Luso–Leonese War (1162–1165)
| Luso-Leonese War (1162-1165) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Portrait of Afonso I, King of Portugal | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Kingdom of Portugal |
 Kingdom of León | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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Afonso I of Portugal |
Ferdinand II of León | ||||||||
The Luso-Leonese War took place from 1162 to 1165. It was a conflict between Portugal and the Kingdom of León. It was due to disputes between Afonso Henriques and King Ferdinand II of León, who interfered in Portuguese foreign policy.
Background
[edit]After the death of Emperor Alfonso VII of León in 1157, his domains were divided between his sons Sancho III, who remained with Castile, and Ferdinand II, who was left with León. Through the Sahagún Agreement, the two brothers agreed to divide Portugal among themselves if the opportunity arose, but when Sancho III died shortly afterwards, Afonso Henriques declared war on León in 1158.
During hostilities the Portuguese king signed an alliance with Aragon. His daughter, Mafalda, would marry the heir of Aragon Afonso, son of Queen Petronila of Aragon and Count Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Barcelona, who had proposed the pact. After this, peace was sealed with Leon, at the end of 1160.
The foundation of Ciudad Rodrigo by Ferdinand II, in 1161, caused disturbances in the region and, in neighboring Salamanca, a revolt of its knights broke out. They were joined by the Castilian knights from Ávila and the Leonese knights from Zamora but were, however, all destroyed in the Battle of Valmuza, near Salvatierra de Tormes.[1][2]
In the summer of 1162 the Count of Barcelona died.[1] Ferdinand II then managed to get Queen Petronila to annul the marriage agreement between his son and Afonso Henriques' daughter.[1]
Course of hostilities
[edit]Afonso Henriques took possession of the Limia region, in Galicia, in 1162.[3] In December of this year, the king provided weapons to all the residents, knights and peons of Mós, a village near the border with Leon to which he granted a charter, so that they could defend his castle.[4]
In Castile, internal struggles continued between the Laras and Castros for dominance over their young king, disputes in which the king of León was involved.[1] Unsatisfied with their defeat, in January 1163 the knights of Salamanca reignited the revolt and asked Afonso Henriques for help.[1] Having received the request for help from the knights of Salamanca, Afonso Henriques advanced on León in the same month and took possession of the city.[1]
The following summer, the Leonese king defeated the Portuguese in the Battle of Campos de Arganara and forced them to withdraw from León.[1] Returning to Portugal, Afonso Henriques granted charters to Trancoso, Marialva, Aguiar da Beira, Celorico da Beira, and Moreira do Rei. His defeat in León led him to focus more on the safety of his eastern border, which depended more about the connection of people and knights to that land than the fate of weapons on the battlefield.[1]
Expelled from León, in the spring of 1165 the Portuguese king marched again on Galicia, occupied Turonio and conquered the Castle of Cedofeita, near Pontevedra.[1][3] From Cedofeita, he raided Pontevedra, Ribadavia and Ourense.[1]
King Ferdinand II met again with Afonso Henriques, in Pontevedra, in May 1165 and they signed peace.[1]
Consequences
[edit]In exchange for peace, Ferdinand II committed to marrying Infant Urraca, daughter of Afonso Henriques, despite the canonical impediment that made the marriage prohibited by the Catholic Church, as they had the same great-grandfather.[1] From this marriage the future king Afonso IX of León was born.[1]
The border territories of Limia and Turonio were annexed to Portugal but would not remain in the possession of Afonso Henriques for long.[1] Like the previous peace, this one would not last long and hostilities between Portugal and León would be renewed just two years later.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n José Mattoso: D. Afonso Henriques, Círculo de Leitores, 2006, p. 211-213.
- ^ Carlos Filipe Afonso: A Mobilização Concelhia na Região de Ribacoa Entre os Séculos XII e XIII in Revista Portuguesa de História Militar, Ano II, n.º 2, ISSN 2795-4323, 2022, p. 46.
- ^ a b Pita, Isabel Beceiro (2018-09-20). La espiritualidad y la configuración de los reinos ibéricos (Siglos XII-XV) (in Spanish). Dykinson. p. 120. ISBN 978-84-9148-856-9.
- ^ Afonso, 2022, p. 52.