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Battle of Almodóvar del Río

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Battle of Almodóvar del Río (1091)
Part of Reconquista
DateJune 1091
LocationAlmodóvar del Río
Result Almoravid victory
Belligerents
Almoravid dynasty Kingdom of Castile
Commanders and leaders
Ibrahim bin Ishaq Al-Lamtuni Álvar Fáñez (WIA)
Strength
Muslim sources:
10,000 men
Christian sources:
15,000 men		 Muslim sources:
20,000 knights
40,000 infantry
Christian sources:
2,500 knights
Casualties and losses
Heavy Heavy
Battles of the Almoravids
Battles in the Reconquista
8th century
9th century
10th century
11th century
12th century
13th century
14th century
15th century
Post-Reconquista Rebellions
North Africa

The battle of Almodóvar del Río was a military engagement between the Almoravids and the Castilian forces who attempted to relieve Seville. The Castilians were defeated and routed.

History

In May 1091, the Almoravids, led by Syr ibn Abi Bakr besieged the city of Seville which was ruled by the Taifa king, Al-Mu'tamid ibn Abbad. The Almoravids besieged it for a month. Al-Mu'tamid prepared for defense of the city and called help from the Castilian-Leonese king, Alfonso VI. Alfonso was stunned at the Almoravid invasion, and both of them had one goal: to stop the Almoravid invasion. Around June, Alfonso immediately dispatched one of his great generals, Álvar Fáñez, to assist Al-Mu'tamid.

Muslim accounts state that the Castilian force had a force of 20,000 cavalry and 40,000 infantry, while Christian sources state that it only consisted of 2,500 knights. The Almoravid general, realizing what was happening, dispatched a force of 10,000 men led by Ibrahim bin Ishaq Al-Lamtuni, which the Christian chronicles state had 15,000 men. Both sides met at the site of Almodóvar del Río. A fierce battle ensued, and both sides sustained heavy losses. The battle ended in Almoravid victory and the route of the Casilitans. Álvar Fáñez was wounded during the battle and retreated from the battlefield to Toledo.

The battled buried any hopes to save Al-Mu'tamid and Seville, which would fall in September.

References

  1. Muhammad Abdullah Enan, p. 350
  2. Decio Martins de Medeiros, p. 64
  3. Muhammad Abdullah Enan, p. 350
  4. Antonio Gómez Cayuelas
  5. Muhammad Abdullah Enan, p. 350-351
  6. Antonio Gómez Cayuelas
  7. Muhammad Abdullah Enan, p. 351-352
  8. Antonio Gómez Cayuelas

Sources

  • Muhammad Abdullah Enan (1960), The State of Islam in Andalusia, Vol. II: The Taifa states.
  • Decio Martins de Medeiros (2024), El Cid, Illustrated Edition.
  • Antonio Gómez Cayuelas (2021), El Cid. La forja y el milagro.
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