Battle of Badajoz (1134)
| Battle of Badajoz (1134) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Reconquista | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Almoravid dynasty |
 Kingdom of Castile | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Tashfin ibn Ali | Unknown | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | Thousands | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | Few survived | ||||||
The Battle of Badajoz was a military engagement between the Almoravids and the raiding party from Castile. The Castilians were soundly defeated.
Battle
[edit]The nobles of Salamanca, motivated by the victory of Rodrigo González de Lara over the Almoravids at the battle of al-Sharafe,[a] made the decision to raid the area around Badajoz.[1] They raised a sizable army with thousands of soldiers, including champions from Castile. As soon as they arrived, they started destroying everything, carrying out massacres, and capturing livestock and people.[2][3][4] When Tasfin bin Ali, the governor of Cordoba, learned of the raid, he organized his army to confront them.[5][6][7]
After leaving Seville, Tashfin sent his scouts to find the enemy and pursued them; they eventually met the Castilians east of Badajoz, close to the Sagrajas hills, where Tashfin's grandfather had defeated the Castilians. Tashfin started organizing his troops; he had Zenata berbers in the front, Andalusian forces on the flanks, and Almoravid troops in the center.[8][9]
Many of the nobility made the decision to flee the battlefield the night before the fight. The fight started early the following day. Following a fierce battle, the Castilians were soundly defeated. Only a small number of the Castilians survived the massacre.[10] The Almoravids took control of the Castilian camp, liberated the prisoners,[b] and took the previously taken loot.[11][12] March 1134 was the month of the battle.[13]
Aftermath
[edit]Tashfin returned to Cordoba victorious, then to Granada, where he was well received.[14][15] The Castilians attempted to raid Badajoz in October and June 1136, but both were defeated.[16]
Notes
[edit]- ^[a] al-Sharafe is located to the west of Seville.[17]
- ^[b] The Chronica Adefonsi Imperatoris claims that all prisoners were executed before the battle happened.[18]
References
[edit]- ^ Richard Fletcher and Simon Barton, p. 215–6.
- ^ Richard Fletcher and Simon Barton, p. 216
- ^ Muhammad Abdullah Enan, p. 136
- ^ Ibn 'Idhari, p. 73
- ^ Richard Fletcher and Simon Barton, p. 216
- ^ Muhammad Abdullah Enan, p. 136
- ^ Ibn 'Idhari, p. 73
- ^ Muhammad Abdullah Enan, p. 136
- ^ Ibn 'Idhari, p. 74
- ^ Richard Fletcher and Simon Barton, p. 216-7
- ^ Muhammad Abdullah Enan, p. 138
- ^ Ibn 'Idhari, p. 74
- ^ Richard Fletcher and Simon Barton, p. 217
- ^ Muhammad Abdullah Enan, p. 138
- ^ Ibn 'Idhari, p. 74
- ^ Richard Fletcher and Simon Barton, p. 217
- ^ Richard Fletcher and Simon Barton, p. 215
- ^ Richard Fletcher and Simon Barton, p. 216
Sources
[edit]- Richard Fletcher and Simon Barton, The World of El Cid, Chronicles of the Spanish Reconquest.[1]
- Muhammad Abdullah Enan, The State of Islam in Andalusia, Vol. III: The Era of Almoravids and Almohads, Part 1.[2]
- Ibn 'Idhari, Al-Bayan al-Mughrib, Vol III.[3]