Conquest of Évora

Conquest of Évora (1165)
Part of the Reconquista
Date1165
Location
Évora, Portugal
Result Portuguese victory
Territorial
changes		 Definitive conquest of Évora by the Christians
Belligerents

Kingdom of Portugal

  • Host of Gerald
 Almohad Caliphate
Commanders and leaders
Gerald the Fearless Unknown
Strength
Unknown Unknown
Casualties and losses
Unknown Unknown
  • v
  • t
  • e
Battles in the Reconquista
8th century
9th century
10th century
11th century
12th century
13th century
14th century
15th century
Post-Reconquista Rebellions
  • 1st Alpujarras
  • 2nd Alpujarras
North Africa
  • v
  • t
  • e
Moroccan–Portuguese conflicts
Iberia
Morocco

The Conquest of Évora in 1165 was an episode of the Reconquista launched by Gerald the Fearless, who conquered the city from the Muslims during the night with a contingent of soldiers. Évora was then handed over to the Afonso I of Portugal and definitively integrated into his Kingdom.

Background

The conquest of the important port city of Alcácer do Sal in 1158, by the king of Portugal made the occupation of the interior Alentejo possible, if not inevitable.[1] Évora was an important city in the west of the Iberian Peninsula and was taken by the Portuguese shortly afterwards. However, the Almohads reconquered it in 1161, following the Battle of Alcácer do Sal, together with all the conquests south of the Tagus except Alcácer do Sal.[2][3] On November 30, 1162, a group of knight-villeins from Santarém conquered Beja during the night, in the same way that Afonso I had conquered Santarém in 1147.

Gerald the Fearless suffered the displeasure of the king Afonso I due to violent crimes, therefore fled from justice, gathered a group of marginal or outlaw warriors around him and gave himself up to a life of rustling cattle, villages and Muslim castles on the Alentejo plain, which would eventually allow him to obtain a royal pardon.[4]

Having on one occasion observed that Évora was poorly defended, the Fearless convinced his soldiers to risk conquering the city through a surprise attack.[4]

The Conquest

Effigy of Gerald the Fearless in Évora's Cathedral.

One night in September or October 1165, Gerald and his men seized a watchtower located on a hill near Évora and killed the sentry, without the city's garrison noticing anything.[4] A detachment then hid near the city, while another approached the gates to provoke the garrison. The alarm was raised and a large contingent of Muslim troops quickly set out in their pursuit.[4]

The men were ambushed, but they climbed the doors while the garrison was outside and conquered the city, with many residents dying in the action.[4] The Muslim forces later returned, upon realizing that the city was now in the hands of the Portuguese. They still tried to recover it, however, in vain; some died in action and abandoned it.[4]

Aftermath

Gerald handed the city over to Afonso I of Portugal in exchange for money and the king not only forgave him but also appointed him as alcaide of Évora.[4] The following year, a new Order of knights settled in Évora to help defend the city but, as it was not authorized by the Pope, they were integrated into the Order of Calatrava, which thus entered Portugal.[5] In 1176, Afonso I donated the town of Coruche to this Order, so that they could build a castle there to protect the road that connected Santarém to Évora.[6]

Cross of the Order of Calatrava

The city was besieged in 1181 by an Almohad army commanded by Mohammed Ibn Iusuf Ibn Wammudin.[7] Évora, however, resisted the incursion and at the beginning of the following year the Muslims were forced to abandon the siege.[7]

When the Almohad Caliph invaded Portugal in 1191 at the head of a huge army, all Portuguese conquests south of the Tagus were lost with the exception of Évora, which remained a Christian enclave surrounded by Muslim territory.[8][9][10][11][12][13][14] Alentejo would only be definitively conquered between 1217 and 1238.

See also

References

  1. ^ Alexandre Herculano: História de Portugal, volume I, 1846, p. 402.
  2. ^ Alexandre Herculano: História de Portugal, volume I, 1846, p. 397.
  3. ^ Lay, S. (2008-11-28). The Reconquest Kings of Portugal: Political and Cultural Reorientation on the Medieval Frontier. Springer. p. 127. ISBN 978-0-230-58313-9.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Samuel A. Dunham: The History of Spain and Portugal, Volume 3, 1832, pp. 184-185.
  5. ^ H. V. Livermore: A History Of Portugal, Cambridge University Press, 1947, p. 99.
  6. ^ Martins, Miguel Gomes (2014-06-01). A arte da guerra em Portugal: 1245 a 1367 (in Portuguese). Coimbra University Press. p. 175. ISBN 978-989-26-0695-8.
  7. ^ a b Carlos Selvagem: Portugal Militar: Compêndio de História Militar e Naval de Portugal Desde as Origens do Estado Portucalense Até o Fim da Dinastia de Bragança, 1931, p. 57.
  8. ^ Barroca, Mário Jorge (2006). "Portugal". In Alan V. Murray (ed.). The Crusades: An Encyclopedia. pp. 979–984.
  9. ^ A history of portugal. CUP Archive. 1947-01-19. p. 103.
  10. ^ Grande enciclopédia portuguesa e brasileira: ilustrada com cêrca de 15.000 gravuras e 400 estampas a côres (in Portuguese). Editorial Enciclopédia. 1959.
  11. ^ Stanislawski, Dan (2014-11-11). The Individuality of Portugal: A Study in Historical-Political Geography. University of Texas Press. p. 175. ISBN 978-1-4773-0509-6.
  12. ^ Kaufmann, J. E.; Kaufmann, H. W. (2019-07-30). Castle to Fortress: Medieval to Post-Modern Fortifications in the Lands of the Former Roman Empire. Pen and Sword. ISBN 978-1-5267-3688-8.
  13. ^ Fiolhais, Carlos; Franco, José Eduardo; Paiva, José Pedro (2021-12-06). The Global History of Portugal: From Pre-History to the Modern World. Liverpool University Press. ISBN 978-1-80207-133-7.
  14. ^ Hyland, Paul (1996). Backwards Out of the Big World: A Voyage Into Portugal. HarperCollins. p. 171. ISBN 978-0-00-255556-2.