Some of Juana's supporters had revolted in …
Years: 1479 - 1479
Some of Juana's supporters had revolted in Extremadura, La Mancha (Marquis of Villena), and Galicia towards the end of 1478.
The Portuguese, reinforced by the naval victory at Guinea, once again intervene in Castile in aid of their allies.
A Portuguese army commanded by Garcia de Meneses, Bishop of Évora, penetrates into Extremadura in February 1479.
His objective is to occupy and reinforce the strongholds of Mérida and Medellín, controlled by Beatriz Pacheco, Countess of Medellin and supporter of Afonso V. According to Palencia, the Portuguese army was composed of about one thousand knights (of whom two hundred and fifty were Castilians), plus infantry.
On hundred and eighty Knights of the Order of Santiago march alongside him, commanded by their treasurer, Alfonso de Monroy.
On February 24, near the hill of Albuera, the army is challenged by Isabellian forces commanded by Alonso de Cárdenas, Master of the Order of Santiago.
The army consists of five hundred Knights of the Order, four hundred Knights of the Hermandad (mainly from Seville), and one hundred infantrymen.
The battle is heavily contested.
The Isabellian infantry suffers a severe blow from the Juanist cavalry and becomes disorganized, but intervention by the Master of Santiago aids the panicked infantry.
The Portuguese are forced to retreat, leaving significant spoils of war on the battlefield, as well as around eighty-five dead knights.
Only fifteen Isabellian knights were killed.
Locations
People
- Afonso V of Portugal
- Alfonso de Palencia
- Diego López de Pacheco
- Enrique de Guzmán
- Ferdinand II of Aragon
- Isabella I of Castile
- Joanna la Beltraneja
- Juan Téllez-Girón
- Louis XI of France
- Maximilian I of
- Pope Sixtus IV
- Rodrigo Ponce de Leon
Groups
- Papal States (Republic of St. Peter)
- Navarre, Kingdom of
- Christians, Roman Catholic
- Aragón, Kingdom of
- Aragon, Crown of
- Castile, Crown of
- Portugal, Avizan (Joannine) Kingdom of
