CASTILE AND LEON FROM THEIR PERMANENT REUNION TO THE ACCESSION OF FERDINAND THE CATHOLIC (1230-1479 A.D.)
1230 Murcia is invaded by Ferdinand, who is besieging Jaen when he hears of his father’s death. Berengaria persuades his half-sisters to waive their pretensions, and Ferdinand reunites the kingdoms of Castile and Leon. He continues his victorious career against the Moors, takes Cordova, occupies Murcia and part of Andalusia (1235), and
1248 takes Seville.
1252 Alfonso (X) el Sabio (the Learned). Xeres de la Frontera, Medina Sidonia, and Cadiz pass into his hands.
1254 Eleanor, the king’s daughter, marries Prince Edward (Edward I) of England.
1257 The king claims the duchy of Swabia, and having wasted large sums in fruitless endeavours to secure election to the German Empire, he replenishes his coffers by debasing the coinage, persecuting the Jews, and other arbitrary measures.
1263 The Castilian rights over Algarve ceded to Portugal on the marriage of the Portuguese king with Beatrice, daughter of Alfonso el Sabio. Certain Castilian nobles make this an excuse to revolt, and demand redress of grievances and extraordinary privileges, which Alfonso weakly concedes.
1275 Death of the king’s eldest son, the infante Ferdinand de la Cerda. The cortes declare Ferdinand’s brother Sancho the next heir, to the exclusion of Ferdinand’s sons, the infantes de la Cerda, whose cause is espoused by their uncle, the king of France.
1281 War between Alfonso and Sancho. The nobles rally round Sancho, who makes alliance with the kings of Aragon and Portugal, and declares himself king. The war is only concluded by the defeat of Sancho a few months before Alfonso’s death. Alfonso is best known for the encouragement he gave to learning, and the important literary productions which bear his name—some of his own work, and others compiled by his order. They include the code of laws called Las Siete Partidas (promulgated in 1258); the astronomical work called the Alfonsine Tables (drawn up in 1253); the Crónica General de España, a translation of the Holy Bible, and some poems.
1284 Sancho the Great and the Brave (or Bravo). The reign is disturbed by the constant rebellions of the Laras and the king’s brother Don Juan, and the infantes de la Cerda, aided by Aragon, and supported by France.
1292 Alonzo Perez de Guzman the Good takes Tarifa from the Moors, and maintains it against the emperor of Morocco and Don Juan, refusing to surrender even to save his son whom Juan murders before the walls.
1295 The accession of Ferdinand (IV) el Emplazado (the Summoned) at the age of nine, gives fresh impulse to anarchy. The Hermandad or brotherhood of citizens is formed to resist the lawless depredations of the nobles. The queen-mother, Maria de Molina, recognizes it, and opposes a bold resistance to rival pretenders and domestic and foreign enemies.
1301 She obtains the papal recognition of her marriage, and of the legitimacy of Ferdinand IV, but nevertheless the struggles with turbulent barons continue during the remainder of the reign.
1305 Treaty of Campillo puts an end to the struggle for the succession. Ferdinand begins to reign in his own name.
1310 Trial of the Templars at Salamanca. Their solemn acquittal does not prevent the suppression of their order in Castile as elsewhere.
1312 Mysterious death of Ferdinand, as was said, by the judgment of God. Alfonso XI, an infant, succeeds. Return of anarchy in the struggle for the regency.
1315 The regency divided between the infantes Pedro and Juan, the king’s uncles.
1319 Both regents slain in battle with the Moors.
1320 Don Juan Manuel assumes the regency. Civil wars with rival claimants.
1324 The king assumes the government, but fails to restore order. He murders his cousin, Juan el Tuerto, and by repudiating his own wife, daughter of Don Juan Manuel, provokes the latter to rebellion.
1328 Right of the cortes to a voice in important affairs of state recognised by the king. He undertakes for himself and successors to impose no tax without the consent of the cortes.
1339 Abul Hakam, emir of Fez, arrives in Spain with a large army. Alfonso aided by troops from Aragon and Portugal defeats him in the great
1340 Battle of Salado. Abul Hakam flees to Africa.
1344 Algeciras taken by Alfonso after a long siege.
1350 Death of Alfonso by the Black Death at the siege of Gibraltar. It was to pay for this war that the alcavala, a tax of one-twentieth on all sales of real property, was first granted. Alfonso XI patronised letters, and ordered the continuation of the Crónica of Alfonso X which was intrusted to a royal chronicler. The code of Alfonso X was also brought into use in this reign. Pedro the Cruel. Leonora de Guzman, the late king’s mistress, imprisoned and her sons driven into exile.
1351 Murder of Leonora de Guzman and of Garcilasso de la Vega, adelantado of Castile.
1352 Henry of Trastamara and Don Tello, Leonora’s sons, revolt and form a league against
1353 Pedro. The king marries Blanche de Bourbon, a French princess, but immediately forsakes her for Maria de Padilla, retaining Blanche a prisoner.
1354 Ferdinand Perez de Castro revolts in revenge for the king’s false marriage with his sister Juana. The citizens of Toledo take arms for Blanche. Meeting at Toro between Pedro and his barons. Pedro consents to reinstate Blanche.
1355 Pedro takes Toledo, imprisons Blanche at Siguenza, executes several rebels, and massacres the Jewish merchants. The kingdom laid under an interdict.
1356 Toro taken by Pedro from his mother. He massacres her partisans before her eyes. Pedro engages in a war with Portugal, in which many Castilian nobles join the foreigner.
1358 Don Fadrique, grand-master of Santiago and son of Leonora de Guzman, slain by Pedro’s own hand and his partisans murdered. Murder of Don Juan, infante of Aragon.
1361 Portuguese refugees delivered up to Pedro I of Portugal in exchange for Castilians who had fled to Portugal, and execution of the persons surrendered. Blanche de Bourbon poisoned.
1362 Maria de Padilla dies. Pedro declares her son his lawful heir. Abu Saïd, king of Granada, comes to ask Pedro’s assistance and is robbed and murdered by him.
1363 The Black Prince (of Wales) concludes an alliance with Pedro the Cruel to meet a threatened invasion of Castile from France. The French, under Du Guesclin, unite with the party of Henry of Trastamara, who, supported by Aragon, claims Pedro’s throne.
1366 Battle of Borja. Sir Hugh Calverley, commanding the English Free Company under Du Guesclin, defeats the Castilians, and Henry is proclaimed at Calahorra. Flight of Pedro. Henry takes peaceful possession of Burgos and is crowned. Edward the Black Prince receives Pedro at Bordeaux and makes a treaty with him which includes Charles the Bad of Navarre. Edward engages to restore Pedro in return for the surrender of certain seaports. Charles promises the army a free passage through Navarre. The English advance guard cut to pieces at Ariñez.
1367 Battle of Navarrete, or Najera, and complete triumph of the English. Henry escapes to Aragon. Pedro celebrates his restoration by a series of murders. He evades his engagements with the Black Prince, and the latter withdraws his troops much reduced by famine and disease.
1369 Henry returns, is welcomed by some cities and reduces others. Pedro makes alliance with Muhammed V of Granada. The united troops fail to retake Cordova, and Muhammed retreats. Pedro on his way to relieve Toledo is invested in Montiel by Henry. In an interview between the brothers, a struggle ensues in which Henry stabs Pedro to death. Henry II. The king of Portugal claims the throne of Castile, which is also threatened by Navarre, Aragon, and Granada.
1371 A new Ordinance concerning the Administration of Justice regulates criminal procedure. John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster, claims the throne in right of his wife, Constanza, daughter of Pedro the Cruel.
1372 Battle off La Rochelle. Henry wins a naval victory over the English.
1373 Lisbon besieged by Henry, and the king of Portugal forced to make peace.
1379 Juan I makes alliance with France.
1380 The Castilians sail up the Thames and destroy the English shipping. Ferdinand of Portugal offers John of Gaunt his alliance.
1381 The earl of Cambridge arrives in Portugal with a few followers, but after some fighting in Castile returns to England.
1382 Beatrice, heiress of Portugal, marries Juan of Castile, but on the death of her father Ferdinand, her uncle João I usurps the Portuguese throne
1385 and defeats Juan of Castile in a great battle at Aljubarrota, where the Castilians lose ten thousand men.
1386 John of Gaunt lands in Galicia, is proclaimed king at Santiago, and with the
1387 help of the king of Portugal takes several fortresses, but is driven to retreat by an outbreak of plague in his army. John of Gaunt resigns his claims in return for fiefs and money and the marriage of his daughter with Juan’s eldest son, who receives the title of prince of Asturias, now first assigned to the heir of Castile.
1390 Henry (III) the Sickly succeeds at the age of eleven. Disputes for the regency.
1392 Persecution of the Jews.
1393 Henry assumes the government himself. He has some success in restoring order, and ranges himself on the side of the people against the nobles.
1401 The cortes of Tordesillas passes measures for reform of the judicial system. Embassy to Tamerlane or Timur.
1404 Conquest of the Canaries by Jean de Bethencourt, a Norman adventurer, with assistance from Henry, who grants him the title of king.
1406 Juan II, one year old, succeeds under the guardianship of his uncle Ferdinand the Just. Ferdinand restrains the turbulence of the nobles.
1408 Alvaro de Luna comes to court as a page and begins to exercise his influence over Juan.
1412 Ferdinand accepts the crown of Aragon, but maintains his influence in Castile till his death (1416).
1420 Henry, brother of Alfonso V of Aragon and Juan II of Navarre, desiring to marry Juan’s sister Catalina, seizes the king and keeps him prisoner till he consents to the marriage.
1425 Alvaro de Luna, the king’s favourite, made constable of Castile.
1427 The nobles, jealous of his unbounded influence, league against him. He is exiled, but soon recalled.
1429 New league against Alvaro. The kings of Navarre and Aragon invade Castile.
1431 Battle of Higueruela and the defeat of the Moors by De Luna. His vigorous rule brings prosperity to Castile.
1439 New league against De Luna, and civil war in which the kings of Aragon and Navarre join,
1445 but are defeated by Juan in the battle of Olmedo.
1453 The king, prompted by his second wife Isabella of Portugal, resolves on De Luna’s death. He is seized, tried, and executed.
1454 Henry (IV) the Impotent. His extravagance and neglect provoke the barons to unite against him and, after several unsuccessful attempts, compel him to set aside the infanta Juana, called La Beltraneja, and recognise his brother Alfonso as his heir.
1465 Not content with this, at a solemn ceremony on the plain of Avila, they declare Henry deposed and set up Alfonso as king.
1468 A destructive civil war continues till Alfonso’s death (1468), when his sister Isabella (the Catholic) refuses to take his place, and contents herself with recognition as Henry’s heiress.
1469 Isabella refuses to marry the heir of Portugal, and marries Ferdinand prince of Aragon. Henry’s endeavours to secure Juana’s succession produce further bloodshed. He bequeaths Castile to her in his will.
1474 Henry IV dies, and Isabella (I) the Catholic has herself proclaimed queen of Castile. Ferdinand endeavours to assert his own claims as representative of the male line, but is induced to accept a carefully defined share in the government. The cause of Juana la Beltraneja is espoused by many Castilian nobles and by her uncle Alfonso V of Portugal, who proposes to marry her and invades Castile.
1476 Battle of Toro and complete victory of Ferdinand and Isabella. The rebels submit.
1479 Treaty with Portugal. Alfonso renounces Juana and she retires to a convent. Death of Juan II of Aragon. Ferdinand succeeds him as Ferdinand II.