Battle of Piedra Pisada
Encyclopedia
On 25 December 1084, at the Battle of Piedra Pisada, the Taifa of Zaragoza
fought and probably defeated the Kingdom of Aragon
on the road south from Naval
to El Grado
. The battle was a minor engagement of the ongoing Reconquista
of Aragon, the process by which the riverine valleys of the southern slopes of the Pyrenees
were gradually conquered and returned, after centuries of Muslim rule, to the control of Christian princes. The ruler of Aragon, who personally led his men in battle at Piedra Pisada, Sancho Ramírez, also ruled Kingdom of Navarre
and was a major figure in the contemporary Reconquista.
The battle is only recorded in two later sources, the Aragonese
and Latin
versions of the Chronicle of San Juan de la Peña
. The former says that "in the year of our Lord 1083 ... [Sancho Ramírez] did battle in Piedra-pissada with the Moors on Christmas day." The Latin translation reads: "And [Sancho] made battle before Petram Pisadam with the Moors, the day of the Nativity in the year of our Lord 1084." The two texts differ in the year, and neither specifies the winner of the engagement. The location of Petra Pisata was long thought to be Piedratajada
, but this is unlikely on linguistic grounds. In a document nearly contemporary with the battle, Peter I of Aragon and Navarre
, Sancho's son and successor, enumerated the parishes whose tithes belonged to the church of Santa María of Alquézar
in geographic order from east to west, placing Petra Pisata between Naval and Salinas de Hoz. A forged document from the late twelfth or more likely the thirteenth century purportedly from October 1099 lists the same parishes owing tithes to Alquézar, but in a less orderly manner, naming among them Petra Piza. In the thirteenth century, the name of the site had degenerated further to simply Pisa, which has been identified with the coto redondo de Pisa, a collection of farms south of Naval.
The Reconquista of the what are today the comarcas of Bajo Cinca, Cinca Medio
, Ribagorza, Sobrarbe
and Somontano de Barbastro
was effected along two ancient routes, probably of Roman origin
. One followed the river Ésera
through the important town of Graus
south to Monzón
and the lower reaches of the river Cinca
. East of the Cinca lay the other route, connecting Boltaña
and Barbastro
. The Reconquista of the Cinca valley and surrounding territory to its west was rapid. By 1049 Perarrúa
was the most advanced position on the Ésera, held by a don Suniero, and by 1062 Laguarres was the most advanced position on the Isábena
. Both faced the formidable city of Graus, which was unsuccessfully besieged as early as 1055 and again in 1063 with disastrous results, finally falling to the Christians on 14 April 1083. By 1083 all lands north of the Sierra de Estada were in Aragonese hands. On the other side of the Cinca the town of Castejón de Sobrarbe fell in 1057 and that of Abizanda
in 1059, but further progress was slower. Naval, which was essential to the defence of Barbastro
(which was briefly occupied in 1063–64
), and Arguedas were not taken until 1084, and shortly lost to the Moors for a decade.
Since Piedra Pisada (Pisa) lies on the road south from Naval, the Aragonese army would have had to bypass an important enemy fortification in order to fight there, unless Naval had already been taken. It is most likely therefore that the date of 1084 found in the Latin chronicle is correct. Since the loss of Naval posed a threat to Barbastro, it is likely that forces from the taifa were sent to retake it later in 1084 and that it was these forces which Sancho Ramírez met on the road south from Naval. Since neither surviving record of the battle, both Christian, records the outcome and Naval is known to have lapsed out of Christian control soon after its conquest, it is probable that the battle was a loss for Sancho.
In the aftermath of the defeat at Piedra Pisada, in 1085 Sancho invested his son Peter as king of Ribagorza and Sobrarbe under Aragonese suzerainty. Estada
was conquered in July 1087, and Monzón with the aid of some defecting Muslims in 1089. In 1095 Peter accepted the surrender of the garrison of the castle Naval, and in October 1099 he made an accord with its Christian populators.
Taifa of Zaragoza
The taifa of Zaragoza was an independent Muslim state in Moorish Al-Andalus, present day eastern Spain, which was established in 1018 as one of the taifa kingdoms, which emerged in the 11th century following the destruction of the Caliphate of Córdoba in the Moorish Iberian Peninsula.During the...
fought and probably defeated the Kingdom of Aragon
Kingdom of Aragon
The Kingdom of Aragon was a medieval and early modern kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula, corresponding to the modern-day autonomous community of Aragon, in Spain...
on the road south from Naval
Naval, Huesca
Naval is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2008 census , the municipality has a population of 288 inhabitants.-External links:*...
to El Grado
El Grado
El Grado is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to 2009 data , the municipality has a population of 506 inhabitants.There is a large reservoir, managing the waters of river Cinca in this town's municipal term....
. The battle was a minor engagement of the ongoing 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...
of Aragon, the process by which the riverine valleys of the southern slopes of the Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
were gradually conquered and returned, after centuries of Muslim rule, to the control of Christian princes. The ruler of Aragon, who personally led his men in battle at Piedra Pisada, Sancho Ramírez, also ruled Kingdom of 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 was a major figure in the contemporary Reconquista.
The battle is only recorded in two later sources, the Aragonese
Aragonese language
Aragonese is a Romance language now spoken in a number of local varieties by between 10,000 and 30,000 people over the valleys of the Aragón River, Sobrarbe and Ribagorza in Aragon, Spain...
and Latin
Medieval Latin
Medieval Latin was the form of Latin used in the Middle Ages, primarily as a medium of scholarly exchange and as the liturgical language of the medieval Roman Catholic Church, but also as a language of science, literature, law, and administration. Despite the clerical origin of many of its authors,...
versions of the Chronicle of San Juan de la Peña
Chronicle of San Juan de la Peña
The Chronicle of San Juan de la Peña is an Aragonese chronicle written in Latin around 1370 in the monastery of San Juan de la Peña at the behest of Peter IV of Aragon...
. The former says that "in the year of our Lord 1083 ... [Sancho Ramírez] did battle in Piedra-pissada with the Moors on Christmas day." The Latin translation reads: "And [Sancho] made battle before Petram Pisadam with the Moors, the day of the Nativity in the year of our Lord 1084." The two texts differ in the year, and neither specifies the winner of the engagement. The location of Petra Pisata was long thought to be Piedratajada
Piedratajada
Piedratajada is a municipality located in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 168 inhabitants....
, but this is unlikely on linguistic grounds. In a document nearly contemporary with the battle, Peter I of Aragon and Navarre
Peter I of Aragon and Navarre
Peter I was the King of Aragon and Navarre for a decade from 1094 until his death. He was the son and successor of Sancho V Ramírez by his first wife, Isabella of Urgell. He was named in honour of Saint Peter, because of his father's special devotion to the Holy See, to which he had made his...
, Sancho's son and successor, enumerated the parishes whose tithes belonged to the church of Santa María of Alquézar
Alquézar
Alquézar 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...
in geographic order from east to west, placing Petra Pisata between Naval and Salinas de Hoz. A forged document from the late twelfth or more likely the thirteenth century purportedly from October 1099 lists the same parishes owing tithes to Alquézar, but in a less orderly manner, naming among them Petra Piza. In the thirteenth century, the name of the site had degenerated further to simply Pisa, which has been identified with the coto redondo de Pisa, a collection of farms south of Naval.
The Reconquista of the what are today the comarcas of Bajo Cinca, Cinca Medio
Cinca Medio
The Cinca Medio is a is a comarca in eastern Aragon, Spain. It is named after river Cinca.This comarca is bordered on the northwest by the Somontano de Barbastro comarca, to the east by La Litera and the south by the Bajo Cinca and Monegros....
, Ribagorza, Sobrarbe
Sobrarbe
Sobrarbe is one of the Comarcas of Aragon, Spain. It is located in the northern part of the province of Huesca, part of the autonomous community of Aragon in Spain...
and Somontano de Barbastro
Somontano de Barbastro
Somontano de Barbastro is a comarca in Huesca Province, Aragon, Spain.Somontano borders the counties of Sobrarbe and Alto Gállego to the north, Ribagorza and La Litera to the east, Cinca Medio to the southwest, the Monegros desert to the south and Hoya de Huesca to the west.As its Latin name...
was effected along two ancient routes, probably of Roman origin
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
. One followed the river Ésera
Ésera
The Ésera or Éssera is a tributary of the Cinca in the High Aragon. It is part of the valley of the Ebro and its drainage basin. Its etym is Celtic and it is cognate with several European rivers: Isar, Jizera, Isère, Isel, IJssel, and Eisack....
through the important town 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....
south to Monzón
Monzón
Monzón is a small town in the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It has a population of 17,050. It is located in the northeast and adjoins the rivers Cinca and Sosa.-Historical overview:...
and the lower reaches of the river Cinca
Cinca (Spain)
The Cinca is a river in Aragon, Spain. Its source is in the Circo de Pineta, in the Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park, in the Aragonese Pyrenees. It is a tributary to the Segre River, with its confluence at La Granja d'Escarp, not far from the point where the Segre flows into the Ebro River...
. East of the Cinca lay the other route, connecting Boltaña
Boltaña
Boltaña is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 870 inhabitants.Boltaña is the economic development capital of the Sobrarbe comarca.- External links :...
and Barbastro
Barbastro
Barbastro is a city in the Somontano county, province of Huesca, Spain...
. The Reconquista of the Cinca valley and surrounding territory to its west was rapid. By 1049 Perarrúa
Perarrúa
Perarrúa or Perarrua is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 123 inhabitants....
was the most advanced position on the Ésera, held by a don Suniero, and by 1062 Laguarres was the most advanced position on the Isábena
Isábena
Isábena or Isàvena is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 278 inhabitants.The town rises at the feet of the rocky Morrón de Güell mountain range....
. Both faced the formidable city of Graus, which was unsuccessfully besieged as early as 1055 and again in 1063 with disastrous results, finally falling to the Christians on 14 April 1083. By 1083 all lands north of the Sierra de Estada were in Aragonese hands. On the other side of the Cinca the town of Castejón de Sobrarbe fell in 1057 and that of Abizanda
Abizanda
Abizanda is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 131 inhabitants....
in 1059, but further progress was slower. Naval, which was essential to the defence of Barbastro
Barbastro
Barbastro is a city in the Somontano county, province of Huesca, Spain...
(which was briefly occupied in 1063–64
War of Barbastro
The War of Barbastro was an international expedition, sanctioned by Pope Alexander II, to take the Spanish city of Barbastro from the Moors. A large army composed of elements from all over Western Europe took part in the successful siege of the city...
), and Arguedas were not taken until 1084, and shortly lost to the Moors for a decade.
Since Piedra Pisada (Pisa) lies on the road south from Naval, the Aragonese army would have had to bypass an important enemy fortification in order to fight there, unless Naval had already been taken. It is most likely therefore that the date of 1084 found in the Latin chronicle is correct. Since the loss of Naval posed a threat to Barbastro, it is likely that forces from the taifa were sent to retake it later in 1084 and that it was these forces which Sancho Ramírez met on the road south from Naval. Since neither surviving record of the battle, both Christian, records the outcome and Naval is known to have lapsed out of Christian control soon after its conquest, it is probable that the battle was a loss for Sancho.
In the aftermath of the defeat at Piedra Pisada, in 1085 Sancho invested his son Peter as king of Ribagorza and Sobrarbe under Aragonese suzerainty. Estada
Estada
Estada is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 192 inhabitants....
was conquered in July 1087, and Monzón with the aid of some defecting Muslims in 1089. In 1095 Peter accepted the surrender of the garrison of the castle Naval, and in October 1099 he made an accord with its Christian populators.