116 - How the King of Castile found out that King Fernando wanted to wage war and on how he dealt with it

Summary

Once the meeting with the counsellors you have heard about in the chapter prior to the last one was over, word began to spread throughout the realm that King Fernando wanted to wage war against the Castilians. Many people spoke about it, but nothing was said with certainty. King Juan was in Medina del Campo when the matter began to be raised and he moved nearer to Portugal, going to Salamanca. There, his mother, Queen Juana, passed away at the age of forty-two. A short time afterwards, he received news that Edmund the Earl of Cambridge was preparing to cross over to Portugal to help King Fernando against him, accompanied by 1,000 soldiers and another 1,000 archers. Furthermore, the earl had a commission and a claim from his brother the Duke of Lancaster, saying that the duke was entitled to the kingdom of Castile through his wife, Doña Constanza, who was the daughter of King Pedro of Castile.

Whilst this was being discussed in his Court, more news reached him, namely that King Fernando was arming himself fully to wage war against him, rushing to fit out galleys with weapons, pay and arm his soldiers, and establish officers of the marches in all [border] districts. It was in fact true that King Fernando was busy fitting out many galleys with weapons and had already placed officers of the marches in the Alentejo, namely his brother the Master of Avis in Olivença, Arronches and Campo Maior, Count Álvaro Pérez de Castro in Elvas, the Prior of Crato Pedro Álvares in Portalegre, the Master of Santiago Estêvão Gonçalves in Beja, and the Count of Viana and Fernão Gonçalves de Sousa in Vila Viçosa, as well as in other towns in that district, as required for the protection of the land.

Once the King of Castile had ascertained this, he sent over to that area, to the town of Badajoz, Fernando Osórez, the [Castilian] Master of Santiago, with many troops. Likewise, he ordered as many galleys as possible in Seville to be fitted out for war. He left Salamanca immediately and went to Paredes de Nava, which belonged to his brother Count Alfonso, as he had been told that he was there and was arranging certain pacts with King Fernando.