Battle of Huete

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.

...
Wikipedia