| Siege of Valencia (1101–1102) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Reconquista | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
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Lordship of Valencia Kingdom of Castile | Almoravid dynasty | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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Jimena Díaz Alfonso VI of León and Castile | Al-Mazdali | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||||
| Battles of the Almoravids | |
|---|---|
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The siege of Valencia was fought between the Almoravids and the Lordship of Valencia. Valencia was defended by El Cid's widow, Jimena Díaz. After months of siege, the Almoravids occupied the city.
History
In 1099, the Castilian warrior, El Cid, passed away in Valencia. His widow, Jimena Díaz, took control of Valencia. The Almoravid leader, Yusuf ibn Tashfin, determined to recapture the city of Valencia. In late August 1101, Yusuf dispatched a Berber general, Al-Mazdali, an experienced general, to besiege Valencia with a large army. The Almoravids began the siege. As the siege continued. Jimena dispatched Bishop Jironemo to the Castilian-Leonese king, Alfonso VI.
Alfonso agreed to help, and in March 1102, the king was marching towards Valencia with a strong army. The Almoravids did not wait for their arrival and retreated towards Cullera. The Castilians saw this as weakness from the Moors and decided to follow them. A battle ensued, which ended inconclusively with Alfonso retreating from the field. Alfonso then decided to evacuate Valencia, which was deemed hard to protect as it had no capable commander like El Cid to protect.
In late April or early May, the Castilian made preparations to evacuate Valencia. They carried cattle, weaponry, housegoods, spoils of war, and most importantly, El Cid's body. The Castilians burned down the city. Almoravids watched the smoke arise from the city and did not attempt to stop the retreating Castilians. On May 5, the Almoravids entered Valencia, ending the Lordship of Valencia.
References
- ^ Fletcher 1991, p. 186.
- ^ Sanz 2003, p. 43.
- ^ Morales y Durán 2023, p. 141.
Sources
- Fletcher, Richard A. (1991). The Quest for El Cid. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-506955-6.
- Sanz, Vicente Coscollá (2003). La Valencia musulmana. Carena Editors, S.l. ISBN 978-84-87398-75-9.
- Morales y Durán, Tomás (2023). Teresa of Jesus: The Putrid Odor of Holiness. Libros de Verdad. ISBN 979-8-3922-8149-7.