Battle of Moclín (1485)
| Battle of Moclín (1485) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Spanish Reconquista and Granada War | |||||||
 Moclín Castle | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Crown of Castile Order of Calatrava |
 Emirate of Granada | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Diego Fernández de Córdoba (WIA) Martin Alfonso de Montemayor Gonzalez Fernández de Córdoba † |
Muhammad Al-Zagal | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 3,700 men | 20,000 men | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
More than 1,000 killed 100 captured | Unknown | ||||||
The Battle of Moclín or Disaster of Moclín[1] was a military engagement during the Granada War. Ferdinand II of Aragon dispatched a force under the Count of Cabra to capture the city of Moclin. The Granadan forces under Muhammad XIII of Granada were victorious and repelled the Castilian attack.
Background
In 1485, the Catholic Monarchs were preparing several campaigns against the Granadan towns. The Count of Cabra, Diego Fernández de Córdoba, reported to the Monarchs that the city of Moclín was defenseless and that it would be easy to capture. The king agreed to launch an expedition to capture it.[2][3][4] The King entrusted the army to Diego and Martin Alfonso de Montemayor. The King believed that the capture of Moclín would lead to the surrender of Granada. The king dispatched a force of 700 cavalry and 3,000 infantry for the mission.[5] Not all of the King's council approved the mission, but the King nevertheless ordered to do that.[6]
Battle
Diego quickly marched at midnight as he thought the Moors would be seized with terror and flee from Moclín by the cover of darkness. Arriving there on September 2, the Grananda king, Al-Zagal, learned of the upcoming attack and prepared a force of 20,000 cavalry and infantry to fend off the Castilians. Al-Zagal prepared an ambush, hiding the troops well. A force of Granandas attacked the Castilians and made a false retreat. The Castilians followed them but ended up being ambushed and surrounded. Many of the Castilians were killed, including Diego's brother, Gonzalez. Diego was wounded.[7][8]
Diego ordered a retreat while the Granadans were slaughtering them from behind. The whole army could've been destroyed had not the intervention of the Grand Master of Calatrava covered the retreat and forced the Granadans to retreat to Moclín.[9][10] The Castilians suffered more than 1,000 deaths and 100 prisoners. The Granadan king ordered the heads of the dead Castilians cut off and displayed in Granada so the people “would see what kind of king they had chosen.”[11][12]
Aftermath
The king received the news of the defeat, which distressed him. He reprimanded the count for thinking he could defeat a large number of Moors easily.[13] The king abandoned the campaign of Moclín and instead he turned to Cambil and Alhabar, castles southeast of Jaén.[14]
References
- ^ Nicolás Albornoz y Portocarrero, p. 167
- ^ Nicolás Albornoz y Portocarrero, p. 167
- ^ Alonso De Palencia
- ^ Joseph F. O'Callaghan, p. 150
- ^ Alonso De Palencia
- ^ Nicolás Albornoz y Portocarrero, p. 167
- ^ Nicolás Albornoz y Portocarrero, p. 168
- ^ Alonso De Palencia
- ^ Nicolás Albornoz y Portocarrero, p. 168
- ^ Alonso De Palencia
- ^ Joseph F. O'Callaghan, p. 150
- ^ Alonso De Palencia
- ^ Alonso De Palencia
- ^ Joseph F. O'Callaghan, p. 150
Sources
- Nicolás Albornoz y Portocarrero (1909), Historia de la ciudad de Cabra.[1]
- Alonso De Palencia (2011), Guerra de Granada.[2]
- Joseph F. O'Callaghan (2014), The Last Crusade in the West, Castile and the Conquest of Granada.