• Source: Siege of Silves (1191)

The siege of Silves in 1191 was a successful operation by the Almohads to recapture the city of Silves from the Portuguese whom they held from 1189.




Background



In 1189, the Christians of Castile and Portugal took advantage of the internal turmoil happening in Al-Andalus and launched attacks into Muslim territory. The Portuguese king, Sancho, convinced a Crusader fleet that arrived in Lisbon in July 1189 to assist him in his attack against Silves. Sancho and the Crusaders marched south while the Crusader fleet sailed plundering the outskirts of Silves. The combined Christian armies captured Silves on September 1. The Almohad response came on June 5, 1190. They besieged the city, but Silves resisted against a strong siege, forcing the Almohads to raise the siege and retreat.
In the summer of 1190, the Almohads made a truce with Castile and Leon, allowing them to retaliate against Portugal. After wintering in Seville, the Almohads launched another campaign. The Almohads successfully captured Alcácer do Sal. They also captured Castle of Palmela and Almada. Now they headed towards their main target, Silves.




Siege


The Almohads arrived in Silves on 27 June 1191. They surrounded the city with strong forces, began filling the trenches that surrounded it, and erected trebuchets which they used to bombard the walls severely. After 13 days of siege and bombardment, at the dawn of night, the Almohads were awake, watching for any chance to capture the city. The garrison and the inhabitants were tired and sleepy. They did not expect any assault by them during this time. On the contrary, seeing the garrison was at rest, one of the Almohad guides came forward from the walls and told them of a gap that could allow them to enter. Seeing their chance, the guide was followed by a group of men. They began raising their banners on the walls and beating the drums, the Almohads then assaulted the city and the garrison woke up only after the Muslims took control of the city. They began massacring the Portuguese. The shocked survivors retreated to Kasbah where they were besieged. The Portuguese capitulated on 23 July. The Portuguese were allowed to send a message to the king asking him for permission to surrender which the king accepted. The Almohad Caliph gave them 10 days to evacuate Silves.
The Christian accounts do not provide many details regarding the siege, it mentions that the Almohads bombarded the walls non-stop until the garrison surrendered and were allowed to leave with their properties. The campaign in Silves resulted in the capture of 3,000 slaves.




Aftermath


The reconquest of Silves by the Almohads marked the end of their campaign against Portugal. The victory pushed the frontier back to the Tagus River, except for Évora.




References






Sources


Muhammad Abdullah Enan (1964), The State of Islam in Andalusia, Vol. III: The Era of Almoravids and Almohads, Part 2. (In Arabic) [2]
Timothy M. Flood (2018), Rulers and Realms in Medieval Iberia, 711-1492.[3]
S. Lay (2008), The Reconquest Kings of Portugal, Political and Cultural Reorientation on the Medieval Frontier.[4]

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