Siege Of Alcácer Do Sal
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The siege of Alcácer do Sal lasted from 30 July to 18 October 1217. The well fortified city of
Alcácer do Sal Alcácer do Sal () is a municipality in Portugal, located in Setúbal District. The population in 2011 was 13,046, in an area of 1,499.87 km2. History Earliest settlement There has been human settlement in the area for more than 40,000 y ...
was a frontier outpost of the
Almohad Caliphate The Almohad Caliphate (; or or from ) or Almohad Empire was a North African Berbers, Berber Muslim empire founded in the 12th century. At its height, it controlled much of the Iberian Peninsula (Al-Andalus) and North Africa (the Maghreb). Th ...
facing
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
. It was besieged by forces from Portugal, León, the military orders and the
Fifth Crusade The Fifth Crusade (September 1217 - August 29, 1221) was a campaign in a series of Crusades by Western Europeans to reacquire Jerusalem and the rest of the Holy Land by first conquering Egypt, ruled by the powerful Ayyubid sultanate, led by al- ...
. The latter were led by Count William I of Holland. The expedition was the brainchild of Bishop Soeiro II of Lisbon, whose diocese was threatened by regular raids from Alcácer. King
Afonso II of Portugal Afonso II (; 23 April 118525 March 1223), also called Afonso the Fat () and Afonso the Leper (), was List of Portuguese monarchs, King of Portugal from 1211 until 1223. Afonso was the third monarch of Portugal. Afonso was the second but eldest ...
did not take part in person, but the city was incorporated into his kingdom after its capitulation. The crusaders who took part in the siege, mainly from the Rhineland and the Low Countries, did so without papal authorization and were afterwards ordered to continue on to the
Holy Land The term "Holy Land" is used to collectively denote areas of the Southern Levant that hold great significance in the Abrahamic religions, primarily because of their association with people and events featured in the Bible. It is traditionall ...
.


Sources

There are two
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
eyewitness accounts of the siege. The anonymous ''
Gesta crucigerorum Rhenanorum The ''Gesta crucigerorum Rhenanorum'' ('Deeds of the Rhineland Crusaders') is an anonymous Latin eyewitness account of the Fifth Crusade written by a cleric from Neuss who travelled with a fleet from the Rhineland. It covers the period 1217–1219 ...
'' is written from the perspective of the German crusaders. The '' Carmen de expugnatione Salaciae'' was written by Goswin of Bossut, a priest from the
Duchy of Brabant The Duchy of Brabant, a Imperial State, state of the Holy Roman Empire, was established in 1183. It developed from the Landgraviate of Brabant of 1085–1183, and formed the heart of the historic Low Countries. The Duchy comprised part of the Bu ...
, for Bishop Soeiro. The '' De itinere Frisonum'' is a contemporary record of the Frisian crusaders who sailed with the Germans to Portugal but did not partake in the siege of Alcácer. It was incorporated into the chronicle of
Emo of Friesland Emo of Friesland (c. 1175–1237) was a Frisian scholar and abbot who probably came from the region of Groningen, and the earliest foreign student studying at Oxford University whose name has survived. He wrote a Latin chronicle, later expanded ...
. A contemporary account of the Fifth Crusade by Oliver of Paderborn includes some information on the Alcácer expedition. There are three letters sent in the immediate aftermath of victory that are an important source for the siege. One was sent by Count William to Pope
Honorius III Pope Honorius III (c. 1150 – 18 March 1227), born Cencio Savelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 18 July 1216 to his death. A canon at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, he came to hold a number of importa ...
; one was sent by the clergy to Honorius; and one is Honorius's reply. These letters are kept in the
Vatican Apostolic Archive The Vatican Apostolic Archive (; ), formerly known as the Vatican Secret Archive (; ), is the central repository in the Vatican City of all acts promulgated by the Holy See. The Pope, as the sovereign of Vatican City, owns the material held ...
. The siege is briefly recounted by
Roger of Wendover Roger of Wendover (died 6 May 1236), probably a native of Wendover in Buckinghamshire, was an English chronicler of the 13th century. At an uncertain date he became a monk at St Albans Abbey; afterwards he was appointed prior of the cell ...
. It is also widely mentioned in later Portuguese historiography, such as the ', the ''
Chronicle of 1419 The ''Chronicle of 1419''This is the English title used in and . is a vernacular Portuguese chronicle of the reigns of the first seven kings of Portugal from 1139 to 1357: Afonso I, Sancho I, Afonso II, Sancho II, Afonso III, Denis and Afon ...
'' and the ''Chronicle of Dom Afonso II'' of
Rui de Pina Rui (or Ruy) de Pina (1440–1522) was a Portuguese chronicler. Biography Rui (or Ruy) de Pina was a native of Guarda. He acted as secretary of the embassy sent by King John II of Portugal to Castile in the spring of 1482, and in the foll ...
. The major sources from the Muslim side are in
Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
. They include the '' Rawḍ al-Qirṭās'' and al-Ḥimyarī's '' Rawḍ al-Miʿṭār''.


Background

In the late 9th century, Alcácer do Sal (''Qaṣr Abī Dānis'' in
Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
) was constructed at the mouth of the Sado by the Umayyads as a fortress against the
Vikings Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9 ...
. In 1108, it was attacked by the
Norwegian Crusade The Norwegian Crusade, led by Norwegian King Sigurd I, was a crusade or a pilgrimage (sources differ) that lasted from 1107 to 1111, in the aftermath of the First Crusade. The Norwegian Crusade marks the first time a European king person ...
, but remained in Muslim hands. After the conquest of Lisbon with the help of soldiers of the
Second Crusade The Second Crusade (1147–1149) was the second major crusade launched from Europe. The Second Crusade was started in response to the fall of the County of Edessa in 1144 to the forces of Zengi. The county had been founded during the First Crus ...
in 1147, Alcácer lay on the Almohad–Portuguese frontier. King
Afonso I Dom Afonso IOr also ''Affonso'' (Archaic Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonso'' ( Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonsus'' (Latin version), sometimes rendered in English as ''Alphonzo'' or ''Alphonse'', depending on the Spanish or French influence ...
launched failed attacks on Alcácer in 1147, 1151 and 1157. In 1158, he besieged and captured the town. In 1191, the Almohads besieged and recaptured it. According to
Ibn al-Abbār Ibn al-Abbār (), he was Hāfiẓ Abū Abd Allāh Muḥammad ibn 'Abdullah ibn Abū Bakr al-Qudā'ī al-Balansī () (1199–1260) a secretary to Hafsid dynasty princes, well-known poet, diplomat, jurist and hadith scholar from al ...
, after its recapture the city was renamed Qaṣr al-Fatḥ ('castle of victory'). It may have been declared a ''
ribāṭ A ribāṭ (; hospice, hostel, base or retreat) is an Arabic term, initially designating a small fortification built along a frontier during the first years of the Muslim conquest of the Maghreb to house military volunteers, called ''murabitun' ...
'', a frontier post with special privileges. This may be why the Portuguese clergy, in their letter to the pope, assigned the city religious importance. The governor of Alcácer in 1217 was ʿAbdallāh ibn Muḥammad ibn Sidray ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb Wazīr al-Qaysī, who had succeeded his father in 1212. He launched regular raids by land and sea against Portugal. According to the ''Carmen'', he was able to remit an annual tribute of 100 Christian captives to the Almohad caliph in Morocco.


Preparations

At the
Fourth Lateran Council The Fourth Council of the Lateran or Lateran IV was convoked by Pope Innocent III in April 1213 and opened at the Lateran Palace in Rome on 11 November 1215. Due to the great length of time between the council's convocation and its meeting, m ...
in 1215, Bishop Soeiro II of Lisbon asked Pope
Innocent III Pope Innocent III (; born Lotario dei Conti di Segni; 22 February 1161 – 16 July 1216) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 until his death on 16 July 1216. Pope Innocent was one of the most power ...
for permission to employ crusaders in a planned Portuguese offensive against the Almohads, but the pope refused. Fighting in Portugal would be contrary to crusaders' vows. Despite this papal prohibition, there is evidence that northern crusaders expected that to participate in warfare in Portugal, as previous groups of crusaders had done at the
siege of Lisbon The siege of Lisbon, from 1 July to 25 October 1147, was the military action against the Almoravid dynasty that brought the city of Lisbon under the definitive control of the new Christian power, the Kingdom of Portugal. The siege of Lisbon w ...
during the
Second Crusade The Second Crusade (1147–1149) was the second major crusade launched from Europe. The Second Crusade was started in response to the fall of the County of Edessa in 1144 to the forces of Zengi. The county had been founded during the First Crus ...
(1147) and the siege of Silves during the
Third Crusade The Third Crusade (1189–1192) was an attempt led by King Philip II of France, King Richard I of England and Emperor Frederick Barbarossa to reconquer the Holy Land following the capture of Jerusalem by the Ayyubid sultan Saladin in 1187. F ...
(1189). Soeiro preached the cross in his diocese in preparation for the expected campaign. On 29 May 1217, a fleet of almost 300 ships sailed from
Vlaardingen Vlaardingen () is a large town and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in South Holland in the Netherlands. It is located on the north bank of the Nieuwe Maas river at the confluence with the Oude Maas. The municipality admin ...
. It contained an army of crusaders recruited mainly from the
Rhineland The Rhineland ( ; ; ; ) is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly Middle Rhine, its middle section. It is the main industrial heartland of Germany because of its many factories, and it has historic ties to the Holy ...
and
Frisia Frisia () is a Cross-border region, cross-border Cultural area, cultural region in Northwestern Europe. Stretching along the Wadden Sea, it encompasses the north of the Netherlands and parts of northwestern Germany. Wider definitions of "Frisia" ...
. The leaders of the expedition were Count George of Wied and Count William I of Holland, although there is some confusion regarding their exact status. According to the ''De itinere'', George was the original commander-in-chief and William in charge of the rearguard of the fleet. According to the ''Gesta'', which mentions both counts, William was elected sole leader at Dartmouth when the crusaders "decided under him on laws and new rules concerning the observance of peace." Following an incident off
Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...
, there was a change in leadership. A ship from Monheim was lost on rocks and the rest of the fleet sheltered in Saint-Mathieu. William was placed in overall command with George as his lieutenant. This suggests that George was blamed for the loss. According to the ''Gesta'', the fleet stopped in "the port of Faro" (the ''Carmen'' as "the lighthouse") and some of the pilgrims visited the shrine of Saint James at Compostela. Rui de Pina and the ''Chronicle of 1419'' describe an attack on Almohad-controlled Faro in the far south preceding a retreat to Lisbon for repairs. This attack on Faro is elsewhere attributed to the Frisians who did not participate in the attack on Alcácer do Sal. The fleet arrived in
Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...
on 10 July. It was met by Bishops Soeiro II of Lisbon and Soeiro II of Évora, as well as by the local leaders of the military orders: Pedro Alvites, master of the
Knights Templar The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, mainly known as the Knights Templar, was a Military order (religious society), military order of the Catholic Church, Catholic faith, and one of the most important military ord ...
; Gonçalo, prior of the
Knights Hospitaller The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), is a Catholic military order. It was founded in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century and had headquarters there ...
; and Martim Pais Barregão, commendatory abbot of
Palmela Palmela () is a town and municipality in Portugal. As of 2011, the population was 62,831, covering an area of 465.12 km². The municipality is located in the Lisboa Region and Setúbal District, about south of Lisbon. The municipal holiday ...
of the
Order of Santiago The Order of Santiago (; ) is a religious and military order founded in the 12th century. It owes its name to the patron saint of Spain, ''Santiago'' ( St. James the Greater). Its initial objective was to protect the pilgrims on the Way of S ...
. The bishop of Lisbon tried to persuade the crusaders to help him attack Alcácer do Sal. The Frisians refused. With about a third of the fleet, they took on supplies and went on their way. The remaining two thirds of the fleet under the counts agreed to cooperate in the attack. A Portuguese army of 20,000 was rapidly raised. The army marched overland to rendezvous with the fleet, which left Lisbon at the end of July and sailed up the Sado. The bishop of Lisbon was with the army, as was Pedro, abbot of Alcobaça. King Afonso II may have played a role in preparations, but he did not participate in the attack on Alcácer. His aloofness is demonstrated by the letter of Count William to Pope Honorius, which refers to the kings of León and
Navarre Navarre ( ; ; ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a landlocked foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and New Aquitaine in France. ...
but does not mention Afonso.


Siege

The Almohads prepared for the coming siege by destroying all the trees in the immediate vicinity so that they could not be used as fuel for fire or as building material for siege engines. The siege began on 30 July. The besiegers attacked with
towers A tower is a tall Nonbuilding structure, structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from guyed mast, masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting ...
,
catapult A catapult is a ballistics, ballistic device used to launch a projectile at a great distance without the aid of gunpowder or other propellants – particularly various types of ancient and medieval siege engines. A catapult uses the sudden rel ...
s and mines. The crusaders cannibalized eight of their ships to make siege engines. The ''Carmen'' describes poetically how the attackers attempted to fill in the
moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch dug around a castle, fortification, building, or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. Moats can be dry or filled with water. In some places, moats evolved into more extensive water d ...
with fig and olive trees, but the defenders set the infill on fire. According to the ''Rawḍ al-Qirṭās'', the Caliph Yūsuf II ordered the governors of Córdoba, Jaén,
Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...
and other places in the
Gharb al-Andalus Gharb al-Andalus (, trans. ''gharb al-ʼandalus''; "west of al-Andalus"), or just al-Gharb (, trans. ''al-gharb''; "the west"), was the name given by the Muslims of Iberia to the region of southern modern-day Portugal and part of West-central ...
to raise a relief army. The clergy's letter to Honorius confirms the presence of the army of
Badajoz Badajoz is the capital of the Province of Badajoz in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain. It is situated close to the Portugal, Portuguese Portugal–Spain border, border, on the left bank of the river ...
as well., mentions
Jerez Jerez de la Frontera () or simply Jerez, also cited in old English-language sources as , is a city and municipality in the province of Cádiz in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Located in southwestern Iberia, it lies on the Campi ...
.
On 8 September, the relief armies arrived in the vicinity of Alcácer. The author of the ''Gesta'' estimated the size of the relief force at 100,000 men. In response, the besiegers dug a defensive ditch around their position. They were reinforced by the arrival of 32 more ships, but were still outnumbered and short of horses. As the Muslim relief army arrived, Christian reinforcements, raised by several Portuguese and Leonese barons, were on the march. They included contingents of Hospitallers, Templars and the Order of Santiago. The Templars were led by Pedro Álvarez de Alvito, master of the order in Spain; the knights of Santiago by Martim Barregão,
commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...
of
Palmela Palmela () is a town and municipality in Portugal. As of 2011, the population was 62,831, covering an area of 465.12 km². The municipality is located in the Lisboa Region and Setúbal District, about south of Lisbon. The municipal holiday ...
; and the Hospitallers by the prior of Portugal. The timely arrival of this army was later claimed as a miracle by the clergy in their letter to the pope. In addition,
Caesarius of Heisterbach Caesarius of Heisterbach (c. 1180 – c. 1240), sometimes erroneously called, in English, Caesar of Heisterbach, was the prior of a Cistercian monastery, Heisterbach Abbey, which was located in the Siebengebirge, near the small town of Oberdollend ...
reports that an eyewitness told him how "the galleys which he Saracenshad brought over the sea against the Christians were put to flight by the terror of celestial vision" of "a whiteclad host, wearing red crosses upon the breast." On 11 September, the two armies met in battle outside Santa Catarina on the banks of the Sítimos. The Christians were victorious. The ''Rawḍ al-Miʿṭār'' reports that the Almohad army became terrified upon sighting a force of 70 knights. The ''Rawḍ al-Qirṭās'' blames this on the memory of the
battle of Las Navas de Tolosa The Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa, known in Islamic history as the Battle of Al-Uqab (), took place on 16 July 1212 and was an important turning point in the ''Reconquista'' and the Spain in the Middle Ages, medieval history of Spain. The Christian ...
in 1212. Many turned and fled, while the Christians pursued them "until killing them all". This is an exaggeration, since the ''Rawḍ al-Miʿṭār'' mentions prisoners. The defeat of the army in the field convinced the defenders in the fortress that victory was impossible. On 18 October, the city surrendered. Pope Honorius credited the victory to two siege towers. Most of the defenders were taken captive. The governor, ʿAbdallāh ibn Wazīr, accepted baptism. The city was handed over to the Order of Santiago.


Aftermath

After the victory, the bishops of Lisbon and Évora and the leaders of the three military orders who were present wrote to Honorius III with three requests: that the pope order the crusaders to remain in Portugal for one year for mopping up operations; that the
crusade indulgence In the history of the Catholic Church, a crusade indulgence was any indulgence—remission from the penalties imposed by penance—granted to a person who participated in an ecclesiastically sanctioned crusade. It had its origins in the Council of ...
be extended to those who took part and to those who would take part in Portuguese operations in the future; and that the Iberian proceeds of the tax of a twentieth ('' vicesima'') levied on ecclesiastical incomes by Innocent III in the
bull A bull is an intact (i.e., not Castration, castrated) adult male of the species ''Bos taurus'' (cattle). More muscular and aggressive than the females of the same species (i.e. cows proper), bulls have long been an important symbol cattle in r ...
'' Ad liberandum'' (1215) for the Holy Land be set aside for operations in Iberia. These requests were based on the proviso in the bull ''
Quia maior is a papal bull issued by Pope Innocent III in April 1213. In it, Innocent presents crusading as a moral obligation for all Christians and lays out his plan to recapture Jerusalem and the rest of the Holy Land from the Muslims. The longest of ...
'' (1213) that "if perchance it were needed, we
he pope He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...
would take care to give our attention to any serious situation that arises." The clergy also reported to Honorius three miracles that vindicated the operation: the timely arrival of the reinforcements and the appearance in the sky of a cross and a heavenly army. These three miracles are also mentioned in the ''Carmen'' and in the ''
Chronica regia Coloniensis The ''Chronica regia Coloniensis'' ("Royal Chronicle of Cologne", German: ''Kölner Königschronik''), also called the ''Annales Colonienses maximi'', is an anonymous medieval Latin chronicle that covers the years 576 to 1202. The original chronic ...
''. At the same time, William of Holland wrote to the pope to ask whether he should continue to lead his army to the Holy Land or remain to fight in Portugal. Honorius was unpersuaded by either appeal. He did not extend the indulgence to the Portuguese campaign and ordered the crusaders to continue onwards to the Holy Land. An exception was made for any impoverished crusaders and for those who had been on the eight ships used to make siege engines. These two groups were absolved from their vows. Honorius did acknowledge the triumph at Alcácer do Sal when, on 11 January 1218, he reissued the bull ''
Manifestis probatum is a papal bull and the founding document of Portugal. On 23 May 1179 Pope Alexander III promulgated the bull. The bull officially recognized the independence of Portugal from Leon by confirming the Kingdom of Portugal to, the now recognized, k ...
'' confirming the independence of Portugal and attributing the victory to Afonso II. On 12 January, he issued a bull granting the crusaders at Alcácer the same indulgence he had previously refused. On 26 January, Honorius, in his letter answering the expedition's clergy, exempted from their crusade vows all wounded, sick, poor and those whose had lost their ships when they were broken up to make siege engines. In January 1218, Afonso II formally placed Alcácer under the command of Martim Barregão, whose son-in-law, , was Afonso's majordomo. The city was placed under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the diocese of Évora. It was never again captured by Muslims, but its importance declined in relation to
Setúbal Setúbal ( , , ; ), officially the City of Setúbal (), is a city and a municipality in Portugal. The population of the entire municipality in 2014 was 118,166, occupying an area of . The city itself had 89,303 inhabitants in 2001. It lies withi ...
.


Notes


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{refend 1217 in Europe Conflicts in 1217
Alcácer do Sal Alcácer do Sal () is a municipality in Portugal, located in Setúbal District. The population in 2011 was 13,046, in an area of 1,499.87 km2. History Earliest settlement There has been human settlement in the area for more than 40,000 y ...
Alcácer do Sal Alcácer do Sal () is a municipality in Portugal, located in Setúbal District. The population in 2011 was 13,046, in an area of 1,499.87 km2. History Earliest settlement There has been human settlement in the area for more than 40,000 y ...
Alcácer do Sal Alcácer do Sal () is a municipality in Portugal, located in Setúbal District. The population in 2011 was 13,046, in an area of 1,499.87 km2. History Earliest settlement There has been human settlement in the area for more than 40,000 y ...
13th century in Portugal Alcácer do Sal Battles of the Almohad wars in the Iberian Peninsula