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The Najera Campaign 1367

The Black Prince aided Peter, King of Spain in a battle against Peter's brother Henry the Bastard in 1367 near Najera, Spain. The two sides engaged in battle with large numbers of casualties on both sides, resulting in a victory for the Black Prince and Peter. Many of Henry's allies were killed or captured, including several counts and nobles. The Black Prince's rule over Gascony placed a heavy tax burden on the people in the form of a hearth tax. His haughty behavior toward local lords and long delays in meeting with them caused rising resentment. He was also in poor health, and his governance was very costly.

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84 views3 pages

The Najera Campaign 1367

The Black Prince aided Peter, King of Spain in a battle against Peter's brother Henry the Bastard in 1367 near Najera, Spain. The two sides engaged in battle with large numbers of casualties on both sides, resulting in a victory for the Black Prince and Peter. Many of Henry's allies were killed or captured, including several counts and nobles. The Black Prince's rule over Gascony placed a heavy tax burden on the people in the form of a hearth tax. His haughty behavior toward local lords and long delays in meeting with them caused rising resentment. He was also in poor health, and his governance was very costly.

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War, Government and Society: Edward the Black Prince, 1346-71

The Black Prince in the Anonimalle Chronicle (French)

1. The Nájera campaign, 1367

In 1366 [should be 1367] there was a great melée and contention in Spain
[Esspaigne] between Sir Peter, king of Spain, and his brother, Henry the Bastard.
Henry claimed to be rightful king of Spain, without right or reason. Sir Peter, king of
Spain, sent envoys to the right noble prince of England, Edward the fourth [Edward le
quart] who was then living in Gascony, begging him for the sake of their blood-
relationship [cosinage] for his aid and assistance against Henry the Bastard, his
brother and enemy. He asked to prince to come to him in Spain at his costs, and he
would give him a certain sum in gold for his labours and expenses. The day of battle
had been assigned between them, to determine who had the best claim.
The most excellent prince, therefore, in response to the letters, assembled his
council in haste. The council advised him to help Peter, king of Spain, if he could, and
so he gathered his people together without delay and journeyed to Spain. He rode with
all his forces through Navarre, whose king he had paid two thousand escudos [scutes
dore] for permission to cross his land. Eventually he came to a place in Spain near the
city of Nájera [Nazers] and in that area, next to a big river, he rested and made camp.
The king of Spain came to the prince in that place, thanking him for the labours he
had been able to undertake, and begging that his good will continue against his
enemies. The prince answered him with kindness, and said he would be ready to do
anything that was in accordance with God’s will.
On the Saturday before Passion Sunday [3rd April] Henry the Bastard, having
heard through spies that the prince of England had arrived, assembled his troops to
give battle on open ground [en playn champe]. His forces were well arrayed in three
battles containing a large number of men-at arms, together with crossbowmen and
shield men (pavasers). The prince and the king of Spain were informed of their
coming, and so, without delay, they picked up their arms and assembled their troops
in opposition to those of their enemy, and divided them into three battles, well
supplied with men-at-arms and archers. So it was that the two sides assembled, and
attacked each other with strength and vigour. Large numbers of men on both sides
were killed. In the end it was God’s will that the Bastard was defeated and put to
flight, and by divine grace the prince of England and the king of Spain had possession
of the field. On that day many lords of Spain and of other nations from the Bastard’s
party were killed, and many taken.
2

These are the names of the counts, lords and knights taken at the battle1: Don
Sancho (Henry the Bastard’s brother), the count of El Conde de Denia, Don Juan
Martinez de Luna, Don Juan Ramirez de Arellano, Monsire Bertrand du Guesclin, the
bishop of Relionus, Don Felipe de Castro, Pedro Marique, Pedro Lopez de Ayala and
his brother Diego, Garci Alvarez de Toledo, Rodeus de Rojas, Don Beltran de
Guevara, Pedro Velandez de Velasco, Pedro Gonzalez de Mendoza, Juan Sanchez
Manuel (Albornoz), Petrus Sarmiento, Sancho Sanchez de Moscoso, Alvar Lopez de
Cerna, Alfonso (Henry the Bastard’s son), Hynsige le mestre de Aufrik, Johan Somere,
Gomez Gonzalez de Castaneda, Sancho Ferrandez de Tovar, Senche Lupy Papatouns,
Ferrandez Arius de Sevilla, El clavero de Calatrava, le clericus de Ballamus, Pedro de
Malfaleto, El clavero de Alcantara, Juan Ramirez de Guzman, Diegos Romers le
Diamastaunt, Pedro Gomez de Porry and Rogo Sarns de Syviers (his son), the master
of St John, the master of the Hospitallers of Spain, the governor of Saragossa, the
Marshal D’Audrehem, Don Juan de Ramirez, Monsire le Bégue de Villaines, and
other valiant men-at-arms to the number of two thousand and more.
These are the names of those who were killed in the battle: Inigo Lopez de
Orozco, Sancho Sanchez de Rojas, Garci-Laso de la Vega, Gonsalvo Gomez de
Siveris, Alvaro Ferrand de Bosco, Juan Sarmiento, and other men. Something like five
or six thousand good men-at-arms and shield men (pavasours) were killed, as well as
an unknown number of foot soldiers. All the prince’s men were in a good state, praise
be to God, except for one knight, Sir John Ferrers, who fought his enemies nobly on
that day.

(After the war was over, the prince returned to Gascony. King Pedro asked the prince not to
be angry that he did not have enough money to pay him, and gave him his two daughters as
hostages. They were afterwards married to two of the prince’s brothers, the duke of Lancaster
and the earl of Cambridge.
In 1366 King Richard II was born at Bordeaux).

2. The prince’s governance of Gascony.

In 1367 the prince of England continued to live in Gascony at enormous cost,


spending outrageously. He imposed huge levies on the land because of his lack of
gold and silver. So great was this imposition on his liege people that they could not
bear the cost. Every house with a hearth in it, big or small, had to pay him the
equivalent of 40d. in English money. This intolerable burden was called ‘focage’2 He
was so haughty and carried himself like such a great man that he deferred to no-one,
and he would let various great lords of the country who came to speak to him wait
four or five days before he would deign to talk to them. Moreover, when they came to
his presence he would keep them kneeling, shifting from one knee to the other, for a
quarter of the day before he told them to stand up. This was the reason why several of
1
The names have been identified by James Tait in Chronica Johannis de Reading et Anonymi
Cantuariensis (1914), p. 183. Those names in italics are of men unidentified by him.
2
Usually known as ‘fouage’ that is ‘hearth-tax’.
3

these lords rose against him, as well as for the huge levy. In addition, he was so sick
that he could not stay in this country longer without it doing very great damage to
him.

_____________________________________________________________________

Translated from V.H. Galbraith, ed., The Anonimalle Chronicle, 1333–81 (1927), pp. 53-56.

© P.H.W. Booth, 2002

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