Juan Fernandez de Andeiro

Juan Fernandez de Andeiro (* 1320  in Coruña, Andeiro-Cambre; † December 6, 1383  in Lisbon ), also known as João Fernandes (de) Andeiro, was a  nobleman  from  Galicia who was  born in the  Kingdom of Galicia and who lived there  immigrated to the  Kingdom of Portugal with the intention of  avenging the  fratricide  of King  Henry II of Castile on King  Peter I of Castile . He had a very important role in the political events in Portugal in the last quarter of the 14th century. He later became known as the Count of Andeiro.

biography

It is possible that he was the son of Jonathan Rodrigues Andeiro, who gave  Ferdinand I of Portugal on October 17, 1374 all the possessions of the  bread  and  wine that had in Moita Pedro Capilla, notary  of  Atouguia .

He fought in the First Castilian Civil War, in which the half-brothers Heinrich von Trastámara and Peter I "the Cruel" fought for the throne of Castile . He was on the side of Peter I. After the victory of Henry, who later became known as Henry II, and the death of Peter I, which was committed by Henry, Juan Fernandez de Andeiro fled with other supporters of Peter I of Castile in the direction Portugal to avenge Peter I from there. He encouraged Ferdinand I to wage war against Heinrich in the hope of being able to overthrow him from the throne and thus achieve his goal. This war then became known as the First Ferdinandine War . For his actions he was named Count of Ourém.

After the war he was the liaison between John of Gaunt , the Duke of Lancaster and son of Henry III of England , and Ferdinand I between 1371 and 1381. As such he also contributed to the last two Ferdinandic Wars by participating in the Formation of the relevant alliances between Portugal and England that led to these wars. In this capacity he also became, over time, the leader of the Peter sympathizers.

Death of Count Andeiro ( Museu Nacional de Soares dos Reis , Porto)

During this time, thanks to these contacts, he became the lover of the Queen of Portugal, Leonore Teles de Meneses . She made him her favorite over time because of this relationship, which further increased his power but also provoked the anger of many. As such, he later arranged the Treaty of Badajoz as a mediator in the spring of 1383 , which finally ended the last Ferdinandic War. His role in this treaty, in which many saw him as an annexation of Portugal by Castile, only increased the anger in Portugal against him.

After Ferdinand I's death on October 22, 1383, the relationship between Andeiro and the Queen became public when the Queen, who was now regent, ruled with him. That, the pro-Castilian attitude of the Queen and her lover and the desire to preserve the independence of Portugal, which was endangered by Castile after the death of King Ferdinand I of Portugal, led to the Portuguese Revolution of 1383 , which ended in 1383 against the regent started. In this successful armed uprising against the rulers, the master of Avis, half-brother of Ferdinand I and future John I of Portugal , took power with the help of his followers. They also penetrated the queen's palace, where Johann von Avis personally murdered the count himself, while the queen was later exiled. Before going into exile in Castile, she buried the Count of Ourém in St. Martin's Church. The movement of the Peter sympathizers died with him.

When she arrived in Castile, she asked John I of Castile for help with what had happened and for revenge for the murder of Fernandez de Andeiro. John I, who saw his claim to the Portuguese throne threatened, consented and tried to conquer Portugal with the help of his troops. In 1385 his project ended with his crushing defeat in the Battle of Aljubarrota and John of Avis was finally able to establish himself as John I, King of Portugal, throughout Portugal.

Count Juan Fernandez de Andeiro was married to Mayor Fernandez de Moscoso, widow of the Galician knight Fernán Becerra. Both had a son and four daughters together.

See also

• First Castilian Civil War
• Ferdinandic Wars
• Portuguese Revolution of 1383

bibliography

• McMurdo, Edward (1888) "The history of Portugal". Volume 2. (English) .
• Olivera Serrano, César (2005). Beatrice de Portugal. La pugna dinástica Avís-Trastámara. CSIC. ISBN 9788400083434 . (Spanish) .
• Schäfer, Heinrich (1836). History of Portugal. Part 1.
• Schäfer, Heinrich (1839). History of Portugal. Volume 2.