A Brief Historical Background: Peter I of Castile...The Cruel Or the Just?

Peter I of Castile... the Cruel or the Just?

Monthly Strategy Report January 2017

Alejandro Vidal Crespo Director of Market Strategies Monthly Strategy Report. January 2017

Peter I of Castile... the Cruel or the Just?

Peter I was the last Castilian king of the House of Burgundy, a House that unified the kingdoms of Castile and Leon and that included, among others, Alfonso X the Wise. The House of Burgundy ruled Castile from 1126, under Alfonso VII, until 1369, upon the death of Peter I at the hands of his half-brother and successor Henry II of Trastámara, thus giving rise to a new dynasty of Castilian Kings that would endure until the coronation of Charles I of Spain.

But getting back to Peter I… He was proclaimed King of Castile in 1350 at the age of 15, after his father, Alfonso XI of Castile, died of the Black Death. Peter was the legitimate son of the king and his wife, the Infanta Maria of Portugal and, therefore, grandson of the King of Portugal. However, Alfonso XI had abandoned his wife and heir at an early age in favour of his beloved, Leonor de Guzmán, with whom he had several undocumented children, among them the future King Henry II.

Peter’s ascent to the throne was not at all easy, since he had a number of enemies from a young age: the sons of King Alfonso and Leonor (among them, Henry) and his first cousins, the Infantes of the neighbouring kingdom of Aragon (Peter, John and Fernando of Aragon), against whom he would battle for half his life. This precarious scenario and the tender age of the monarch meant that de facto power was in the hands of the Queen Mother and her favourite, Juan Alfonso de Alburquerque, who recommended that the adolescent King order the arrest of his half-brothers Henry of Trastámara (his future assassin) and Fadrique Alfonso de Castilla (who Peter condemned to death in 1358, as we shall see). But instead, the King pardoned them and greeted them with great affection when they arrived in Seville (where Peter I held Court) accompanied by their father’s casket.

Peter’s first significant move as king was to threaten Nuño Díaz de Haro, Lord of Biscay (aged 3) in an effort to dispossess him of his Lordship. Although Peter was unable to detain the child, he died shortly thereafter, with Biscay, Lerma and other holdings passing into the King’s domain. Also under the province of the king were the sisters of the deceased Nuño Díaz, who were betrothed to a brother of the future Henry II (Tello of Castile, founder of the town of Guernica, among others) and the Infante John of Aragon (who would be killed by blows in the King’s chamber and then thrown out of the window in 1358, a significant year), in the King’s attempt to position his enemies closer by making them consorts of Biscay—a strategy that ultimately would not work.

The King’s problems persisted after the Cortes Generales were held in Valladolid in 1351-52. The King took measures in favour of cities that represented merchants and craftsmen, which was interpreted as a hostile gesture by the landowning nobility. He also took favourable strides concerning the Jewish population, whom he allowed to live in districts separate from the towns and cities and elect representatives, something that piqued the indignation of the clergy. And with that, the rebellions began, led by his two half-brothers, Henry in Asturias and Tello in Biscay, in addition to Alfonso Fernandez Coronel in Andalusia. His two half-brothers showed tremendous remorse when they learned that Peter I was preparing to rise against them and they were spared punishment once again, while Alfonso Fernández Coronel was executed in 1353. It appeared everyone had it in for the young King of Castile, who began to realise that he was deeply disliked by his nearest associates, and subsequently replaced the Queen Mother’s circle of advisors (including Albuquerque, whose holdings he also tried to steal) with his closest confidants, much to the indignation of his grandfather, the King of Portugal, who saw his ability to influence the Castilian Court greatly diminished.

And then, things began to fall apart. Peter I was the lover of Maria de Padilla, but for reasons of State, he married Blanche of Bourbon, Infanta of France. After discovering that his young bride did not arrive with the generous dowry promised by her father, the King abandoned her 48 hours after their marriage and ordered her confined to the monastery of Sigüenza, while proclaiming that the union was invalid, Monthly Strategy Report. January 2017 something Pope Innocent VI—a Frenchman and resident of Avignon, who was aware of the young Gallic Infanta’s misfortunes—condemned.

Such was the state of affairs in the family, and what better place to address these issues than at a wedding: representatives from every family faction gathered in Évora, Portugal to celebrate the marriage of the Infante Fernando of Aragon (cousin of the King and designated heir while Peter had no “official” offspring) and Maria de Portugal (a cousin from another family branch), in the company of Albuquerque and the King of Portugal. A swordfight would surely have ensued if not for the King of Portugal, who ultimately asserted his authority and managed to stop the fight before it resulted in bloodshed.

In the meantime, disagreements about Peter’s succession continued. The King had children by his beloved Maria de Padilla (and fought for them to be recognised as heirs), but had none by his wife, Blanche of Bourbon, who remained confined in the monastery of Sigüenza. But Blanche and the Pope’s threat to condemn the King should he refuse to restore conjugal relations with his wife were justification enough for the enemies of the King, who sought to regain influence in the court, and instigated uprisings in many of the kingdom’s cities, including Toledo, Toro, Medina del Campo, and the Lordship of Biscay. Naturally, they were opposed to the proclamation of a bastard son as heir. The King agreed to meet with them in Toro, but he was imprisoned upon arrival. He managed to flee to Segovia, and from there quashed the rebellion in 1356 by slaying many leaders and nobles, among them the Lord of Albuquerque. Once again, the King’s half-brothers, Henry and Fadrique, emerged unscathed.

The kingdom appeared to be pacified and it seemed a period of peace and tranquillity lay ahead for Peter I. But it was not to be. War broke out between Castile and Aragon following a dispute over two Genoese galleys captured by the Aragonese in Castilian waters. Even at that time loyalties between the two kingdoms were mixed, and part of the Aragonese nobility supported Castile, while part of the Castilian nobility supported Aragon (among them, Henry and Fadrique, who would not emerge unharmed this time). In 1358, after two years of engagement, the conflict ended with no definitive victor. But Peter decided to exact his revenge and that same year, he ordered the execution of his brother, Fadrique, the two heirs of the Lord of Biscay, and John of Aragon (he was unable to capture Tello of Castile), and dozens of other eminent figures.

After several campaigns against the Muslims in Granada (perhaps to curry favour with thepapacy and the clergy) in which he killed the Nasrid ruler, Muhammad VI, with his own hands during peace negotiations in Seville, hostilities with Aragon resumed in 1363. Peter I of Castile had the support of the Kingdom of Navarre and Edward of Woodstock (firstborn son of Edward III of England, known as the Black Prince), while Peter IV of Aragon was backed by a large contingent from Castile headed by Henry of Trastámara, who sought to wrest the throne from his brother at any price.

In 1369, while a battle raged between Castile and Aragon and a concurrent civil war in Castile was underway, King Peter I decided to march to Toledo to help the city, which was besieged by adversaries. As the King advanced with his troops, they encountered Henry and his army at Montiel, in Ciudad Real. A battle immediately ensued: Henry prevailed and Peter sought refuge in the Castle of Montiel. Through a vassal, the King entered negotiations to leave the fortress with Bertrand du Guesclin, a trusted man and leader of Henry of Trastámara’s French mercenaries. But rather than keeping his word, du Guesclin led Peter to a tent where Henry was waiting. At first sight they fell upon each other, dagger in hand, tumbling to the ground, with Peter taking the advantage on top and Henry on the floor.

At that moment, du Guesclin grabbed the King and uttered the words that would go down in history: “I neither put nor remove a king, but I help my master.” Peter, thusly restrained, was stabbed to death by his half-brother, who would ascend to the throne and reign as Henry II of Castile (incidentally, breaking nearly all of the promises he made to Aragon in return for its support). Monthly Strategy Report. January 2017

The many executions ordered by Peter during his reign marred his legacy. His supporters called him Peter the Just, while his rivals called him Peter the Cruel. Because history is written by the victors, naturally, he will be remembered as Peter I the Cruel.

.