After the decisive victory in Alarcos, the Almohad forces that allied with the Leonese and the Navarrese declared war on Castile and attacked many towns and laid a siege on Toledo.
| Almohad campaign against Castile | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Reconquista and Castilian-Leonese War of 1196-1197 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
.svg){kind=small} Kingdom of CastileSupported by  Crown of Aragon |
 Almohad CaliphateSupported by  Kingdom of León Kingdom of Navarre | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Alfonso VIII of Castile | Yaqub al-Mansur | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 5000 captured | Unknown | ||||||
Background
editThe Castilian field army had been destroyed.[1] The outcome of the battle shook the stability of the Kingdom of Castile for several years and all nearby castles surrendered or were abandoned: Malagón, Benavente, Calatrava la Vieja, Caracuel, and Torre de Guadalferza,[2] and the way to Toledo was wide open. The Almohads obtained an alliance with King Alfonso IX of León, who was angry with Alfonso VIII, who did not wait for him to fight the battle in Alarcos.[3][4][5]
Campaign
editThe Almohads who allied with the Navarrese and the Leonese, declared war on Castile which was supported by Aragon.[3][4][5] Yaqub then headed to the city of Toledo, who laid a great siege that lasted for 10 days but was unsuccessful. He then moved north and managed to capture Madrid, Guadalajara and Salamanca[6][7][8] It netted 5000 captured.[9]
References
edit- ^ Nolan 2006, p. 119.
- ^ De las Heras 2008, p. 125.
- ^ a b Flood 2018, p. 118.
- ^ a b Bianchini 2012, p. 273.
- ^ a b Dolan Gomez 2011, p. 71.
- ^ Rivero, Isabel (1982). Compendio de historia medieval española (in Spanish). Istmo. ISBN 978-84-7090-125-6.
- ^ Hasan, Masudul (1998). History of Islam: Classical period, 571-1258 C.E. Islamic Publications.
- ^ Romey, Louis Charles R. G. O. (1841). Histoire d'Espagne (in French).
- ^ Riu, Manuel (1988). Edad media (711-1500). Espasa-Calpe. ISBN 978-84-239-5092-8.