Battle of Aljubarrota

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Battle of Aljubarrota
Part of the Portuguese Crisis of 1383–85
Illustration of the Battle of Aljubarrota by Jean de Wavrin
Date 14 August 1385 Location Near Aljubarrota, central Portugal Result Portuguese victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of Portugal Supported by: Kingdom of England	Crown of Castile Supported by: Kingdom of France Crown of Aragon Genoese mercenaries
Commanders and leaders
John I of Portugal Nuno Álvares Pereira	John I of Castile Pedro Álvares Pereira †
Strength
About 6,600 men:[1] 4,000 foot soldiers 1,700 lances 800 crossbowmen 200 English longbowmen	About 31,000 men:[1] 15,000 foot soldiers 6,000 lances 8,000 crossbowmen More than 2,000 French heavy knights 15 mortars
Casualties and losses
Fewer than 1,000	4,000–5,000 5,000 in the aftermath

The Battle of Aljubarrota (Portuguese pronunciation: [alʒuβɐˈʁɔtɐ]; see Aljubarrota) was fought between the Kingdom of Portugal and the Crown of Castile on 14 August 1385. Forces commanded by King John I of Portugal and his general Nuno Álvares Pereira, with the support of English allies, opposed the army of King John I of Castile with its Aragonese and French allies, as well as Genoese mercenaries^[2] at São Jorge, between the towns of Leiria and Alcobaça, in central Portugal. The result was a decisive victory for the Portuguese, ruling out Castilian ambitions to the Portuguese throne, ending the 1383–85 Crisis and assuring John as King of Portugal.

Portuguese independence was safeguarded and a new dynasty, the House of Aviz, was established. Scattered border confrontations with Castilian troops would persist until the death of John I of Castile in 1390, but these posed no real threat to the new dynasty.