Editing Charles II of Navarre (section)

===Charles and the Spanish Wars (1365–1368)===
The cessation of war in France left vast numbers of French, English, Gascon and Navarrese soldiers and freebooters in search of mercenary employment, and many of these soon became involved in the wars of [[Kingdom of Castile|Castille]] and [[Aragon]], both of which bordered Navarre. Charles typically tried to exploit the situation by making agreements with both sides that would enlarge his territory while leaving Navarre itself relatively untouched. Officially he was ally of [[Peter of Castile]], but at the end of 1365 he concluded a secret agreement with [[Peter IV of Aragon]] to allow the marauding army led by [[Bertrand du Guesclin]] and [[Hugh Calveley]] to invade Castile through southern Navarre in order to depose Pedro I and supplant him with his half-brother [[Henry II of Castile|Henry of Trastámara]]. He then reneged on his agreements to both sides and attempted to hold the Navarrese borders intact, but was unable to do so and instead paid the invaders a large sum to keep their plundering to a minimum.

After [[Henry of Trastámara]] successfully seized the throne of Castile, Pedro I fled to the court of the Black Prince in Aquitaine, who began to plot his restoration by sending an army across the Pyrenees. In July 1366 Charles himself came to Bordeaux to consult with Pedro I and the Prince and agreed to keep the mountain passes of Navarre open for the passage of the army, for which he would be rewarded with the Castilian provinces of [[Guipúzcoa]] and [[Álava]] as well as additional fortresses and a large cash payment. Then in December he met Henry of Trastámara on the Navarrese border and promised instead to hold the passes closed, in return for the border town of [[Logroño]] and more cash. Hearing of this the Black Prince ordered Hugh Calveley to invade Navarre from northern Castile and enforce the original agreement. Charles at once capitulated, claiming he had never been sincere in his dealings with Henry, and opened the passes to the Prince's army. Charles accompanied them on their journey but, not wanting to take part in the campaign personally, got [[Olivier de Mauny]] to stage an ambush in which Charles was 'captured' and held until the reconquest of Castile was over. The ruse was so transparent it made Charles a laughing-stock in Western Europe.{{sfn|Sumption|1999|pp=545, 548–549}}