• Source: Battle of Calatrava

The Battle of Calatrava was a military engagement between the Castilian and the Almohad army near Calatrava. The Almohads achieved a resounding victory against their enemy.




Battle


In March 1173, a Castilian army led by Count Sancho Jiminez left the city of Ávila and crossed the River of Guadalquivir. The Castilians attacked the suburbs of Écija then Cordoba. He ravaged the area and captured 50,000 sheep, 200 cows, and more than 150 Muslim prisoners. News of this raid reached Seville and an Almohad army was dispatched to face the Castilians led by Abu Zakariya Yahya alongside his brother, Abu Ibrahim Ismail, and Arab knights. The Almohads decided to chase and fight the Castilians even on their territory.
The Almohads dispatched scouts to watch the Castilian movements. The Castilians stopped at Caracuel close to Calatrava. The Castilians realized that if they did not abandon their loot, they would be overtaken by their enemy. However, the Castilians decided to fight and keep their loot. The Castilains were positioned on a wide plain but took refuge in a rugged mountain at the end of the plain. The Almohads rushed after them to the mountain and clashed with them in a fierce battle. Meanwhile, Sancho was watching from his tent the battle at the top of the mountain, encouraging his soldiers to fight.
It wasn't until noon that the Castilian ranks were decimated, resulting in a massacre of their troops. The Almohads reached the tent of Sancho, killing and decapitating him. The majority of the Castilian army was wiped out except for 200 men who managed to escape the massacre. The Muslims managed to recapture the lost loot and freed the prisoners. They also captured their weaponry and horses. The head of Sancho alongside many fallen comrades was sent to the Caliph in Seville on April 5.




Aftermath


The news of this victory reached Sevilla and celebrations were held and the victors were well greeted. The victory encouraged the Almohads to launch a successful raid with a force of 4,000 cavalry into Castile. The Christian rulers asked for a truce in July. The first was Count Nuno de Lara, governor of Toldeo, then Alfonso VIII of Castile, and Afonso I of Portugal.




References






Sources


Muhammad Abdullah Enan (1964), The State of Islam in Andalusia, Vol. III: The Era of Almoravids and Almohads, Part 2.[1]
Pascal Buresi (2004), La frontière entre chrétienté et Islam dans la pénisule Ibérique, du Tage à la Sierra Morena (fin XIe-milieu XIIIe siècle).[2]
Francisco García Fitz (2024), Las Navas de Tolosa, La batalla del castigo.[3]

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