Aljubarrota: Portugal saves itself from Castile

August 1385

John of Aviz, with English longbowmen and Portuguese spearmen, met the Castilian invasion on a ridge between Lisbon and Coimbra. The Castilian cavalry, charging uphill into entrenched archers, was destroyed in a battle lasting less than an hour. John was acclaimed king. Portugal kept its independence and would soon launch its Atlantic exploration under his sons.