Outcomes of The Battle
Mistrusted by King Afonso V and the Duke of Braganza's sons as a member of the House of Aviz, and mistrusted by his dead brother's friends who never accepted his betrayal (and rejected by his old sister Isabella, in Burgundy), Henry retreated to his land in Sagres, the southernmost and westernmost tip of Portugal - and Europe. There, living a secluded and religious life, he concentrated his efforts on the sailing expeditions of his men, becoming worldly renowned as discoverer of never before seen oceans and coasts (Madeira, Azores, the African coast to Guinea, and after his death Cape Hope, India, Japan, Canada, Brasil, etc.).
Afonso V ignored the travels of his uncle and immersed himself in the battles of Castile, trying to take the throne to himself, but was defeated in the Battle of Toro by Queen Isabella the Catholic and King Fernando of Aragon. He died leaving Portugal on the brink of bankruptcy.
Afonso's son, John II, turned his back on Castile and saw an opportunity on the ocean discoveries and expanded them, making Portugal the first intercontinental empire and becoming the most powerful King in medieval History.
Read more about this topic: Battle Of Alfarrobeira
Famous quotes containing the word battle:
“Up from the South at break of day,
Bringing to Winchester fresh dismay,
The affrighted air with a shudder bore,
Like a herald in haste, to the chieftain’s door,
The terrible grumble, and rumble, and roar,
Telling the battle was on once more,
And Sheridan twenty miles away.”
—Thomas Buchanan Read (1822–1872)