly the vanguard, was spotted by du Guesclin’s scouts. This, it appears, was enough to draw the French commander onto a plain rather than remaining within fortified positions. But, battle did not take place straight away.

[Henry’s force, under du Guesclin] approached the army of the Prince, and encountered first Sir Hugh de Calverley, and caused great loss to the English, and the vanguard would have been taken by surprise, had it not been for the noble Duke of Lancaster.

Chandos Herald, online version is the 1883 translation by Michel Francisque. [Later translations are available in print]

The Black Prince himself summarised what happened next in a letter he wrote in the days after the battle [see below]. It, along with the Chandos Herald, show that du Guesclin did not immediately follow up his initial success against the vanguard. Instead, his force waited on the plain.

“…The next day, very early in the morning, we moved off towards him, and sent our scouts to discover the Bastard’s situation, who reported to us that he had taken up his position and prepared his troops in a good place and was waiting for us. 

So we put ourselves into battle order, and did so well by the will of God that the Bastard and all his men were defeated, thanks be to our Lord, and between five and six thousand of those who fought were killed, and there were plenty of prisoners, whose names we do not know at present, but among them are Don Sancho, the Bastard’s brother, the Count of Denia, Bertrand du Guesclin, the marshal d’Audrehem, Don Juan Ramirez, ‘Johan de Neville’, ‘Craudon’, Lebegue de Villaines, Senor Carrilo, the Master of Santiago, the master of Saint John and various castellans whose names we do not know, up to two thousand noble prisoners; as for the Bastard himself, we do not know at present if he was taken, dead, or escaped. 

Quoted in: Barber, Richard. Edward, Prince of Wales and Aquitaine: A Biography of the Black Prince. Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1978.

The battle itself saw the Black Prince’s force seeking to outflank the position taken up by Du Guesclin. This was countered by charges by Castilian light cavalry. The light cavalry was ill equipped to deal with the archers within the Anglo-Gascon ranks and were dispersed after taking heavy losses. An attempt to break through the centre of the Anglo-Gascon lines met with a similar outcome.

The failure of Henry’s force to deal with the flanking movements, and the solidity of the Anglo-Gascon line, led to his force being overcome. The force around Bertrand du Guesclin is said to have been virtually surrounded, with many of his mercenary force being slain.

The outcome, as noted in the Black Prince’s letter quoted above, was a victory for Peter I of Castile and his allies.

Consequences of the Battle of Nájera

Though the battle itself was an overwhelming victory for the forces fighting in the name of Peter, it was far from decisive. Men such as Bertrand du Guesclin had been captured, many others killed. But, importantly, Henry of Trastámara had escaped the battlefield and was not captured in the aftermath. As a result, the matter at hand, that of the Castilian Crown, was unresolved. 

English forces did not remain in Castile for long. The Black Prince was unwell, and the methods used by Peter were frowned upon by many of the Anglo-Gascon force. They returned to Aquitaine, and the relationship with Peter of Castile came to an end as he failed to fulfil his obligations to pay the English. 

The Castilian Civil War did not end with the Battle of Nájera. Peter may have taken the Crown as a result of the 1367 invasion but he had not secured it.  As a result of Henry escaping the battlefield, he was able to regroup. Without the support of the Black Prince, Peter’s position was vulnerable and in 1369 Henry’s forces won a decisive victory over Peter in the Battle of Montiel.

Further Reading