Siege of al-Dāmūs

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The siege of al-Dāmūs was a battle of the Reconquista that occurred in the year 1210. The forces of the Kingdom of Aragon, together with auxiliary forces of the Knights Templar and Knights Hospitaller, were pitted against the defending forces of the Almohades. The Christian forces defeated the Muslim defenders. This battle was significant because in taking the castle at Ademuz, the Christian forces riled their Muslim opponents to initiate a grand offensive that would eventually culminate in the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa. This offensive, in turn, marked the end of the Islamic domination of the region and the beginning of Christian rule in the province.

Siege of al-Dāmūs
Part of the Reconquista (Aragonese conquest of Valencia) and Spanish Christian–Muslim War of 1172–1212

The castle at Ademuz.
Date1210
Location
Result Recapture of the city by Christian forces.
Belligerents
Crown of Aragon
Knights Hospitaller
Knights Templar
Almohad Caliphate
Commanders and leaders
Peter II of Aragon
Pedro de Montagut
Unknown

Context

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In 1210, the Almohad Empire, who controlled the Balearic Islands (conquered in 1203), launched a great incursion into the Catalan coast led by Abubola the Elder.[1][2] The Muslim forces, being the combined forces from the Maghreb and Al-Andalus, disembarked and began pillaging the countryside seizing much booty and captives in the process.

In March 1210, in response to the Almohad incursion, King Peter II of Aragon, who was at the time in the city of Monzón, gathered an army to attack the Moors of the Taifa of Valencia.[3] Within the objectives of this campaign lay Al-Dāmūs (Spanish: Ademuz), one of the fortresses that formed the defensive net of the Turia River.

Siege

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In the middle of 1210, Al-Dāmūs was conquered by Peter II of Aragon with the help of the Knights Hospitaller and the Knights Templar.

Among the knights who participated in the campaign were

Consequences

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The offensive continued until the Christian forces finally took the Castle of Serreilla.[5]

Pedro del Pomar was charged by King Peter II of Aragon to repopulate all the lands won by the conquest with Christians from the surrounding kingdoms.[6]

The loss of Ademuz and the devastation caused by the campaign, troubled the Almohades so much that they sent a delegation of nobles from Sharq Al-Andalus to Marrakech to beg Muhammad al-Nasir for reinforcements. This was one of the motivating factors that led to the launch of the Muslim expedition that would culminate in the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212. This would in turn end the supremacy of Al-Andalus in the Iberian Peninsula.[1]

The fortress fell into Almohad hands later in 1210 in an offensive that also recaptured Castielfabib, but failed to reach Moya.[7]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Antoni Rovira i Virgili, Història Nacional de Catalunya, volumen IV, pág. 458-9
  2. ^ "De re Militari: Cronología Emires, Califas y Reyes de Al Andalus". Remilitari.com. Retrieved 2013-10-25.
  3. ^ a b c Jerónimo Zurita. "Anales de Aragón, cap. LX" (PDF). Arbil.org. Retrieved 2013-10-25.
  4. ^ Coll i Alentorn, Miquel . (1992-11-26). Histňria. L'Abadia de Montserrat. ISBN 9788478263615. Retrieved 2013-10-25.
  5. ^ "Cronología de la Meseta del Cabriel" (PDF). Archivo Municipal de Requena. Retrieved 2013-10-25.
  6. ^ "Web oficial de Camarena de la Sierra". Camarenadelasierra.com. Archived from the original on 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2013-10-25.
  7. ^ "Castillo de Los Bobadilla, Moya | TCLM". Turismocastillalamancha.com. Retrieved 2013-10-25.
  • The information and sources of this article were translated from its Spanish equivalent.

Bibliography

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  • Eslava Blasco, Raúl: Ademuz y su patrimonio histórico-artístico. Ademuz, 2007. ISBN 978-84-606-4251-0

40°04′N 1°17′W / 40.067°N 1.283°W / 40.067; -1.283