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| First Castilian Civil War | |||||||
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| Part of theHundred Years' War | |||||||
 Battle of Nájera, from a fifteenth-century manuscript, the English and Pedro are on the left while the French and Henry are on the right. | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
Pedristas Portugal Navarre Granada | Enriquistas Aragon France | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Peter of Castile Edward the Black Prince John of Gaunt James IV of Majorca | Henry of Trastámara Peter IV of Aragon | ||||||
TheFirst Castilian Civil War was awar of succession over theCrown of Castile that lasted from 1351 to 1369. The conflict started after the death of kingAlfonso XI of Castile in March 1350. It became part of the larger conflict then raging between theKingdom of England and theKingdom of France: theHundred Years' War. It was fought primarily in Castile and its coastal waters between the local and allied forces of the reigning king,Peter, and his illegitimate brotherHenry of Trastámara over the right to the crown.
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 theCrown of Aragon (called "The War of the Two Peters").
His illegitimate brother Henry quickly obtained the support of not only the upper noblesse, but France, Aragon, and thePapacy. In 1366, he officially deposed his brother as king of Castile,León,Toledo, andSeville and had himself proclaimed king in the monastery ofLas Huelgas.
In 1366, Henry, then living inFrance, assembled a large army, with both French andAragonese components, atMontpellier and invaded Castile with the support of the kings of France and Aragon (Charles V andPeter IV respectively). He successfully forced Peter to flee.
Peter fled toBayonne, a city in English-heldGascony. There, he petitionedEdward, 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 successfulBattle of Nájera (Navarette). However, he refused to make good on his dealings with the English and his allies, including the Prince of Wales himself, who soon left. In 1368, Henry and Charles of France signed theTreaty of Toledo whereby the Castilians lent a fleet in theBay of Biscay to the French in return for military aid on land.
Henry entered Galicia, took some towns and thentook the city of León in April. After this, the whole province ofGalicia took sides with Henry. He reentered Castile in 1369 and murdered Peter after theBattle of Campo de Montiel. He was acclaimed Henry II and immediately solidified his rule by removingJews from high office. Castile became, at this time, a stern ally of the French in their ongoing wars.