Battle of Morella
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Morella southwest of Tortosa
, was fought between Sancho Ramírez, King of Aragon and Navarre
, and Yusuf al-Mu'tamin, King of Zaragoza, while the former was engaged in a campaign of conquest against the latter. All surviving sources for the battle are either later by a generation or literary in character, and they are confused on the chronology and dating of the event. The encounter was a defeat for Sancho and sparked a brief reversal of fortunes in the Navarro-Aragonese Reconquista
. The Castilian
hero, Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, the Cid, was a general for al-Mu'tamin at the time. According to the Aragonese Crónica de San Juan de la Peña (c.1370), Sancho later sought out the Cid, who had also defeated his father in the Battle of Graus
(1063), and defeated him in the year 1088. However, the Crónica is the only source mentioning such an encounter and, as it was written three hundred years later, most leading scholars give no credence to this claim, which was probably intended to justify the prerogatives of Peter IV
of the Crown of Aragon
.
In 1084 Sancho attacked the kingdom of Zaragoza. On 5 April he took Arguedas
, across the Ebro
from Tudela
, which he may have attacked but did not take. Moving east he captured Secastilla
(Castella) on 22 June (or the tenth kalends of June, that is, 23 May, according to the Crónica), an important position that offered defence of Graus
, which he had conquered in 1082. According to the Historia Roderici
, the Cid and the king of Zaragoza, setting out from Monzón, perpetrated a five-day raid on Aragon. Then the Cid targeted the southeast of the Taifa of Tortosa
, ravaging the territory around Morella, even re-fortifying the castle at Olocau
. Sancho, who had avoided confrontation during the raid on his own kingdom, joined with Mundhir al-Hayib, the ruler of the united realms of Denia
, Lleida, and Tortosa, and camped by the Ebro. The Cid reportedly replied to the king's demand that he retire with an uncompromising message, and when the two armies joined in battle the former scored "an overwhelming victory" in mid-August, probably 14 August. The Crónica dates it to the Saturday after the capture of Secastilla, that is, 25 May in its calculation. The year 1084 was accepted by Ramón Menéndez Pidal
, but Antonio Ubieto Arteta suggested 1088, the year under which the Crónica refers to Sancho seeking out the Cid and defeating him. Bernard Reilly argued for a date of 1084 on the grounds that it would best explain the events of 1085. Ubieto Arteta elsewhere places the Battle of Piedra Pisada
in 1084, the unsuccessful culmination of Sancho's campaign into Zaragozan territory.
The aforementioned Historia adds that the Cid chased his fleeing Christian enemies and took 2,000 Aragonese and Navarrese prisoner. Sixteen of whom were important enough for the anonymous author to name:
The Cid also sacked Sancho's camp and carried an enormous booty back to Zaragoza. He was even greeted by celebrant Zaragozans at Fuentes
some distance away.
Tortosa
-External links:* *** * * *...
, was fought between Sancho Ramírez, King of Aragon and Navarre
Kingdom of Navarre
The Kingdom of Navarre , originally the Kingdom of Pamplona, was a European kingdom which occupied lands on either side of the Pyrenees alongside the Atlantic Ocean....
, and Yusuf al-Mu'tamin, King of Zaragoza, while the former was engaged in a campaign of conquest against the latter. All surviving sources for the battle are either later by a generation or literary in character, and they are confused on the chronology and dating of the event. The encounter was a defeat for Sancho and sparked a brief reversal of fortunes in the Navarro-Aragonese Reconquista
Reconquista
The Reconquista was a period of almost 800 years in the Middle Ages during which several Christian kingdoms succeeded in retaking the Muslim-controlled areas of the Iberian Peninsula broadly known as Al-Andalus...
. The Castilian
Kingdom of Castile
Kingdom of Castile was one of the medieval kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula. It emerged as a political autonomous entity in the 9th century. It was called County of Castile and was held in vassalage from the Kingdom of León. Its name comes from the host of castles constructed in the region...
hero, Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, the Cid, was a general for al-Mu'tamin at the time. According to the Aragonese Crónica de San Juan de la Peña (c.1370), Sancho later sought out the Cid, who had also defeated his father in the Battle of Graus
Battle of Graus
The Battle of Graus was a battle of the Reconquista, traditionally said to have taken place on 8 May 1063. Antonio Ubieto Arteta, in his Historia de Aragón, re-dated the battle to 1069. The late twelfth-century Chronica naierensis dates the encounter to 1070...
(1063), and defeated him in the year 1088. However, the Crónica is the only source mentioning such an encounter and, as it was written three hundred years later, most leading scholars give no credence to this claim, which was probably intended to justify the prerogatives of Peter IV
Peter IV of Aragon
Peter IV, , called el Cerimoniós or el del punyalet , was the King of Aragon, King of Sardinia and Corsica , King of Valencia , and Count of Barcelona Peter IV, (Balaguer, September 5, 1319 – Barcelona, January 6, 1387), called el Cerimoniós ("the Ceremonious") or el del punyalet ("the one...
of the Crown of Aragon
Crown of Aragon
The Crown of Aragon Corona d'Aragón Corona d'Aragó Corona Aragonum controlling a large portion of the present-day eastern Spain and southeastern France, as well as some of the major islands and mainland possessions stretching across the Mediterranean as far as Greece...
.
In 1084 Sancho attacked the kingdom of Zaragoza. On 5 April he took Arguedas
Arguedas
-People:* José María Arguedas , Peruvian novelist* Alcides Arguedas , Bolivian writer and historian* Juan Carlos Arguedas , Costa Rican soccer player-Places:...
, across the Ebro
Ebro
The Ebro or Ebre is one of the most important rivers in the Iberian Peninsula. It is the biggest river by discharge volume in Spain.The Ebro flows through the following cities:*Reinosa in Cantabria.*Miranda de Ebro in Castile and León....
from Tudela
Tudela, Navarre
Tudela is a municipality in Spain, the second city of the autonomous community of Navarre. Its population is around 35,000. Tudela is sited in the Ebro valley. Fast trains running on two-track electrified railways serve the city and two freeways join close to it...
, which he may have attacked but did not take. Moving east he captured Secastilla
Secastilla
Secastilla or Secastella is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 147 inhabitants....
(Castella) on 22 June (or the tenth kalends of June, that is, 23 May, according to the Crónica), an important position that offered defence of Graus
Graus
Graus is a village in the Spanish province of Huesca, located in the Pyrenees at the confluence of rivers Esera and Isabena. It is the administrative capital of the region. It is one of the areas of Aragon in which is still preserved the Aragonese language....
, which he had conquered in 1082. According to the Historia Roderici
Historia Roderici
The Historia Roderici , originally Gesta Roderici Campi Docti and sometimes in Spanish Crónica latina del Cid , is an anonymous Latin prose history of the Castilian folk hero Rodrigo Díaz, better known as El Cid Campeador.It is generally written in a simple, unadorned Latin by...
, the Cid and the king of Zaragoza, setting out from Monzón, perpetrated a five-day raid on Aragon. Then the Cid targeted the southeast of the Taifa of Tortosa
Taifa of Tortosa
The Taifa of Tortosa was a medieval taifa kingdom which existed for two separate periods: from 1010 to 1060 and from 1081 to 1099.-Saqlabi dynasty:* Lab'ib : c. 1009-bfr. 1039/40* Muqatil Sayf al-Milla: bfr...
, ravaging the territory around Morella, even re-fortifying the castle at Olocau
Olocau
Olocau is a municipality in the comarca of Camp de Túria in the Valencian Community, Spain....
. Sancho, who had avoided confrontation during the raid on his own kingdom, joined with Mundhir al-Hayib, the ruler of the united realms of Denia
Taifa of Dénia
The taifa of Dénia was a Muslim kingdom in medieval Spain, ruling over part of the Valencian coast and Ibiza. With Dénia as its capital, the taifa included the Balearic Islands and parts of the Spanish mainland.- History :...
, Lleida, and Tortosa, and camped by the Ebro. The Cid reportedly replied to the king's demand that he retire with an uncompromising message, and when the two armies joined in battle the former scored "an overwhelming victory" in mid-August, probably 14 August. The Crónica dates it to the Saturday after the capture of Secastilla, that is, 25 May in its calculation. The year 1084 was accepted by Ramón Menéndez Pidal
Ramón Menéndez Pidal
Ramón Menéndez Pidal was a Spanish philologist and historian. He worked extensively on the history of the Spanish language and Spanish folklore and folk poetry. One of his main topics was the history and legend of The Cid....
, but Antonio Ubieto Arteta suggested 1088, the year under which the Crónica refers to Sancho seeking out the Cid and defeating him. Bernard Reilly argued for a date of 1084 on the grounds that it would best explain the events of 1085. Ubieto Arteta elsewhere places the Battle of Piedra Pisada
Battle of Piedra Pisada
On 25 December 1084, at the Battle of Piedra Pisada, the Taifa of Zaragoza fought and probably defeated the Kingdom of Aragonon the road south from Naval to El Grado...
in 1084, the unsuccessful culmination of Sancho's campaign into Zaragozan territory.
The aforementioned Historia adds that the Cid chased his fleeing Christian enemies and took 2,000 Aragonese and Navarrese prisoner. Sixteen of whom were important enough for the anonymous author to name:
- Ramón Dalmacio, Bishop of Roda (1077–94)
- Sancho Sánchez, Count of Pamplona (died 1116), nephew of Sancho IV of NavarreSancho IV of NavarreSancho IV Garcés , called Sancho of Peñalén or Sancho the Noble, was King of Navarre from 1054 to 1076. He was the eldest son and heir of García Sánchez III and Estefanía....
- Blasco Garcés, royal majordomo
- Seven Aragonese and Navarrese tenentes:
- Pepino Aznar (fl.FloruitFloruit , abbreviated fl. , is a Latin verb meaning "flourished", denoting the period of time during which something was active...
1075–93), held AlquézarAlquézarAlquézar is a municipality in the province of Huesca, in the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. In 2004, it had a population of 309.Situated on a limestone outcrop of Eocene age to the west of the canyon of the Rio Vero river in the Sierra de Guara national park, the village has grown around a...
(1084) and helped repopulate BarbastroBarbastroBarbastro is a city in the Somontano county, province of Huesca, Spain...
(1100) - García Aznar (fl.FloruitFloruit , abbreviated fl. , is a Latin verb meaning "flourished", denoting the period of time during which something was active...
1063–86), assassinated Centule I of Bigorre and went into exile among the Moors (1088) - Íñigo Sánchez (fl. 1082–1116), held Monzón, Calasanz, Monclús (1082–93), and EstadaEstadaEstada is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 192 inhabitants....
, which he repopuated after its conquest (1087) - Jimeno Garcés of Buil
- Laín Pérez of PamplonaPamplonaPamplona is the historial capital city of Navarre, in Spain, and of the former kingdom of Navarre.The city is famous worldwide for the San Fermín festival, from July 6 to 14, in which the running of the bulls is one of the main attractions...
- Fortún Garcés of Aragon
- Sancho Garcés of Alquézar
- Pepino Aznar (fl.
- Five Leonese-Castilians, probably exiles of Alfonso VI:
- Nuno II Mendes, Count of Portugal (until 1070)
- Anaya Suárez (Galicia)
- Nuño Suárez (León)
- García Díaz (Castile)
- Gudesteo González
- A certain Calvet
The Cid also sacked Sancho's camp and carried an enormous booty back to Zaragoza. He was even greeted by celebrant Zaragozans at Fuentes
Fuentes
Fuentes is a genus of the spider family Salticidae . Its two described species, are found in Central America.-Species:* Fuentes pertinax Peckham & Peckham, 1894 — Central America...
some distance away.