Battle of Alarcos
| date | July 19, 1195 |
|---|---|
| place | at Ciudad Real |
| output | Victory of the Moors |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| unknown | unknown |
| losses | |
|
unknown |
unknown |
On July 19, 1195, in the Battle of Alarcos, the Almohads under Yaʿqūb al-Mansūr defeated the Christian army of Castile under Alfonso the Noble together with the Merinids .
prehistory
In 1190, the Almohad caliph Yaqub al-Mansur forced an armistice on the Christian kings of Castile and Leon after repulsing their attacks on Muslim territory in Spain. When the armistice expired in 1194, Alfonso VIII invaded al-Andalus again while Yaqub was in his North African capital Marrakech . Yaqub then hurried back to Spain, where he met the Christian army on the Guadiana River on a hill near Alarcos Castle (Arabic: al-Arak ) near today's city of Ciudad Real .
The battle
The battle began with the attack of the Castilians, who surprised the Muslim vanguard. However, Alfons apparently underestimated the size of the Muslim army. Yaqub's light cavalry encircled the flanks of the opposing army, overpowered its rearguard and then struck the Christians in the rear. This tactic caught the Castilians completely by surprise and led to their complete defeat.
Alfonso and the remnants of his army fled to Toledo and Alarcos, while Yaqub returned to Seville.
consequences
In the following years, Alfonso VIII, although the king of Aragon supported him, no longer surrendered to the fight against Yaqub al-Mansur, while he was plundering through his lands.
However, the battle was the last great victory of the Arabs on the Iberian Peninsula, which could no longer stop the Reconquista . In 1212 Alfonso VIII defeated the Almohads in the battle of Las Navas de Tolosa , whereupon their empire collapsed.
Web links
- Alarcos Archaeological Park (Spanish)
- Encyclopædia Britannica Online (English)