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Sources

Background

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Moorish threat to Castile

Preparations

Algeciras

Phases of the siege

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Opening moves: August 1342 – October 1342

First winter: November 1342 – April 1343

Both sides receive reinforcements: May 1343 – September 1343

Moroccan troops cross the strait: October 1343 – November 1343

Battle of the River Palmones: December 1343

Blockade and capitulation: January 1344 – March 1344

Aftermath

Notes and references

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Notes

Citations

Sources

Further reading

Siege of Algeciras (1342–1344)

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Coordinates: 36°07′39″N 05°27′14″W

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Siege of Algeciras (1342–1344)

Part of the Battle of the Strait during the Reconquista

Satellite pictures of Algeciras

Date 3 August 1342 – 26 March 1344

Location

Algeciras

36°07′39″N 05°27′14″W

Result Decisive Castillian victory

Belligerents

Morocco Sultanate of Morocco

Emirate of Granada Crown of Castile

Republic of Genoa

Kingdom of Aragon

Kingdom of Portugal

Kingdom of Navarre

European crusaders

Commanders and leaders

Morocco Abu al-Hasan Ali

Yusuf I Alfonso XI

Algeciras is located in SpainAlgecirasAlgeciras

Location in Spain

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Battles in the Reconquista

The siege of Algeciras (1342–1344) was undertaken during the Reconquest of Spain by the Castillian
forces of Alfonso XI assisted by the fleets of the Kingdom of Aragon and the Republic of Genoa. The
objective was to capture the Muslim city of Al-Jazeera Al-Khadra, called Algeciras by Christians. The
city was the capital and the main port of the European territory of the Marinid Empire.
The siege lasted for twenty one months. The population of the city, about 30,000 people including
civilians and Berber soldiers, suffered from a land and sea blockade that prevented the entry of food
into the city. The Emirate of Granada sent an army to relieve the city, but it was defeated beside the
Río Palmones. Following this, on 26 March 1344 the city surrendered and was incorporated into the
Crown of Castile. This was one of the first military engagements in Europe where gunpowder was
used.

Sources

Despite the remarkable significance of the siege and fall of Algeciras, there are few contemporary
written sources that recount the events. The most important work is the Chronicle of Alfonso XI,
which tells the main events of the reign of King Alfonso XI, and whose chapters describing the siege
of Algeciras were written by the royal scribes in the Christian camp. This book recounts in detail the
events as seen from outside the city, devoting a chapter to each month. Other Castillian works are
the Poem of Alfonso Onceno, called the "rhyming chronicle", written by Rodrigo Yáñez, and the
Letters of Mateo Merced, Vice Admiral of Aragon, with a report to his king on the entry of the troops
into the city.[1][2]

All of these sources tell of the siege of the city from the perspective of the besiegers. No accounts of
the events as seen from inside the city have survived to modern times. There is a total absence of
Muslim sources, perhaps because of the absence of good writers in the city or perhaps due to a
desire not to dwell on the loss of such an important city. Translations of some of the few Arabic texts
that refer indirectly to the loss of the city are all that is available to cover this aspect of the history of
the siege.[3]

Background

Moorish threat to Castile

Algeciras was formerly part of the Emirate of Granada. In 1329 the city was taken over by the King of
Morocco, who made it the capital of his European domains. Forces from Granada and Morocco
recovered the nearby city of Gibraltar in 1333. In 1338 Abd-Al-Malik, son of the king of Morocco and
ruler of Algeciras and Ronda, launched raids against the Castilian territories in the south of the
Iberian Peninsula. In one of these raids he was killed by Castilian soldiers and his body taken back to
Algeciras, where it was buried.[4]

Abd-Al-Malik's father Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Othman crossed the strait in 1340, defeated a Spanish
fleet and landed in the city. On the grave of his son he swore to defeat the Castilian king. He first
went to the town of Tarifa, to which he laid siege. King Alfonso XI of Castile, overwhelmed by the
incursions of the new North African force and the possibility of losing the city of Tarifa, gathered an
army with the help of King Afonso IV of Portugal.[5] The two armies, Castilian-Portuguese and
Moroccan-Granadan, clashed near Tarifa's Los Lances beach in the Battle of Río Salado (30 October
1340). The defeat of the Muslims in this battle encouraged Alfonso XI and convinced him of the need
to take the city of Algeciras, since it was the main port of entry of troops from Africa.[6]

Preparations

Strait of Gibraltar during the Siege of Algeciras

Torre de los Adalides (Tower of the Champions)

Starting in 1341, Alfonso XI began to prepare the necessary troops to lay siege to the city. He
ordered construction of several ships and secured the services of the Genoese fleet of Egidio
Boccanegra and squadrons from Portugal and Aragon. On land, besides his Castilian troops and
troops from Aragon, there were many European crusaders, and he was supported by the kings of
England and France.[7] The campaign was financed by extending the alcabala tax on bread, wine,
fish, and clothing to include sales of all goods. The courts of Burgos, León, Ávila, and Zamora were
called in 13