Battle of Martos
Battle of Martos | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Part of the Spanish Reconquista | |||||||
The Nasrid Kingdom of Granada | |||||||
| |||||||
Belligerents | |||||||
Crown of Castile | Marinid sultanate Kingdom of Granada | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Sancho of Aragon, Archbishop of Toledo † | Abenjor Atalì Uzmén | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
(Unknown) | (Unknown) | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
(Very large) | (Unknown) |
- v
- t
- e
- 8th century
- Covadonga
- 1st Roncevaux Pass
- Burbia River
- Orbieu River
- Lutos
- Las Babias
- Río Quirós
- Oviedo
- 1st Lisbon
- 9th century
- 1st Barcelona
- 1st Tortosa
- Pancorbo
- 2nd Roncevaux Pass
- Clavijo
- Albelda
- Guadalacete
- Monte Laturce
- Morcuera
- Polvoraria
- 1st Cellorigo
- 2nd Cellorigo
- 2nd Barcelona
- 10th century
- Day of Zamora
- 1st Majorca
- Pallars and Ribagorza
- 1st San Esteban de Gormaz
- 2nd San Esteban de Gormaz
- Valdejunquera
- 1st Toledo
- Alhandic
- Simancas
- Estercuel
- Torrevicente
- Rueda
- 3rd Barcelona
- 11th century
- Cervera
- Calatañazor
- Torà
- Albesa
- Aqbat al-Bakr
- Graus
- Coimbra
- Barbastro
- Paterna
- Llantada
- Golpejera
- Cabra
- Piedra Pisada
- Morella
- 2nd Toledo
- 1st Zaragoza
- Sagrajas
- Tudela
- Tévar
- 3rd Toledo
- Almodóvar del Río
- 1st Valencia
- 2nd Lisbon
- Alcoraz
- Bairén
- Consuegra
- 4th Toledo
- 5th Toledo
- 12th century
- 2nd Valencia
- Mollerussa
- Balaguer
- Uclés
- Norwegian raid
- 3rd Lisbon
- Talavera
- Formentera
- Ibiza
- 1st Balearic Islands
- 6th Toledo
- Candespina
- Vatalandi
- 1st Santarém
- 2nd Balearic Islands
- Martorell
- Coimbra
- 2nd Zaragoza
- Cutanda
- 1st Lleida
- 1st Granada
- Corbins
- Alcalá
- 3rd Valencia
- Aceca
- 1st Badajoz
- Fraga
- Leiria
- 1st Coria
- Ourique
- Oreja
- Trancoso
- 2nd Coria
- 4th Lisbon
- 1st Montiel
- Soure
- Albacete
- 1st Almería
- Al-Ludjdj
- 2nd Santarém
- Sacavém
- 5th Lisbon
- Sacavém
- 2nd Tortosa
- 2nd Lleida
- 2nd Almería
- 1st Alcácer do Sal
- Palmela
- 1st Évora
- 2nd Badajoz
- Juromenha
- 3rd Santarém
- Central Iberia
- Tarragona
- Cuenca
- Calatrava
- 2nd Seville
- Abrantes
- 2nd Évora
- 4th Santarém
- Alvor
- 1st Silves
- 2nd Silves
- Tomar
- 2nd Alcácer do Sal
- 2nd Silves
- Alarcos
- Talamanca
- 13th century
- Al-Dāmūs
- Las Navas de Tolosa
- 3rd Alcácer do Sal
- 1st Jaén
- Peníscola
- Aragonese raid
- 2nd Majorca
- 2nd Jaén
- 1st Jerez
- Ares
- Burriana
- Córdoba
- El Puig
- 4th Valencia
- Algarve
- 1st Xàtiva
- 2nd Xàtiva
- Biar
- 3rd Jaén
- 3rd Seville
- Faro
- 2nd Jerez
- Mudéjar revolt
- 3rd Jerez
- 1st Murcia
- Écija
- Martos
- Andalusia
- 1st Algeciras
- 2nd Algeciras
- Moclín
- Iznalloz
- 14th century
- 1st Gibraltar
- 3rd Algeciras
- 3rd Almería
- 2nd Gibraltar
- Vega de Granada
- Shepherds' Crusade
- Teba
- 3rd Gibraltar
- 4th Gibraltar
- Vega de Pagana
- Getares
- Río Salado
- Estepona
- Guadalmesí
- 4th Algeciras
- 5th Gibraltar
- Linuesa
- Guadix
- 2nd Montiel
- 5th Algeciras
- 2nd Murcia
- 15th century
- Collejares
- Antequera
- 6th Gibraltar
- La Higueruela
- 7th Gibraltar
- Los Alporchones
- 8th Gibraltar
- 9th Gibraltar
- 2nd Granada campaign
- Lucena
- Málaga
- Post-Reconquista Rebellions
- 1st Alpujarras
- 2nd Alpujarras
- North Africa
The Battle of Martos was a minor battle of the Spanish Reconquista fought between Martos and Torredonjimeno in Andalusia in 1275. The battle was fought between the troops of the Kingdom of Granada and those of the Crown of Castile. The Castilian force was completely destroyed as a result of the battle.[1] There is some confusion in the dates since different authors report different dates. Zurita, for example, reports that the events described here took place between May and August;[2] the more modern authors, however, put them between September and October.[3]
Historical context
In the early 1270s the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada used to pay parias to the powerful Christian Crown of Castile. In 1273 King Alfonso X of Castile raised the tribute to the huge sum of 300,000 maravedis and this was deemed unacceptable by King Muhammad II of Granada, who resolved to ask for help to the Marinid, Abu Yusuf Yaqub ibn Abd Al-Haqq.[4] This one took immediately the opportunity and in summer 1275 crossed the Gibraltar strait with a large army which, together with the Granadine troops, attacked the Castilian territory. King Alfonso X at the time was away from Spain and his son and heir, infante Ferdinand, was regent of the kingdom. Ferdinand rushed to raise troops but unexpectedly died in Villa Real (August 1275).[5] The country was leaderless and the Moors had the upper hand in the south. In September the adelantado mayor de Andalucia, Nuño González de Lara, tried to stop them but was defeated and killed in the battle of Écija.[6] The young Archbishop of Toledo, infante Sancho of Aragon, put himself at the head of a force of knights from Toledo, Madrid, Guadalajara and Talavera and marched south to intercept the invaders.[7] Another relief force was marching towards Jaén under Lope Díaz de Haro.[8]
Battle
The Castilian were staying in Torre del Campo when Archbishop Sancho received news from Fra' Alfonso Garcia, Commendator of Martos of the Order of Calatrava, that a Moorish force was close full of booty and Christian prisoners. He was advised by his own men to wait to be reached by the forces of Lope Diaz de Haro before attacking but the headstrong young Sancho resolved to attack immediately nonetheless.[9][10] The fight probably took place near Torredonjimeno. The outnumbered Castilians were cut to pieces and few knights succeeded to escape, most being killed or taken prisoners. The Archbishop Sancho met a very ugly death. He was taken prisoner but, being recognized as a hostage of great importance (he was the son of King James I of Aragon), Granadine and Marinids officials started to argue about whom he belonged to. In order to cut short the dispute the Granadine arraez (governor) of Málaga killed the infante, beheaded him and cut his hand with the episcopal rings. The head was given to the Marinids and the hand to the Granadines.[11]
Aftermath
Lope Diaz de Haro succeeded to recover the archbishop's body but did not chase the Moors. Later on Castile was relieved by the second son of King Alfonso X, infante Sancho, who came back from France and took the lead, organizing a swift defense of the southern territory.[12] Aragon attacked Granada in the south-east.[13] Sultan Abu Yusuf Yaqub ibn Abd Al-Haqq at this point went back to Magreb and a truce between Castile and Granada went into place "de facto". These events were the beginnings of the so-called Battle of the Strait between Castile and the Moroccans which lasted into the 1350s.[14]
References
- ^ Zurita, p.377
- ^ Zurita, p.376
- ^ Suárez Fernández, Vol.2, p.174
- ^ Suárez Fernández, Vol.2, p.173
- ^ Suárez Fernández, Vol.2, p.174
- ^ Suárez Fernández, Vol.2, p.174
- ^ Zurita, p.376
- ^ Zurita, p.377
- ^ Abarca, p.290
- ^ Zurita, p.377
- ^ Abarca, p.290
- ^ Suárez Fernández, Vol.2, p.175
- ^ Abarca, p.291
- ^ Ladero Quesada, p.137-142
External links
- Francisco Miguel Merino Laguna. "Fuente de Don Sancho".
Bibliography
- Abarca, Pedro (1682). Los Reyes de Aragón en anales históricos, Primera parte. Imprenta Imperial, Madrid.
- Ladero Queisada, Miguel Ángel (1989). Granada. Historia de un país islámico. Editorial Gredos, Madrid.
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- Suárez Fernández, Luis (1975). Historia de España Antigua y Media (2 vols.). Ediciones Rialp, Madrid.
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: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
- Zurita, Jerónimo (1562–1580). Anales de Aragón (PDF) (1ª ed.). Institución Fernando el Católico, Zaragoza, 2005.