Siege of Coimbra (1117) | |||||||
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Part of Reconquista | |||||||
Medieval gateway in Coimbra. | |||||||
| |||||||
Belligerents | |||||||
Almoravids | County of Portugal | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Theresa, Countess of Portugal | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
Unknown | Thousands dead |
The siege of Coimbra of 1117 was a military engagement between the forces of the Almoravid dynasty and those of the County of Portugal in the city of Coimbra. In 1117, the Almoravids launched a campaign into the County of Portugal to attack the city of Coimbra and withdrew after failing to capture it.
In 1111, the Almoravids attacked Portugal, captured Santarém and raided as far as Coimbra. [4] A Moorish attack on Coimbra had been anticipated before the death of Count Henry, but it did not take place until 1116. In this year, the Almoravid forces led by Abdul-Malik seized two fortresses that protected the city, Miranda de Beira and Santa Eulalia. They put the garrison of the first to the sword and enslaved the second, including its governor, Diogo. The defenders of Soure thinking resistance was useless, left their base and took shelter in Coimbra. This attack effectively destroyed the outer defenses of Coimbra. [5]
In 1117, the Almoravids, led by Ali ibn Yusuf landed at Montemor-o-Velho and Portuguese lands again. [6] He brought African forces reinforced by Andalusians, as many as the "grains of the sand of the sea," according to one chronicle. [7]
The Almoravids attacked the outskirts, killing and enslaving. The Portuguese weren't able to push back the Almoravids, and many retreated within the castle, including countess Theresa. The city was surrounded for 20 days and the suburbs sacked. [8] The Almoravids subjected Coimbra to daily assaults, however they were ultimately unable to take it and the walled city remained undamaged. [9] [10] [11] [12]
Ali then withdrew from the city to Seville. Keeping Coimbra would have proven hard for the Almoravids to defend in a hostile land. [13] [14] [15] [16]
The siege of Coimbra marked the height of Almoravid power in Iberia. [17] After the successful defense of Coimbra, Countess Theresa started addressing herself as queen. [18]
Sancho I of Portugal, nicknamed "the Populator", King of Portugal was the second but only surviving legitimate son and fifth child of Afonso I of Portugal by his wife, Maud of Savoy. Sancho succeeded his father and was crowned in Coimbra when he was 31 years old on 9 December 1185. He used the title King of Silves from 1189 until he lost the territory to Almohad control in 1191.
Theresa was Countess of Portugal, and for a time claimant to be its independent Queen. She rebelled against her half-sister Queen Urraca of León. She was recognised as Queen by Pope Paschal II in 1116, but was captured and forced to accept Portugal's vassalage to León in 1121, being allowed to keep her royal title. Her political alliance and amorous liaison with Galician nobleman Fernando Pérez de Traba led to her being ousted by her son, Afonso Henriques, who with the support of the Portuguese nobility and clergy, defeated her at the Battle of São Mamede in 1128.
João Gonçalves Zarco was a Portuguese explorer who established settlements and recognition of the Madeira Islands, and was appointed first captain of Funchal by Henry the Navigator.
This is a timeline of notable events during the period of Muslim presence in Iberia, starting with the Umayyad conquest in the 8th century.
This is a historical timeline of Portugal.
Montemor-o-Velho is a town and municipality of the Coimbra District, in Portugal. The population of the municipality in 2011 was 26,171, in an area of 228.96 km².
SisnandoDavides was a Mozarab nobleman and military leader of the Reconquista, born in Tentúgal, near Coimbra. He was a contemporary and acquaintance of El Cid, but his sphere of activity was in Iberia's southwest.
Castle of Penela is located in a Penela town in Penela Municipality in Coimbra District, Portugal. The castle was built on a hill dominating the area and used to be a stronghold protecting Coimbra in times of Reconquista. Castle of Penela and the neighboring castle Montemor-o-Velho are both fine examples of defensive structures of that period.
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The conquest of Santarém took place on 15 March 1147, when the troops of the Kingdom of Portugal under the leadership of Afonso I of Portugal captured the Taifa of Badajoz city of Santarém.
Martin of Soure or Martin Arias was a Portuguese captive canon.
In 1111, the Almoravids launched a campaign into the County of Portugal to capture the territories of western Iberia that had already been held by the Almoravids in 1094.
Portuguese participation in the Reconquista occurred from when the County of Portugal was founded in 868 and continued for 381 years until the last cities still in Muslim control in the Algarve were captured in 1249. Portugal was created during this prolonged process and largely owes its geographic form to it.
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