Battle of Huete
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Huete
took place in 1164 between the Lara family and its allies, and the Castro family
and its supporters. It was part of the civil war which engulfed the Kingdom of Castile
following the death of Sancho III
(1158), wherein competing factions sought control of his minor son and successor, Alfonso VIII. In 1162 the same two factions had met at the Battle of Lobregal
. At Huete the Lara leaders were the three brothers Manrique
, Nuño
, and Álvaro Pérez de Lara
. The Castro were led by Fernando Rodríguez de Castro
, who had been in exile at the court of Ferdinand II of León
since 1160.
Fernando was with the court of León at least as late as 16 April, but by early summer he was in the castle of Huete in Toledo
amassing forces for an invasion of Castile. According to the mid-thirteenth-century Crónica de la población de Ávila the town of Ávila joined with the king and "his other vassals", obviously the Lara and their allies, and "went to besiege Toledo", where Fernando was. It explains how the Castilians "chased Fernando from place to place" and forced him to abandon the kingdom, that is, the kingdom of Toledo, which Ferdinand of León had conquered in 1162. It is probable that Fernando fled to Huete at this time. Manrique, bringing the child Alfonso VIII along with him, led a force against Fernando at Huete. In the words of the Chronica latina regum castellae
, "at that time Count Manrique fought against Fernando Rodríguez, who had with him the people of Huete. The Count had with him the child [king]". Fernando's troops were drawn from Toledo and the Transierra, especially the towns of Huete, Toledo
, and Zorita
. According to the late Crónica de Veinte Reyes Manrique demanded that Fernando turn over the castle of Huete, but the latter refused, citing Sancho III's command that tenants should continue to hold their royal fiefs until Alfonso VIII came of age. Manrique then ordered his brother Nuño to guard the young king and take him to Zorita if he was in any danger.
Battle was joined in front of Huete and, as at Lobregal, the Castro were the victors. This time Manrique was killed in the field by Fernando. Nevertheless the young Alfonso remained in the control of the Lara and Fernando was forced to return to León. After Manrique's death, his brothers led the retreat to Zorita with the king and from there to Ávila, where the prelates with them negotiated their reception and afterwards a cessation to hostilities. The date of this battle is uncertain. The Anales toledanos primeros date it to 9 July and note Manrique's death: "They killed Count Manrique on the ninth day of the month of July in the Era
1202[ AD
1164]." There is a charter in the Becerro mayor de Aguilar de Campoo (the main cartulary of the monastery of Santa María la Real de Aguilar) dated 21 June 1164, an earlier source than the Anales, that places the battle on 3 June:
The cartulary copy of this charter is much later than 1164 and it is not improbable that its dating clause is in error.
Huete
Huete is a municipality in Cuenca, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. It has a population of 2,097....
took place in 1164 between the Lara family and its allies, and the Castro family
Castro family
Castro is a notable family of central Jalisco, a state of Mexico. The family originated in the town of Barranca de Santa Clara, Jalisco, with Doroteo Castro and Eduarda Rodríguez as the head patriarchs. One of their children, Ignacio Castro Rodríguez, married María Sabina Villalvaso Corona. Ignacio...
and its supporters. It was part of the civil war which engulfed the Kingdom of Castile
Kingdom of Castile
Kingdom of Castile was one of the medieval kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula. It emerged as a political autonomous entity in the 9th century. It was called County of Castile and was held in vassalage from the Kingdom of León. Its name comes from the host of castles constructed in the region...
following the death of Sancho III
Sancho III of Castile
Sancho III was King of Castile and Toledo for one year, from 1157 to 1158. During the Reconquista, in which he took an active part, he founded the Order of Calatrava...
(1158), wherein competing factions sought control of his minor son and successor, Alfonso VIII. In 1162 the same two factions had met at the Battle of Lobregal
Battle of Lobregal
The Battle of Lobregal took place in March 1160 between the House of Lara and its allies and the forces of the House of Castro under Fernando Rodríguez de Castro...
. At Huete the Lara leaders were the three brothers Manrique
Manrique Pérez de Lara
Manrique Pérez de Lara was a magnate of the Kingdom of Castile and its regent from 1158 until his death. He was one of the most important counsellors and generals of three successive Castilian monarchs: Alfonso VII , Sancho III and Alfonso VIII...
, Nuño
Nuño Pérez de Lara
Nuño Pérez de Lara was a Castilian nobleman, politician and military leader. He began his career at the court of the Emperor Alfonso VII, during whose reign he took part in the repoblación of the Extremadura and the defence of the Almohad frontier...
, and Álvaro Pérez de Lara
Álvaro Pérez de Lara
Álvaro Pérez de Lara was a nobleman of the Lara family. He was the youngest son of Pedro González de Lara. His mother was Eva, who may have been a daughter of Pedro Froilaz de Traba, or perhaps a Frenchwoman. She was originally married to García Ordóñez, but was married to Pedro by November 1127...
. The Castro were led by Fernando Rodríguez de Castro
Fernando Rodríguez de Castro
Fernando Rodríguez de Castro was a Castilian nobleman, statesman and military leader who made his career in León. He was the leader of the House of Castro during the civil wars that followed the death of Sancho III of Castile and the succession of the infant Alfonso VIII...
, who had been in exile at the court of Ferdinand II of León
Ferdinand II of Leon
Ferdinand II was King of León and Galicia from 1157 to his death.-Life:Born in Toledo, Castile, he was the son of King Alfonso VII of León and Castile and of Berenguela, of the House of Barcelona. At his father's death, he received León and Galicia, while his brother Sancho received Castile and...
since 1160.
Fernando was with the court of León at least as late as 16 April, but by early summer he was in the castle of Huete in Toledo
Kingdom of Toledo
The Kingdom of Toledo was the juridical definition of a Christian medieval kingdom in what is now central Spain, created after Alfonso VI of León's capture of Toledo in 1085.-Background:...
amassing forces for an invasion of Castile. According to the mid-thirteenth-century Crónica de la población de Ávila the town of Ávila joined with the king and "his other vassals", obviously the Lara and their allies, and "went to besiege Toledo", where Fernando was. It explains how the Castilians "chased Fernando from place to place" and forced him to abandon the kingdom, that is, the kingdom of Toledo, which Ferdinand of León had conquered in 1162. It is probable that Fernando fled to Huete at this time. Manrique, bringing the child Alfonso VIII along with him, led a force against Fernando at Huete. In the words of the Chronica latina regum castellae
Chronica latina regum Castellae
The Chronica latina regum Castellae, known in Spanish as the Crónica latina de los reyes de Castilla, both meaning "Latin Chronicle of the Kings of Castile", is a medieval Latin history of the rulers of Castile from the death of Count Fernán González in 970 to the reconquest of Córdoba by King...
, "at that time Count Manrique fought against Fernando Rodríguez, who had with him the people of Huete. The Count had with him the child [king]". Fernando's troops were drawn from Toledo and the Transierra, especially the towns of Huete, Toledo
Toledo, Spain
Toledo's Alcázar became renowned in the 19th and 20th centuries as a military academy. At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 its garrison was famously besieged by Republican forces.-Economy:...
, and Zorita
Zorita de los Canes
Zorita de los Canes is a municipality located in the province of Guadalajara, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 98 inhabitants....
. According to the late Crónica de Veinte Reyes Manrique demanded that Fernando turn over the castle of Huete, but the latter refused, citing Sancho III's command that tenants should continue to hold their royal fiefs until Alfonso VIII came of age. Manrique then ordered his brother Nuño to guard the young king and take him to Zorita if he was in any danger.
Battle was joined in front of Huete and, as at Lobregal, the Castro were the victors. This time Manrique was killed in the field by Fernando. Nevertheless the young Alfonso remained in the control of the Lara and Fernando was forced to return to León. After Manrique's death, his brothers led the retreat to Zorita with the king and from there to Ávila, where the prelates with them negotiated their reception and afterwards a cessation to hostilities. The date of this battle is uncertain. The Anales toledanos primeros date it to 9 July and note Manrique's death: "They killed Count Manrique on the ninth day of the month of July in the Era
Spanish era
The Spanish era, Hispanic era or Caesar era refers to the dating system used in Hispania until the 14th century, when the Anno Domini system was adopted. It began with year one in what is 38 BC, probably the date of a new tax imposed by the Roman Republic on the subdued population of Iberia....
1202
Anno Domini
and Before Christ are designations used to label or number years used with the Julian and Gregorian calendars....
1164]." There is a charter in the Becerro mayor de Aguilar de Campoo (the main cartulary of the monastery of Santa María la Real de Aguilar) dated 21 June 1164, an earlier source than the Anales, that places the battle on 3 June:
. . .in the year this charter was written when Fernando Rodríguez with those of Toledo and of Huete fought with the count Don Manrique and this same count Don Manrique was killed, and many other Castilians [with him]. . . This charter was made on the fifth day of the week, the eleventh kalends of July [Thursday, 21 June]. Under the Era 1202 [AD 1164]. Fifteen and three days before this charter was made [3 June] Count Don Manrique and his knights were killed.
The cartulary copy of this charter is much later than 1164 and it is not improbable that its dating clause is in error.