Battle of Ceuta (1182)

Last updated
Battle of Ceuta (1182)
Part of Reconquista
Date17 September 1182
Location
Result Almohad victory
Belligerents
PortugueseFlag1143.svg Kingdom of Portugal Flag of Almohad Dynasty (1147-1269).svg Almohad Caliphate
Commanders and leaders
PortugueseFlag1143.svg Fuas Roupinho  Unknown
Strength
21 ships 54 ships
Casualties and losses
11 ships lost Unknown

The Battle of Ceuta took place in 1182, pitting the Portuguese and Almohad fleets off the coast of Ceuta. The Portuguese suffered a bitter defeat, losing a significant portion of their fleet, including their renowned admiral Fuas Ropinho.

Contents

Background

In 1180, Portugal commissioned its inaugural fleet in history [1] And achieved significant successes against Almohad ships at Cape Espichel [2] [3] then Ceuta [4] [5] In June 1182, the Portuguese fleet faced a severe setback against the Almohad fleets of Ceuta and Seville in the Battle of Silves. The Portuguese lost 20 to 30 ships and 1,800 prisoners in this defeat. [1] [6]

Battle

In 1182, following the setback near Silves, Fuas Ropinho, the admiral of the Portuguese fleet, decided to launch a new raid on Ceuta with a naval force of 21 galleys. However, the Portuguese navy was struck by a storm on the Algarve coast, forcing him to enter the Mediterranean. On 17 September, Fuas found himself in Ceuta, surrounded by a large Almohad fleet of 54 galleys who had already learned of the upcoming raid. The Portuguese chose to fight despite the inequality of the forces. The Portuguese were defeated with a loss of 11 galleys, and Fuas was killed. The remaining ships returned to the kingdom, reporting the news of the defeat. [7] [8] [3] [4] [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1147</span> Calendar year

Year 1147 (MCXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1226</span> Calendar year

Year 1226 (MCCXXVI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1232</span> Calendar year

Year 1232 (MCCXXXII) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1180</span> Calendar year

Year 1180 (MCLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1169</span> Calendar year

Year 1169 (MCLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1162</span> Calendar year

Year 1162 (MCLXII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1160</span> Calendar year

Year 1160 (MCLX) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1249</span> Calendar year

Year 1249 (MCCXLIX) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar.

Year 987 (CMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portuguese conquest of Ceuta</span> 1415 conflict between Portugal and Marinid Morocco

The Portuguese conquest of Ceuta took place on 21 August 1415, between Portuguese forces under the command of King John I of Portugal and the Marinid sultanate of Morocco at the city of Ceuta. The city's defenses fell under Portuguese control after a carefully prepared attack, and the successful capture of the city marked the beginning of the Portuguese Empire. Ceuta was held under Portuguese control until being transferred to Spain in 1668.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abd al-Mu'min</span> Founder and Caliph of the Almohad Caliphate from 1133 to 1163

Abd al Mu'min was a prominent member of the Almohad movement. Although the Almohad movement itself was founded by Ibn Tumart, Abd al-Mu’min was the founder of the ruling dynasty and creator of the Almohad empire. As a leader of the Almohad movement he became the first Caliph of the Almohad Empire in 1133, after the death in 1130 of the movement's founder, Ibn Tumart, and ruled until his death in 1163. Abd al-Mu'min put his predecessor's doctrine of Almohadism into practice, defeated the Almoravids, and extended his rule across Al-Andalus and as far as Tunis in Ifriqiya, thus bringing the Maghreb in North Africa and Al-Andalus in Europe under one creed and one government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingdom of the Algarve</span> 1249–1910 nominal kingdom in southern Portugal

The Kingdom of the Algarve, after 1471, Kingdom of the Algarves, was a nominal kingdom within the Kingdom of Portugal, located in the southernmost region of continental Portugal, until the end of the monarchy in 1910.

The Murīdūn ("disciples") were a Sufi order in al-Andalus that rebelled against the authority of the Almoravid dynasty in 1141 and ruled a taifa based on Mértola in the al-Gharb from 1144 until 1151.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Place Bou Jeloud</span> Public square in Fes, Morocco

Place Bou Jeloud, also known as Place Pacha el-Baghdadi, is a large public square in Fes, Morocco, located west of Bab Bou Jeloud gate.

The Almohad Caliphate launched a major offensive against the Kingdom of Portugal in the spring of 1190 that lasted into the summer of 1191. The Caliph Yaʿqūb al-Manṣūr crossed over from Africa to take personal command of his forces. The campaign of 1190 was underwhelming because of assistance Portugal received from passing armies of the Third Crusade. The sieges of Tomar, Santarém and Silves had to be abandoned, but the caliph overwintered in Seville. The campaign of 1191 reversed Portugal's recent reconquests, captured Silves after a second siege and pushed the frontier north to the Tagus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Silves (1189)</span>

The siege of Silves was an action of the Third Crusade and the Portuguese Reconquista in 1189. The city of Silves in the Almohad Caliphate was besieged from 21 July until 3 September by the forces of Portugal and a group of crusaders from northern Europe on their way to the siege of Acre. The defenders capitulated on terms, the city was handed over to Portugal and the crusaders took a portion of the spoils.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Alcácer do Sal</span> Part of the Fifth Crusade and the Reconquista (1217)

The siege of Alcácer do Sal lasted from 30 July to 18 October 1217. The well fortified city of Alcácer do Sal was a frontier outpost of the Almohad Caliphate facing Portugal. It was besieged by forces from Portugal, León, the military orders and the Fifth Crusade. The latter were led by Count William I of Holland. The expedition was the brainchild of Bishop Soeiro II of Lisbon, whose diocese was threatened by regular raids from Alcácer. King Afonso II of Portugal did not take part in person, but the city was incorporated into his kingdom after its capitulation. The crusaders who took part in the siege, mainly from the Rhineland and the Low Countries, did so without papal authorization and were afterwards ordered to continue on to the Holy Land.

The Battle of Silves took place in June 1182 between the Almohad fleet and a Portuguese fleet off the coast of Silves. The Almohad fleet inflicted a severe defeat on the Portuguese.

The Battle of Cape Espichel took place on 29 July 1180 between the fleets of the Kingdom of Portugal and the Almohad Caliphate, off Cape Espichel, Atlantic Ocean, on the coast of Setúbal. The Portuguese left the battle victorious and it marked their first naval battle in history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spanish Christian–Muslim War of 1172–1212</span> Conflict between Christians and Muslims during the Reconquista

The Spanish Christian–Muslim War of 1172–1212 was fought between the Spanish Christian kingdoms of Castile, Aragon, Navarre and Portugal and the Almohad Caliphate during the Reconquista. It began when the Almohad caliph Yusuf I attacked Castile from Cuenca in 1172 and ended after the Christian victory at the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212 but small skirmishes still occurred after the battle.

References

  1. 1 2 Cressier, Patrice (2006). La maîtrise de l'eau en al-Andalus: paysages, pratiques et techniques (in French). Casa de Velázquez. ISBN   978-84-95555-69-4.
  2. Moing, Guy Le (2016-03-24). L'Histoire de la marine pour les Nuls (in French). edi8. p. 506. ISBN   978-2-7540-8805-3.
  3. 1 2 Picard, Christophe (1997-01-01). La Mer et les musulmans d'Occident au Moyen Âge: VIIIe-XIIIe siècle (in French). Presses universitaires de France (réédition numérique FeniXX). p. 224. ISBN   978-2-13-068087-1.
  4. 1 2 Schäfer, Heinrich (1840). Histoire de Portugal: depuis sa séperation de la Castille jusqu'à nos jours (in French). Parent-Desbarres. p. 588.
  5. Cherif, Mohamed (1996). Ceuta aux époques almohade et mérinide (in French). Harmattan. ISBN   978-2-7384-4029-7.
  6. Picard, Christophe (1997). L'océan Atlantique musulman: de la conquête arabe à l'époque almohade : navigation et mise en valeur des côtes d'al-Andalus et du Maghreb occidental (Portugal-Espagne-Maroc) (in French). Maisonneuve & Larose. ISBN   978-2-7068-1254-5.
  7. Antonio Feliciano de Castilho (2010), Obras completas de A. F. de Castilho: Quadros historicos de Portugal p. 64
  8. O Panorama: Semanario de Litteratura E Instruccao, Vol. IV, p. 62
  9. Hespéris : Archives berbères et Bulletin de l'Institut des hautes études marocaines : Tome 42, Paris, Larose, 1955.