View source for War of the Two Pedros

{{Short description|Confrontation between the Castilian and Aragonese crowns.}}
{{distinguish|War of the Peters}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict          = War of the Two Peters
| width             = 
| partof            = the [[First Castilian Civil War]]
| image             = 
| image_size        = 
| alt               = 
| caption           = 
| date              = 1356–1369
| place             = Mostly towns in the [[Kingdom of Aragon]] and the [[Kingdom of Valencia]], coast of the [[Principality of Catalonia]]
| territory         = 
| result            = Trastamarian victory
*Overthrow of [[Peter of Castile]]
*Accession of [[Henry II of Castile]]
| combatant1        = '''[[Peter I of Castile|''Pedristas'']]'''<br>'''Supported by:'''<br>[[Kingdom of England|England]]<br>[[Republic of Genoa]]<br>[[Kingdom of Portugal|Portugal]]<br>[[Kingdom of Navarre|Navarre]]<br>[[Emirate of Granada|Granada]]
| combatant2        = '''[[Crown of Aragon|Aragon]]'''<br>[[Henry of Trastámara|''Enriquistas'']]<br>'''Supported by:'''<br>[[France in the Middle Ages|France]]
| commander1        = {{plainlist}}
* [[Peter of Castile]]
* [[Edward the Black Prince]]
* [[John of Gaunt]]
{{endplainlist}}
| commander2        = {{plainlist}}
* [[Peter IV of Aragon]]
* [[Henry of Trastámara]]
{{endplainlist}}
| strength1         = 
| strength2         = 
| casualties1       = 
| casualties2       = 
}}
{{Campaignbox War of the Two Peters}}
{{Campaignbox Hundred Years' War}}

The '''War of the Two Peters''' ({{langx|es|La Guerra de los Dos Pedros}}, {{langx|ca|Guerra dels dos Peres}}), also known as the '''Castilian–Aragonese War of 1356–1369''', was fought from 1356 to 1369 between the crowns of [[Crown of Castile|Castile]] and [[Crown of Aragon|Aragon]]. The conflict was a struggle between two claimants to the throne of Castile, [[Peter of Castile]] and [[Peter IV of Aragon]]. The former Peter was supported by England and several English nobles led by [[Edward III of England|Edward III]] and his [[Edward the Black Prince|son]], while the latter Peter was supported by France. The conflict also brought in the involvement of the kingdoms of [[Kingdom of Navarre|Navarre]] and [[Kingdom of Portugal|Portugal]]. The war resulted in Aragon gaining the upper hand, but it also devastated its economy that was already reeling from the effects of the [[Black Death]].

==Background==
[[File:Jaume Mateu - Peter IV the Ceremonious - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|Peter IV, King of Aragon by Gonçal Peris Sarrià & Jaume Mateu (1427)]]
[[File:Estatua de Pedro I el Cruel (M.A.N.) 01.jpg|thumb|[[Alabaster]] sculpture of Peter the Cruel, from 1504]]
At the beginning of the fourteenth century, Castile was suffering from unrest caused by its [[Castilian Civil War|civil war]], which was fought between the local and allied forces of the reigning king, Peter of Castile, and his half-brother [[Henry II of Castile|Henry of Trastámara]] over the right to the crown.

Peter IV of Aragon supported Henry of Trastámara. Henry was also supported by the French commander [[Bertrand du Guesclin]] and his "free companies" of troops. Peter of Castile was supported by the [[Kingdom of England|English]]. The War of the Two Peters can thus be considered an extension of the wider [[Hundred Years' War]] as well as the [[Castilian Civil War]].

Peter of Castile sought to claim the [[Kingdom of Valencia]], which included parts of [[Murcia]], [[Elche]], [[Alicante]], and [[Orihuela]]. Peter of Aragon wished to dominate the [[Mediterranean]] in opposition to Castile and Castile's ally [[Republic of Genoa|Genoa]].<ref>[http://www.dpz.es/ifc/libros/Ubietoweb/fichasubieto/65.html] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070609194413/http://www.dpz.es/ifc/libros/Ubietoweb/fichasubieto/65.html|date=June 9, 2007}}</ref> 

A naval incident between the two powers had already caused tension: [[Catalonia|Catalan]] [[galley]]s, armed by Mossèn Francesc de Perellós, who had [[letters of marque]] from the Aragonese king, aided France against England, and also managed to capture two [[Republic of Genoa|Genoese]] ships at [[Sanlúcar de Barrameda]]. Genoa was an ally of Castile. Peter of Castile, leading the Castilian fleet, caught up to Perellós at [[Tavira Municipality|Tavira]] but was unable to capture him.

==War==
===1356–1363===
The war lasted from 1356 to 1369, prolonged because Peter of Castile lost his throne to Henry of Trastámara. The war primarily took place on the border between Castile and Aragon, namely Aragonese border towns such as [[Teruel]], which fell to the Castilians.

In 1357, Castile penetrated Aragon and conquered [[Tarazona]] on March 9; on May 8, they arranged a temporary truce.

At the beginning of 1361, the Castilians conquered the fortresses of [[Verdejo]], [[Torrijos, Spain|Torrijos]], [[Alhama de Murcia|Alhama]], and other places. However, the ''peace of Terrer'' (sometimes called the ''peace of Deza'') was negotiated on 18 May 1361, in which all conquered places and castles were returned to their original lords. [[Bernardo de Cabrera]], ambassador of the Aragonese king, negotiated the peace. Peter IV married his daughter [[Constance of Aragon, Queen of Sicily|Constance]] to [[Frederick III the Simple]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uv.es/~ivorra/Historia/SXIV/1360.htm |title=1360 - 1365 |publisher=Uv.es |access-date=2015-05-31}}</ref>

In June 1362, Peter of Castile met with [[Charles II of Navarre]] at [[Soria]], and mutual aid was promised. Peter also contracted an alliance with [[Edward III of England]] and Edward's son [[Edward, the Black Prince|The Black Prince]].

With these negotiations complete, the Castilian king invaded Aragonese territory without officially declaring war, and the conflict commenced again.  The Aragonese king was at [[Perpignan]] without troops, and thus caught off guard.  The Castilians took the castles of [[Arize]], [[Atece]], Terrer, [[Moros, Spain|Moros]], [[Cetina, Spain|Cetina]], and [[Alhama de Murcia|Alhama]]. Peter of Castile was unable to take [[Calatayud]], even though he attacked it with all types of [[siege machines]]. Without taking his conquests any further, he returned to [[Seville]].

In 1363, Castile continued the war against Aragon, and again occupied Tarazona. Peter of Castile received reinforcements from [[Portugal]] and [[Navarre]]. Meanwhile, the Aragonese king negotiated a treaty with [[France in the Middle Ages|France]] and a secret treaty with Henry II of Castile. Pedro of Castile then conquered [[Cariñena (DO)|Cariñena]], [[Teruel]], [[Segorbe]], [[Morvedre]], [[Almenara, Castellón|Almenara]], [[Xiva de Bunyol|Xiva]], and [[Bunyol]].

The [[Holy See|papal]] [[nuncio]] [[Jean de la Grange]] arranged the ''peace of [[Morvedre]]'' ([[Sagunt]]) (2 July 1363) between the two kings.  The peace was not ratified, however, and hostilities continued. The Castilians penetrated the [[Kingdom of Valencia]] in 1363, and conquered [[Alicante]], [[Caudete]], [[Elda]], [[Gandia]], and other places.

===1363–1369===
From 1365 to 1369, Peter of Castile was preoccupied with maintaining his position on the Castilian throne against Henry of Trastámara.

The [[Castilian Civil War]] began in 1366 and Peter of Castile was dethroned. He was assailed by his illegitimate brother [[Henry of Trastámara]] at the head of a host of soldiers of fortune, including [[Bertrand du Guesclin]] and [[Hugh Calveley]]. Peter abandoned the kingdom without daring to give battle, after retreating several times (first from [[Burgos]], then from [[Toledo, Spain|Toledo]], and finally from [[Seville]]) in the face of the oncoming armies. Peter fled with his treasury to Portugal, where he was coldly received by his uncle, King [[Peter I of Portugal]], and thence to [[Galicia (Spain)|Galicia]], in northern Spain, where he ordered the murder of Suero, the archbishop of [[Santiago de Compostela|Santiago]], and the [[Dean (religion)|dean]], Perálvarez. Both the Archbishop and the Dean were supporters of Henry. 

Peter of Castile was overthrown in 1369. He was killed by Henry.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.enciclopedia-aragonesa.com/voz.asp?voz_id=6624&voz_id_origen=13418 |title=Guerra de los dos Pedros (1356-1369) - Página de voz - Gran Enciclopedia Aragonesa OnLine |publisher=Enciclopedia-aragonesa.com |access-date=2015-05-31}}</ref>

===Invasion of Valencia===
The [[Kingdom of Granada]] supported Peter of Castile in the War of the Two Peters.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.deremilitari.org/REVIEWS/Villalon_100YW.htm |title=Villalon and Kagay - The Hundred Years War: A Wider Focus |publisher=Deremilitari.org |access-date=2015-05-31}}</ref>  Castilian troops and their [[Al-Andalus|Moorish allies]] invaded southern [[kingdom of Valencia|Valencia]], which suffered low-level ravaging and political instability. The Castilians unsuccessfully laid siege to [[Orihuela]] in 1364.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/13247 |title=If these walls could talk |publisher=Thinkspain.com |access-date=2015-05-31 |archive-date=2016-01-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160121015153/http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/13247 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==End of the war==
[[File:Spanish kingdoms 1360.jpg|thumb|The region in 1360]]
Castile recovered ''[[comarca]]s'' that had passed under Aragonese rule, such as the lordship of [[Molina de Aragón|Molina]]. A marriage was contracted between [[Eleanor of Aragon, Queen of Castile|Eleanor of Aragon]], daughter of Peter IV of Aragon, and [[John I of Castile]], the successor of Henry II of Castile.

The misery of the war was compounded by the [[Black Death]] and other natural disasters, such as [[drought]] and a plague of [[locust]]s. These events ruined the Aragonese economy, leading to a decrease of the country’s population.<ref>[http://www.tv3.cat/historiesdecatalunya/personatges/per102337822.htm] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071221020638/http://www.tv3.cat/historiesdecatalunya/personatges/per102337822.htm|date=December 21, 2007}}</ref>  The [[Cathedral of Tarazona]] was destroyed during the war and not rebuilt until much later.

However, the war is believed to have led to the establishment of administrative and military forces that would ultimately result in a unified Castile and Aragon in the next century.<ref name="autogenerated1">Donald J. Kagay, "The Defense of the Crown of Aragon during the War of the Two Pedros (1356-1366)," ''The Journal of Military History'', Volume 71, Number 1, January 2007, pp. 11-31.</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite journal |first=Donald J. |last=Kagay |title=The Defense of the Crown of Aragon during the War of the Two Pedros (1356–1366) |journal=The Journal of Military History |year=2007 |volume=71 |issue=1 |pages=11–31 |doi=10.1353/jmh.2007.0040 |s2cid=201755047 |postscript=. [A later version of this paper appears in Villalon and Kagay (eds.), ''The Hundred Years War (Part II)''.]}}
*{{cite journal |first=Donald J. |last=Kagay |title=The War of the Two Pedros (1356–1366): Aragon's Successful Administrative Strategy of Asymmetrical Defense |journal=Imago Temporis: Medium Aevum |year=2012 |volume=6 |pages=191–222 |url=https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=4469525}}
*{{cite journal |first=Donald J. |last=Kagay |title=Disposable Alliances: Aragon and Castille during the War of the Two Pedros and Beyond |journal=Studies in Medieval and Renaissance History |year=2013 |volume=10 |pages=111–47 |postscript=. [A working version of this paper is available [http://ramscholar.openrepository.com/ramscholar/handle/10675.1/18 here].]}}
*{{cite book |first=L. J. Andrew |last=Villalon |chapter=“Cut Off Their Heads, or I’ll Cut Off Yours”: Castilian Strategy and Tactics in the War of the Two Pedros and the Supporting Evidence from Murcia |title=The Hundred Years War (Part II): Different Vistas |editor1=L. J. Andrew Villalon |editor2=Donald J. Kagay |year=2008 |publisher=Brill |location=Leiden |pages=153–84}}
{{refend}}{{Hundred Years' War}}
[[Category:14th century in Aragon]]
[[Category:Wars involving the Crown of Aragon]]
[[Category:Wars involving Portugal]]
[[Category:Wars involving the Kingdom of Castile]]
[[Category:Conflicts of the Hundred Years' War]]
[[Category:History of the Valencian Community]]
[[Category:Military history of Catalonia]]
[[Category:14th-century conflicts]]
[[Category:14th century in Castile]]
[[Category:Wars of succession involving the states and peoples of Europe]]