Battle Of Río Salado
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The Battle of Río Salado also known as the Battle of Tarifa (30 October 1340) was a battle between the armies of King Afonso IV of Portugal and King
Alfonso XI of Castile Alfonso XI (11 August 131126 March 1350), called the Avenger (''el Justiciero''), was King of Castile and León. He was the son of Ferdinand IV of Castile and his wife Constance of Portugal. Upon his father's death in 1312, several disputes ...
against those of Sultan Abu al-Hasan 'Ali of the Marinids and Yusuf I of the
Granada Granada ( ; ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada (Spain), Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence ...
.


Campaign

After
Alfonso XI of Castile Alfonso XI (11 August 131126 March 1350), called the Avenger (''el Justiciero''), was King of Castile and León. He was the son of Ferdinand IV of Castile and his wife Constance of Portugal. Upon his father's death in 1312, several disputes ...
's victory in the Teba campaign of 1330, Muhammed IV, Sultan of Granada sought help from Abu al-Hasan 'Ali to ensure his survival. The policies of the Kingdom of Fez regarding the Iberian Peninsula changed upon Hasan's rise to power in 1331. During his rule, the Marinids achieved their largest territorial expansion in Africa. Hasan dispatched a
naval fleet A fleet or naval fleet is a large formation of warships – the largest formation in any navy – controlled by one leader. A fleet at sea is the direct equivalent of an army on land. Purpose In the modern sense, fleets are usually, but no ...
and 5,000 troops that landed at
Algeciras Algeciras () is a city and a municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Cádiz, Andalusia. Located in the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula, near the Strait of Gibraltar, it is the largest city on the Bay of G ...
in early 1333. These forces assisted the Granadan King in capturing the Castilian outpost of
Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...
, which they accomplished in under two months. They then launched a limited campaign to reunite these territories with the
Granada Granada ( ; ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada (Spain), Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence ...
. Back in the Maghreb, Abu Hasan amassed a large army to invade Castile, aiming to reverse the Christian advances of the previous century. This invasion represented a final attempt by the Marinids to establish a power base in the
Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, comprisin ...
. The Marinids mobilized a vast army and, after crossing the Straits and defeating a Christian fleet at
Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...
, advanced inland to the Salado River near Tarifa, where they encountered the Christians.


Preliminary moves

During the winter of 1340, Abu Hasan assembled his fleet: 60 war
galley A galley is a type of ship optimised for propulsion by oars. Galleys were historically used for naval warfare, warfare, Maritime transport, trade, and piracy mostly in the seas surrounding Europe. It developed in the Mediterranean world during ...
s and 250 other ships concentrated at Ceuta under the command of Muhammad ibn Ali al-Azafi. They landed an army at Gibraltar, and on 8 April 1340, 44 Muslim galleys and 35 ''leños'' met the Castilian fleet of 44 galleys and 7 '' naos'', under Admiral Alfonso Jofre de Tenorio, in the straits at the Battle of Getares. Al-Azafi surrounded and destroyed the Castilian fleet; Tenorio died, 28 galleys and seven ''naos'' were captured, and only 11 of his galleys managed to reach Cartagena. Five reached Tarifa. Abu Hasan crossed the Gibraltar straits on 14 August 1340, and throughout the summer, troops and supplies were transported to the Peninsula. On 22 September, the siege of Tarifa was formally established, with the help of Yusuf I. However, the Sultan made a crucial error: believing it would take the Castilians many months to rebuild their fleet, and hoping to reduce the high cost of maintaining his own, Abu Hasan prematurely laid up most of his galleys and returned those of his allies, leaving only 12 at Algeciras. Meanwhile, Alfonso XI sought assistance from the King of Aragón and his father-in-law, King Afonso IV of Portugal. The latter sent a Portuguese naval fleet led by Manuel Pessanha, Admiral of Portugal, and also funded 15 Genoese galleys commanded by Micer Gil Bocanegra. With the addition of 27 ships quickly completed at Seville, the Christian fleets appeared in force in the Straits in October, cutting off supply routes between Morocco and the Peninsula. Abu Hasan's position became precarious, as the troops besieging Tarifa depended on supplies from Morocco, and the Kingdom of Granada also needed them, having launched limited attacks along the frontier to keep the Castilians at bay. On 10 October, a severe storm wrecked 12 Castilian galleys, and the same day, the Sultan launched an all-out assault against Tarifa, which was barely repulsed with heavy losses on both sides. Alfonso XI departed Seville on 15 October 1340 with a relief army, joining the King of Portugal the following day. They advanced to the Guadalete River and awaited further Castilian and Portuguese contingents. Finally, on 26 October, the combined army, now 20,000 strong, crossed into enemy territory. Upon learning of their advance, Abu Hasan ordered the siege lifted and his army took position on a hill between Tarifa and the sea. Yusuf I positioned his army on an adjacent hill. On the 29th, the Christian army reached Deer Hill (Hayar al-Ayyal), from Tarifa and barely 250 metres from the
beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from Rock (geology), rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle beach, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological s ...
. Between them and their adversaries was a 4,500 m long valley crossed by the streams of La Jara and El Salado. With supplies dwindling, Alfonso XI decided to attack the next day. During the night, Alfonso XI sent 1,000 horse and 4,000 foot troops to reinforce the Tarifa garrison, hoping to surprise the enemy rearguard during the battle. They met only slight resistance from the 3,000 light cavalry covering the Salado and reached Tarifa without difficulty. However, the officer commanding the light cavalry informed Abu Hasan that no Christians had entered Tarifa during the night. Whether this report was made in good faith or out of fear of admitting failure remains unknown, but this misinformation had serious consequences the next day.


Opposing forces

A Spanish contemporary chronicle estimated Abu Hasan's army at 40,000
knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...
s and 400,000
infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...
; figures considered greatly exaggerated by historian Joseph O'Callaghan. Another account suggested 53,000 knights and 600,000 infantry for the Moors. A third chronicler proposed 70,000 knights and 400,000 infantry for the Marinids and 7,000 knights and 700,000 infantry for Granada. Archbishop Gil de Albornoz claimed a combined Muslim force of 40,000 knights and 400,000 infantry. The lowest estimate comes from Rodrigo Yánez's account, which stated that Abu Hasan deployed 60,000 men and that transporting the force across the Straits of Gibraltar took four months. O'Callaghan dismisses Yánez's estimate. The 17th-century historian Ahmed Mohammed al-Maqqari, relying on an earlier text, also estimated Abu Hasan's force at 60,000 men. Granada had 7,000 knights, and the Marinids may have mobilized up to 60,000 men. A Christian
militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...
likely fought for the Emir of Granada in the battle. One Marinid prince fought on the Castilian side. The Castilians mustered 8,000 knights and 12,000 infantry. The Portuguese contributed 1,000 knights, and Tarifa had a garrison of 1,000 men who participated in the battle. Alfonso sent 3,000 Castilian knights to support the 1,000 Portuguese knights in attacking Yusuf's 7,000 Granadan knights on the left. The Castilian infantry consisted of municipal militias, stationed in the middle, and soldiers from
Asturias Asturias (; ; ) officially the Principality of Asturias, is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in northwest Spain. It is coextensive with the provinces of Spain, province of Asturias and contains some of the territory t ...
and the
Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...
territories, armed and equipped with
lance The English term lance is derived, via Middle English '' launce'' and Old French '' lance'', from the Latin '' lancea'', a generic term meaning a wikt:lancea#Noun">lancea'', a generic term meaning a spear">wikt:lancea#Noun">lancea'', a generi ...
s,
crossbow A crossbow is a ranged weapon using an Elasticity (physics), elastic launching device consisting of a Bow and arrow, bow-like assembly called a ''prod'', mounted horizontally on a main frame called a ''tiller'', which is hand-held in a similar f ...
s, helmets, and shields, located next to Afonso IV's knights.


Battle

The council of war decided that the Castilian King would attack the Sultan's main army, while the Portuguese host, reinforced by 3,000 Castilians, would engage Yusuf I. At nine o'clock on the morning of 30 October 1340, they moved out of camp, leaving 2,000 inexperienced militia to guard it. The strong Castilian vanguard was led by the Lara brothers, while the King himself rode in the main body. On the left were the missile troops from the Kingdom of León, led by Pedro Nuñez, and on the right, Alvar Pérez de Guzmán with a cavalry corps. Reinforcing the Portuguese forces were the Military Orders of Alcántara and Calatrava. Abu Hasan left the Jara crossing undefended but deployed strong forces along the Salado. The Castilian vanguard met significant resistance; de Lara could not cross the shallow river. Alfonso reinforced them with 1,500 more knights, and the Salado was successfully crossed. In the center, Juan Núñez de Lara and the Military Order of Santiago with 3,000 knights finally broke through the enemy line and crossed as well, riding up the hill where Abu Hasan's camp was clearly visible. The forces hidden in Tarifa also attacked the Sultan's camp simultaneously, and the troops defending it (about 3,000 horse and 8,000 foot) withdrew, half fleeing towards
Algeciras Algeciras () is a city and a municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Cádiz, Andalusia. Located in the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula, near the Strait of Gibraltar, it is the largest city on the Bay of G ...
and the other half joining the main struggle in the valley, where the Sultan's army was still largely intact. Alfonso now found himself dangerously isolated, with the right wing at some distance and the vanguard attacking the enemy camp. Abu Hasan ordered a general attack, and the Castilian King was about to engage in hand-to-hand combat when the Archbishop of Toledo,
Gil Álvarez Carrillo de Albornoz Gil Álvarez Carrillo de Albornoz more commonly Gil de Albornoz (also ''Egidio Álvarez de Albornoz y Luna''); – 23 August 1367), was a Spanish Roman Curia, curial Cardinal (Catholic Church), cardinal, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toledo, a ...
, grabbed his reins and stopped him. The timely arrival of the Castilian rearguard stabilized the situation, and when the forces that had been sacking the Sultan's camp advanced down the hill and engaged the enemy from the rear, Abu Hasan's surrounded army broke and fled towards Algeciras. Meanwhile, the Portuguese military contingent had crossed the Río Salado, and when Pedro Nuñez reinforced them, the entire Granada contingent broke and left the field. The battle lasted three hours, from 9 a.m. until noon. The allied Castilian and Portuguese pursuit of the Muslims was relentless, ending at the Guadamecí River, 6 km from the battlefield, although many remained in the hills, looting the Sultan's rich camp. Little mercy was shown, and many of the Sultan's wives were killed, including his first wife Fatimah (daughter of the Sultan of Tunis) and Aysa (daughter of the noble Abu Yahya ibn Yaqub). Other relatives of Abu Hasan were taken captive, including his sister Umalfat, his son Abu Umar Tasufin, and his nephew Alí. Many notables were killed in the battle or the rout, such as Abu Tabit ibn Fath Allah, Abu Muyahid Gazi ibn al-Ka's, and Muhammad ben Yahya ben Abi Bakr, as well as the famous writer from Granada, Abdullah ben Salmun, and the popular imam Ibn al-Khatib. Both Abu Hasan and Yusuf reached Algeciras; the Sultan took refuge at Gibraltar, and that same night crossed to
Ceuta Ceuta (, , ; ) is an Autonomous communities of Spain#Autonomous cities, autonomous city of Spain on the North African coast. Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Ceuta is one of th ...
in a galley.


Aftermath

The Marinids suffered a decisive defeat and retreated to Africa. No Muslim army ever invaded the
Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, comprisin ...
again. Control of the Straits of Gibraltar was now in the hands of the Christians, specifically the Castilians and the Genoese. The war with Granada continued for ten more years, during which Alfonso XI made a few small territorial gains from the western part of Granada. Most importantly, the town of Algeciras, a valuable bridgehead held by the Marinids, was finally retaken after a two-year siege in 1344. This siege attracted volunteers from all over Europe due to extensive publicity. An attempt to recapture
Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...
from the King of Granada was unsuccessful. However, Castile isolated the citadel from the rest of Muslim territory when peace was agreed in 1350, following the death of Alfonso XI in his camp during the Great Plague. Gibraltar would be captured by Castile in 1462.


Notes


References


Sources

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Further reading

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Battle Of Rio Salado Tarifa 1340 in Europe 14th century in al-Andalus Conflicts in 1340 Rio Salado 1340 Rio Salado 1340 Rio Salado 1340 Rio Salado Rio Salado 1340 Rio Salado 1340 14th century in Castile 14th century in Portugal