Battle of Valdejunquera
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Valdejunquera was a victory for the Islamic Emirate of Córdoba over the Christian
armies of the kingdoms of León
and Navarre
that took place in a valley called Iuncaria (Junquera) in 920 as part of the Córdoban "Campaign of Muez" (Campaña de Muez), which was directed primarily against the southern line of defences of the County of Castile along the Duero. The earliest reference to the battle is found in the Chronicon of Sampiro
, a Leonese cleric, written probably in the late 980s.
According to Sampiro, the "Agarenes" (descendants of Hagar
, i.e. the Muslims) arrived at Mois (Muez), threatening the kingdom of Navarre, whose king, Sancho Garcés I
requested the aid of Ordoño II of León
. The Leonese king encountered the Muslims—whom we know from other sources to have been under the command of their emir, ‘Abdarrahmān III—in the Valdejunquera and was routed. Two of his bishops, Dulcidio and Ermogio, were taken captive to Córdoba
. In exchange for his uncle's freedom, Ermogio's nephew Pelagius
, later a martyr, went into captivity instead, while Ordoño ransomed Dulcidio. As a further result of the battle, the fortified site of Clunia
, which had been repopulated
by the Castilian count Gonzalo Fernández
in 912, had to be abandoned. It was in Muslim hands as late as 1007–10.
The exact location of Valdejunquera is unknown. The seventeenth-century Navarrese historian José de Moret located it north of Irujo and south of the sierra of Andía
. He claimed that even in his day the Basques called the region "Iuncadia" in their language. The late eleventh-century Historia Silense
placed the battle in the territory of Sancho Garcés, somewhere between Estella and Pamplona
.
The assignment of the bishops Dulcidio and Ermogio to known dioceses has also been problematic. While Sampiro's continuator, Pelayo of Oviedo, writing in the twelfth century, believed them to be bishops of Salamanca and Tuy, respectively, neither is possible. In 920 the see of Salamanca lay in the depopulated "Desert of the Duero" and that of Tuy had as its bishop a certain Nausto. In studying the texts of Sampiro and Pelayo, historian Justo Pérez de Urbel concluded that Dulcidio was Bishop of Zamora and Ermogio of Oporto, but with roots in the region of Tuy.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
armies of the kingdoms of León
Kingdom of León
The Kingdom of León was an independent kingdom situated in the northwest region of the Iberian Peninsula. It was founded in AD 910 when the Christian princes of Asturias along the northern coast of the peninsula shifted their capital from Oviedo to the city of León...
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....
that took place in a valley called Iuncaria (Junquera) in 920 as part of the Córdoban "Campaign of Muez" (Campaña de Muez), which was directed primarily against the southern line of defences of the County of Castile along the Duero. The earliest reference to the battle is found in the Chronicon of Sampiro
Sampiro
Sampiro was a Leonese cleric, politician, and intellectual, one of the earliest chroniclers of post-conquest Spain known by name. He was also the Bishop of Astorga from 1034 or 1035 until his death....
, a Leonese cleric, written probably in the late 980s.
According to Sampiro, the "Agarenes" (descendants of Hagar
Hagar (Bible)
Hagar , according to the Abrahamic faiths, was the second wife of Abraham, and the mother of his first son, Ishmael. Her story is recorded in the Book of Genesis, mentioned in Hadith, and alluded to in the Qur'an...
, i.e. the Muslims) arrived at Mois (Muez), threatening the kingdom of Navarre, whose king, Sancho Garcés I
Sancho I of Pamplona
Sancho I Garcés was king of Pamplona from 905 to 925. He was a son of García Jiménez, who was king of "another part of the kingdom" of Pamplona and Dadildis de Pallars, his second wife...
requested the aid of Ordoño II of León
Ordoño II of León
Ordoño II was king of Galicia from 910, and king of Galicia and León from 914 until his death. He was the second son of King Alfonso III the Great and his wife, Jimena of Pamplona....
. The Leonese king encountered the Muslims—whom we know from other sources to have been under the command of their emir, ‘Abdarrahmān III—in the Valdejunquera and was routed. Two of his bishops, Dulcidio and Ermogio, were taken captive to Córdoba
Córdoba, Spain
-History:The first trace of human presence in the area are remains of a Neanderthal Man, dating to c. 32,000 BC. In the 8th century BC, during the ancient Tartessos period, a pre-urban settlement existed. The population gradually learned copper and silver metallurgy...
. In exchange for his uncle's freedom, Ermogio's nephew Pelagius
Pelagius of Cordova
Saint Pelagius of Cordova is said to have been a Christian boy left by his uncle at the age of ten as a hostage with the Caliph Abd-ar-Rahman III of al-Andalus, in trade for a clerical relative previously captured by the Moors, the bishop Hermoygius. The exchange never occurred and Pelagius...
, later a martyr, went into captivity instead, while Ordoño ransomed Dulcidio. As a further result of the battle, the fortified site of Clunia
Clunia
Clunia was an ancient Roman city. Its remains are located on Alto de Castro, at more than 1000 metres above sea level, between the villages of Peñalba de Castro and Coruña del Conde, 2 km away from the latter, in the province of Burgos in Spain...
, which had been repopulated
Repoblación
The Repoblación was the ninth-century repopulating of a large region between the River Duero and the Cantabrian Cordillera which had been depopulated in the early years of the Reconquista....
by the Castilian count Gonzalo Fernández
Gonzalo Fernández
Gonzalo Fernández may refer to:*Gonzalo Fernández de Traba, Galician nobleman*Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba known as el Gran Capitán, Castilian general and statesman...
in 912, had to be abandoned. It was in Muslim hands as late as 1007–10.
The exact location of Valdejunquera is unknown. The seventeenth-century Navarrese historian José de Moret located it north of Irujo and south of the sierra of Andía
Andia
The Andia Range is a mountain range of western Navarre, Spain, part of the Basque Mountains...
. He claimed that even in his day the Basques called the region "Iuncadia" in their language. The late eleventh-century Historia Silense
Historia silense
The Historia silense, also called the Chronica silense or Historia seminense, is a medieval Latin narrative history of the Iberian Peninsula from the time of the Visigoths to the first years of the reign of Alfonso VI of León and Castile...
placed the battle in the territory of Sancho Garcés, somewhere between Estella and Pamplona
Pamplona
Pamplona 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...
.
The assignment of the bishops Dulcidio and Ermogio to known dioceses has also been problematic. While Sampiro's continuator, Pelayo of Oviedo, writing in the twelfth century, believed them to be bishops of Salamanca and Tuy, respectively, neither is possible. In 920 the see of Salamanca lay in the depopulated "Desert of the Duero" and that of Tuy had as its bishop a certain Nausto. In studying the texts of Sampiro and Pelayo, historian Justo Pérez de Urbel concluded that Dulcidio was Bishop of Zamora and Ermogio of Oporto, but with roots in the region of Tuy.