53 - How peace was negotiated between King Enrique and King Fernando, and what were the conditions

Summary

With the war between Portugal and Castile stretching out in the way in which you have already heard and with negotiations continuing between the King of Aragon and King Fernando, some time had passed since Pope Gregory XI had sent envoys to the Kings of Portugal and Castile in order to establish peace between them, namely Bertrand de Cosnac, the Bishop of Comminges, and Don Agapito Colonna, the Bishop of Brescia. Although we have not mentioned the arrival of these prelates till now, it is, however, important that you should know that in the preceding year, before Carmona was taken, they reached Seville, where King Enrique was to be found at that time. When once they had spoken to him about peace and how it was so necessary between kings, showing him the havoc and dire results that would befall them and their kingdoms and how in that way the overweening confidence of the enemies of their Holy Faith would be enhanced, King Enrique for his part agreed that he would consent to making peace, giving good and sensible reasons for his decision.

Next, the two bishops made their way to Portugal and addressed King Fernando on this matter, offering and proposing to him no fewer arguments than those which they had expressed to King Enrique but also as many examples of good advice and learned authority as could be uttered to persuade him to establish peace and friendship with King Enrique. Having consulted his counsellors about all this, King Fernando, without first abandoning the agreements and negotiations which he had established with the King of Aragon, decided to make peace with King Enrique for reasons of which we are unaware.

After King Enrique had been informed of this by the two bishops, the kings agreed to send their proctors to negotiate these agreements in their name, so that King Enrique sent Don Alfonso Pérez de Guzmán, who was the chief-justice of Seville and a member of his Royal Council, whilst King Fernando sent Dom João Afonso [Telo], the Count of Barcelos, who was already prepared to travel to Aragon again and had received 4,000 florins for the journey. Nevertheless, King Fernando ordered him to abandon that journey and to go and negotiate the peace treaty between him and King Enrique.