The Sack of Tétouan of 1399 was an attack led by Hugo de Mendoza to

Tétouan Tétouan (, or ) is a city in northern Morocco. It lies along the Martil Valley and is one of the two major ports of Morocco on the Mediterranean Sea, a few miles south of the Strait of Gibraltar, and about E.S.E. of Tangier. In the 2014 Morocc ...

, then controlled by the

Marinid Sultanate The Marinid dynasty ( ) was a Berbers, Berber Muslim dynasty that controlled present-day Morocco from the mid-13th to the 15th century and intermittently controlled other parts of North Africa (Algeria and Tunisia) and of the southern Iberian P ...

. The objective of this attack was to put an end to their pirates, who were attacking Castilian ships after the Marinid ruler incited them to do so.

Background

During the late 14th century,

was known for its pirates which were constantly attacking Castilian ships.

Henry III of Castile Henry III of Castile (4 October 1379 – 25 December 1406), called the Suffering due to his ill health (, ), was the son of John I and Eleanor of Aragon. He succeeded his father as King of Castile in 1390. Birth and education Henry was bor ...

, tired of them, decided send a fleet commanded by Hugo de Mendoza to attack the city and to put an end to these pirates.

Sacking

In 1399, Hugo de Mendoza landed on the banks of the

Martil Martil () is a town in Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima, Morocco. It is located on the Mediterranean Sea northeast of Tetouan. The name Martil comes from the Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation ...

and marched to

. Without encountering much resistance, he destroyed their fortifications, their port and then occupied and sacked the city. Half of the population was killed and the other half was enslaved. This attack caused the city to be abandoned for almost a century.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * {{refend Battles of the Reconquista Battles involving Morocco Battles involving Castile Battles involving the Marinid Sultanate 1399 1390s conflicts 14th-century conflicts