King Joao I of Portugal and his brilliant general Nuno Alvares Pereira defeated

1385 Event

Portugal Wins Aljubarrota: Independence from Castile

King Joao I of Portugal and his brilliant general Nuno Alvares Pereira defeated a much larger Castilian army at Aljubarrota on August 14, 1385, using terrain and defensive tactics that neutralized Castilian cavalry superiority. The Portuguese positioned their forces on a narrow hillside between two streams, forcing the enemy to attack uphill on a constricted front where their numbers counted for nothing. The battle lasted less than an hour. Castilian King John I fled the field, and his forces suffered catastrophic losses. The victory permanently secured Portuguese independence from Castile and cemented the Anglo-Portuguese Alliance, formalized by the Treaty of Windsor in 1386, the oldest diplomatic alliance still in force today.

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August 14, 1385

641 years ago

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Portugal Wins Aljubarrota: Independence from Castile

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