Hi my name is Kevin Hicks welcome to my YouTube channel the History Squad. Now today's video is
a continuation of our 100 Years War series The Battle of Najera or Nagera if you're English.
Now this is a complete series that we’re doing, the Hundred Years War, so if you've missed any
of the episodes or you've not seen any there is a link to the playlist in the description here.
Now the Battle of Najera, 3rd of April 1367. It's really a battle with English, German, French,
Spanish mercenaries all jumbled up, it's a heck of a battle but it should never have taken place. You
see although this is part of the Hundred Years War as we know it, and I hate this, the Hundred Years
War, that was only coined in the 19th century by historians. This is actually a war between Edward
of England and John King of France and it's over. There is a peace. The Treaty of Bretigny, uh 1360
it was signed and it gives Edward III what he was looking for all the time. His autonomous rule over
his own lands in France, he no longer has to pay homage, kneel down with his sword to the King of
France. That is done, the treaty signed, there is peace. England is thriving, France can now recover
because it's been going through hell, now it can recover. Unfortunately though John the Good,
King of France, John II dies and it's sad, because while he was in captivity in England,
Edward III and he got on like a house on fire, they became friends. So this is a really good
treaty, although it leans a little bit better for the English, it is a treaty and there is peace and
then John unfortunately, John the good dies, his son Charles V takes over and this is where it goes
awry. It’s always the next lot isn't it? The next king, the next prince, they've always got to make
their mark. And it's sad because now Castile, this Kingdom of Northern uh Spain has a navy and it's
an incredibly powerful navy, far more powerful than anything the French have got and anything the
English have got and what Charles V of France has an eye on, is becoming friends with this Kingdom
of Castile and therefore having their navy on his side. Why didn't he just leave it alone,
because what happens now it's a disaster really and it will lead to so many decades of war.
So before we go into this I need to introduce you to the players in our game here because it's quite
complicated. So here is Pedro, Pedro the first of Castile he's the King of Castile he is favored
and supported by Edward III of England. So I'm going to move him down here a little bit and uh
Henry Trastamars, he becomes Henry the second of Castile when he usurps Pedro with the help
of Bertrand du Guesclin, the Constable of France who is supported of course by Charles V of France.
So Edward III now takes the side of Pedro but they're not going to be engaged in fighting the
French direct and he sends his son Edward Prince of Wales to put Pedro back on the throne. Straight
forward isn't it, but there's one problem for Edward Prince of Wales who is commonly known
nowadays as the Black Prince, he's going to take his army over the Pyrenees mountain range which
is in the territory of Navarre. He's got to go through the pass of Roncesvalles. Now the French
have already got a treaty in place with Charles II of Navarre to block the pass so the English
cannot pass through. So the Prince of Wales sends an invading Army, just a small force, into Navarre
to remind them that they best open their pass or he’ll easily invade their country. The pass is
opened, Edward's army crosses the Pyrenees. This is interesting because some of these routes that
are being taken were taken time and time again during the Napoleonic Wars by English armies,
so this is this is quite something. Now Edward, having crossed the Pyrenees,
enters the Kingdom of Castile. He crosses the river Ebro at Logroño and heads straight
for the village of Navarrete. This is going straight towards the usurper's army. Henry,
he's got a big problem because he's been warned by the King of France, Charles V,
don't have a head-on battle with the English. But the English are coming straight for him, he cannot
avoid battle. Now he has a strong card, he has Bertrand du Guesclin, the Constable of France's
army with him so he's got quite a backbone there, the rest of his army mercenaries and locals too.
So he's going to make a stand and I've actually made a model just to explain what happens,
because as the English come towards him he forms his army into battle ready to receive the English.
There are two big hills, so the English are going to come through the pass if you like and then the
English don't. Edward Prince of Wales performs the most brilliant maneuver, he actually turns
his entire army in battle formation to the right and they go round one of the hills, out flanking
Henry's army. They're going to hit them in the left. So Henry has to maneuver his army round to
the left. He succeeds with the first part of his army and the second part of the army is in chaos,
and I've made a model to show you the right flank of what happens to Henry's army.
Now, Edward's army supporting Pedro had anything up to 7,000 men they were facing Henry with du
Guesclin’s army of around 6,000 men. So all I've done with my model trying to explain this very
complicated battle is we have the one hill here, and then further back would have been another
hill. The English would have approached down this way but the Prince does that incredible
maneuver where he turns his army to his right and he comes around the hill so this is the
English army here this is on their extreme left flank. Obviously I can't do the entire battle.
Meanwhile the second wave of Henry's cavalry charge, but he doesn't look behind him. As
they've done the maneuver to turn to face the English, the rear part of his army is in chaos,
they haven't done it at all well and many of them now, and I've shown it, simply run away.
They run all the way around the hill and they join the back of Edwards or Pedro's army if you like.
They've changed sides. Meanwhile the cavalry come in. The cavalry have been warned by du Guesclin,
don't charge on horse, the bowmen will cut you to pieces but they ignored him, these arrogant
knights, it's beneath us to fight on foot, so they charge. Both types of cavalry, heavily armored
horses as well as the light cavalry with no armor and they literally were cut to pieces and as they
clash in, at first success they push the English center back, but then the bowmen begin to wreak
havoc shooting straight into those poor horses. Many of the wounded horses now charge back,
smashing into the charging cavalry. There is chaos and absolute slaughter. Eventually those
that can escape simply ride off the battlefield this leaves du Guesclin out with the second wave
alone, there's nobody to back him up. The English army now is free on both flanks, both wings,
to simply surround him and annihilate his force. Du Guesclin himself is captured but his force is
pretty much annihilated. What the Prince of Wales does now, he doesn't sit on his laurels, he sends
his light cavalry to pursue those who've left the battlefield and they catch thousands of them.
Henry's army if you like is pretty much slaughtered. Now I've heard one quote that
this was a more prestigious victory for Edward Prince of Wales than the Battle of Poitiers,
so it shows you is this major defeat that was inflicted on Henry's army, but Henry
escapes. He does that wonderful thing, he gets back to where his squire is holding a
particular kind of horse, a courser, he gets on it and escapes through to France, and it's here
that Edward Prince of Wales, on learning that Henry's escaped says that ‘oh it's a failure then,
it's all to nothing’. They needed to capture Henry, put him down. This entire campaign had
cost Edward Prince of Wales a fortune. Now Pedro once he's put back on the throne, he's supposed
to pay back this enormous debt but he reneges on the agreement, this Pedro the cruel. He wanted
to kill every one of the prisoners including du Guesclin, but the Prince of Wales stopped him.
He did apparently execute some, even one with by his own sword but du Guesclin was saved by
Edward Prince of Wales, which I think was a bit of a mistake because du Guesclin, what a soldier!
We'll learn more about him in, in other films. Now what happens in the aftermath Edward goes back
to his holdings in France and he's got to impose some terrible, terrible taxes on his people to pay
the soldiers, to pay for this campaign, and they now complain, and they turn to the King of France
and he steps in. Oh my goodness me he should not have done. This was an English business,
in their own holdings in France. Meanwhile, Edward Prince of Wales falls ill, he has dysentery.
Well I hope you enjoyed my video. I will tell you now, it did my head in. This is such a
complicated campaign battle, the whole business, so with my model I've tried to simplify it for us
and if you did enjoy it, well like, share and subscribe and don't forget to turn on the all
notification button so you know what's coming on down the line. And finally a quick shout
out to my Patreon members Michael Briggs, Joe Noukens and Ian Tomlinson, thanks a million guys.