Battle of the Navas de Tolosa

During the Reconquest period we will find a large number of confrontations between the Christian kingdoms and the Muslim forces; however, few battles have managed to go down in history as fundamental events. In this lesson from a TEACHER we bring you a summary of the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa, a warlike confrontation that led to the entry of the Christian kingdoms into Andalusia, thus beginning the decline of Muslim rule in the Peninsula.

Index

1. The prelude to the battle of Navas de Tolosa
2. The battle of Navas de Tolosa
3. Consequences of victory over Muslim troops
4. The forces that clashed in battle

Alfonso VIII of Castile had been defeated in the battle of Alarcos in the year 1195 before the Almohad troops, which had reinforced the dominion over the territory and had carried out endless races in the Christian territories.

In this way he asked Pope Innocent III for help to carry out a bull in support of the Holy War within the Peninsula, thus

He got a crusade bull by which many foreign soldiers would come to the Peninsula, mainly from France. Likewise (and thanks to said letter) both Pedro II of Aragon, as Sancho VII of Navarra and Alfonso II of Portugal, would join the cause.

In 1211 the preparations for the confrontation began Alfonso VIII mobilizing his troops towards Toledo, along with the rest of the Christian monarchs.

Continuing with our summary on the battle of Las Navas de Tolosa, we will place ourselves on July 13, 1212, at which time the one that the Christian armies reached Las Navas (Jaén), the place where the first confrontations took place without importance.

The battle took place on July 16, 1212, being the Christian armies the ones that began the attack. For this, three different fronts were created and, in this way, they were able to divide the Muslim troops.

At first we will find that the christian advance commanded by Diego López de Haro was at a clear disadvantage before the attack of the Muslim light cavalry, since it tried on several occasions to surround the Christians. Seeing this possible technique used in the battle of Alarcos, Alfonso VIII decided to reinforce the flanks of the advance party with the heavy cavalry, creating a strong rout by the army Muslim.

A) Yes the Christian army entered the real of the caliph, An-Nasir that, to be invaded by these, hurriedly marched towards Jaén. For about 25 kilometers, the Christian troops pursued the Muslims, hunting down some and killing most, while the monarchs fought back. They distributed the spoils of war, being a very important element the banner of the Navas de Tolosa that is in the monastery of Las Huelgas in the city of Burgos.

Image: History Magazine

Continuing with our summary of the battle of Las Navas de Tolosa, we must see the consequences that this confrontation had for both sides.

First of all, we must know that, although the Christian troops won the battle, the Almohad Empire continued to exist for a time, making it impossible, therefore, to affirm that this battle caused a great feeling of guilt among Muslims. In this way, some new places were obtained at the beginning of what we know as Andalusia, some of these being Baeza, Úbeda, Tolosa... although some of them had to be abandoned shortly after due to new attacks Andalusians.

Nevertheless, total control of the plain of Castilla la Mancha was achieved, in addition to various accesses to the Sierra Morena, a place that was handed over to military orders for their protection. It was for this reason that a large number of fortresses were built, the labor used being prisoners of war.

To conclude with our summary of the battle of Las Navas de Tolosa, we have to know the forces that faced each other in order to better understand the importance and repercussion that this confrontation brought.

Christian army

According to various calculations, it has been concluded that the army made up of the various Christian kingdoms was about 12,000 men approximately, of which, about 4,000 were knights, while the rest, that is, about 8,000, was made up of infantry and auxiliaries.

Being the Castilian group the one that contributed the most to the cause (also due to the fact that it was the promoter and the most powerful kingdom of the peninsula at that time) within this we will also find the various military orders that supported the monarch. Inside the Christian army the most important weight was carried by the heavy cavalry that although she was slow, she was well equipped, which made her less likely to fall in the heat of battle.

Andalusian Army

We can say that said faction was much broader than the Christian, the most reasonable calculations on the battlefield being about 20.000Although the chronicles of the moment spoke of a much larger group, something unthinkable for that moment.

What we can accept was a much larger army and that it was made up of pawns, auxiliary troops who were the first to enter. Archers and light cavalry was a very important part within the Muslim army, because they were those who were in charge of cornering their enemies to reduce their power, which happened in the battle of Alarcos.

The regular army, which consisted of an infantry and cavalry well equipped and hardened in innumerable battles; and, finally, the Black Guard, which was an elite body, made up of sub-Saharan slaves whose mission was to protect the caliph.

Image: Forocoches

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