The war of Castilian succession covered the years 1474 to 1479 . In 1474 the most brilliant period in the history of Spain begins:the Catholic Monarchs transmit to their heirs an effective instrument, a Castilian State, coherent, strong, dynamic; Carlos V and Felipe II transform Spain into a hegemonic power; with the Habsburgs Minor the immense Spanish power collapses; With the first Bourbons, a promising recovery begins that ends with the catastrophe caused by the War of Independence.
Background
Enrique IV dies in Madrid, on December 12, 1474. The next day, in Segovia, his sister, Princess Isabel, commands banners to be raised for «Castilla! Castile !, for King Ferdinand and for Queen Isabella, his wife, owner of these kingdoms! » , and thus she proclaims herself queen of Castile. In this way, she unilaterally settles the dynastic problem that had been pending for ten years, since, in November 1464, the nobles had forced Enrique IV to disinherit his daughter, Doña Juana, nicknamed la Beltraneja. Some cities, such as Ávila, Valladolid, Tordesillas, Toledo, recognize Doña Isabel as queen; others, such as Burgos, Zamora and the Andalusian cities, prefer to wait for the situation to be clarified. The same hesitation is noted in the high clergy and the nobility. Cardinal Don Pedro González de Mendoza, the Archbishop of Toledo —Don Alfonso Carrillo—, the Count of Benavente, the Marquis of Santillana, the Duke of Alba, the Admiral, the Constable, the Duke of Alburquerque —Don Beltrán de la Cueva— Doña Isabel is sworn in as legitimate queen of Castile. But the Duke of Arévalo and Don Diego López Pacheco, Marquis of Villena, refuse to pay homage to him. From a diplomatic point of view, the situation is not very clear either. The wedding, celebrated in 1469, of which she was already considered the heiress of Castile and Don Fernando, the future king of Aragon, had raised concerns in France and Portugal; Those nations saw with displeasure a hegemonic bloc in the Peninsula.
Startofconflict
Hostilities begin in May 1475, when Portuguese troops cross the Castilian border. The King of Portugal, Alfonso V, intends to defend the rights of his niece, Doña Juana, with whom he has just married. The Castilian nobles hostile to Doña Isabel go into rebellion. The War of the Castilian Succession has, therefore, a dual character of civil war and international war. Due to its geographical location and its economic drive, Castilla constitutes the axis of the Peninsula. The victory of one or the other side would mean a displacement of the political weight of the new monarchy towards the west and the Atlantic or towards the east and the Mediterranean area; what is at stake is the formation of a Portugal-Castilla bloc, which would come to undo the Castilla-Aragón bloc in the process of being established. France is also concerned about the Castilla-Aragón union; that's why she decides to ally herself with Portugal.
Campaigns of Castilla-Aragón and Portugal
In the first months of the campaign, the Portuguese seized part of Extremadura and Galicia, occupied Toro and, for a few days, Zamora. They count on a French invasion from the north to force the Catholic Monarchs to capitulate. The reorganization of the Castilian army and the help of Aragon allowed a counteroffensive by Don Fernando through the Burgos lands and, above all, in Zamora. At the beginning of March 1476, in Toro, the Castilian troops defeated the Portuguese . Alfonso V of Portugal hopes to restore the situation in his favor with the alliance of France; but Aragon's momentary renunciation of his rights over Roussillon prompts Louis XI, King of France, to withdraw from the conflict . The kings of Castile strengthened their power, meeting Cortes in Madrigal (April 1476) and dividing up the tasks:Don Fernando pacified the land of Zamora, while Doña Isabel headed for Andalusia. In February 1479, Don Fernando, who for a few weeks has been king of Aragon due to the death of his father, defeats the last supporters of Doña Juana in the vicinity of Mérida (battle of Albuera) .
End of the War of Succession
The Treaty of Alcáçobas (September 4, 1479) put an end to the war:Doña Isabel and Don Fernando are recognized as Kings of Castile; Doña Juana —la Beltraneja— renounces her supposed rights and forces her to spend the rest of her life in a convent in Coimbra (she dies there in 1530); the marriage of the infante don Alfonso, son of the crown prince of Portugal, with the infanta Isabel, eldest daughter of the Catholic Monarchs; Finally, Castile accepts the Portuguese expansion in Africa.