BATTLES AGAINST ALMORAVIDS

Battles against Almoravids

The Almorhavids or Murabits were a sect of fundamentalist Islam that started in Mauritania in the early 11th century. By 1080 their empire stretched from Ghana (in the African gulf of Guinea) to Spain. A major figure in the empire's history is Yusuf ibn Tashfin, who conquered Morocco and founded the city of Marrakesh in 1062. In fact, there were really two Almoravid empires; one founded by Abu Bakr in the Sahara and Sahel, and the other by Yusuf in the north. Alarmed by the conquests of Alfonso VI (specially the one of Toledo, in 1085), the high taxes they had to pay to Christians for their own protection, and the new politics of religious intolerance, coming with French monks, the kings of Seville (Al-Mutamid) and Badajoz (Al-Mutawakkil) asked Yusuf for help. As answer, a Murabit army landed at Algeciras on July 30, 1086, starting the Almoravid intervention in Spain.

Almoravids introduced a new warfare way in Spain. Until this moment, the tactics of the combatants were simple, straightforward, and traditional. Christians relying on the superiority of their heavy cavalry, and Muslims hiring Christian mercenaries to fight them, or trying to surround them. Only Rodrigo Diaz, El Cid, had essaid some tactic improvements. Almoravids had a more developped organization, relying on the use of flag and battle drums to transmit orders during the battles, allowing them a more flexible movements.

Sagrajas/Zalaca (23th october 1086). Faced with a new threat, Alfonso chose to seize the initiative, and marched to front the Following Reilly, the essential component of his army was its heavy cavalryof about 750 horsemen with another 750 more lightly armed ones. He launched the traditional frontal cavalry assault designed to break and scatter the enemy. After some initial success against the Andalusian formations, he found himself unable to follow up with a decisive breakthrough. Fighting must have become general all along the front for Yusuf was now able to execute a flanking movement and to overrun the Christian camp. That success was more psychological than material, but Alfonso must have seen that he lacked sufficient forces to break the enemy ranks and that to continue the attempt would be to invite envelopment and complete disaster. He did manage to cut his way free to a line of retreat but a running fight then developed, which probably continued until nightfall with some intensity, for the open terrain offered no good place for a temporary stand to discourage pursuit. Abd Allah indicates that most of the Christian casualties occurred during this retreat, as might be expected. He also indicates the duration of the action indirectly when he comments on those who died simply of exhaustion from the weight of their armor.(5) Nevertheless, Alfonso was able to break off contact under the cover of night and to reach Coria, some 125 kilometers to the northeast, probably about October 25, 1086. e entered to Spain and defeated defeat the Castilian-Leonese armies at the battle of . Nevertheless, the opposition of Moslem countries of Spain (who started to consider him more dangerous than Alfonso) and the dead of his son ( that made him to return to Africa) prevented him to take profit of his victory. Later, the Almoravids returned to Spain, starting the conquest of the Moslem kingdoms, before attacking Christian ones. A Castilian army, leaded by Alvar Fáñez, went to help the Moslem states, but was defeated at Almodóvar del Río (1091). Later, they tried to recover the cities of Toledo and Valencia, the nephew of Yusuf, Muhammad, being sent to the second one.

Cuarte (14-10-1094). A hugh Almoravid army, attacked the state of Valencia. The army of Rodrigo (much more tiny than the Almoravid one) goes out from the city and defeat Muhammad, who didn't hope Rodrigo to attack the first: that was the first time that Almoravids (considered until this moment as invincible) were defeated.

Bairén (1097). 1097 was almost a disastrous year for Christians. The almoravids (Muhammad ben AlHach) attack again Christian Spain, and defeat in Consuegra. (August 15th) the Castilian-Leonese armies of Alfonso VI, dying in the battle the son of El Cid, Diego Rodríguez. A few days later, a new castilian army, under Alvar Fáñez is also defeated between Cuenca & Zorita. Almoravids seem unstopable, and decide to attack again Valencia, but this confidence is going to be their perdition: Rodrigo Díaz and his ally, Pedro I of Aragón attack the first in Bairén, and find them again unprepared.

Consequences. Those battles only managed partially to stop the Almoravids: they still defeated Christians again at Uclés (1108, where the heir of Castile, Sancho, also died), and conquered the cities of Consuegra, Cuenca, Ocaña and Hueste. After the death of Rodrigo Díaz, they attacked again Valencia, and, in spite of the help of Alfonso VI, who managed to end the battle of Cullera in a draw, the city had to be abandoned by Christians. Nevertheless, they had spent their best moment, and Toledo remained under Christian hands. The Almoravid domination over moslem Spain remained until 1145 (only the kingdom of Zaragoza remained independent for a while), but the threat towards Christian Spain had ended. Almoravid domination was a period of artistical renaisance, but also of religious intolerance: Jews were expelled towards the Christian Kingdoms, and many Mozarabics (Christians who lived at Moslem countries) had to follow them.

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