Almoravid northern expeditions (1112–1114)

The Almoravid northern expeditions was a series of raids led by Muhammad ibn al-Hajj, the governor of Zaragoza against the Kingdom of Aragon and Catalonia.

Almoravid northern expeditions
Part of the Reconquista
Map of the Iberian Peninsula in 1115
Date 1112–1114 Location Upper March Result Almoravid victory
Belligerents
Almoravid Empire	Kingdom of Aragon Catalan counties
Commanders and leaders
Muhammad ibn al-Hajj	Íñigo Sanz de Laves (POW)
Strength
Unknown	Unknown
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Heavy

Background

In 1110, the Almoravids took control of the Taifa of Zaragoza and its capital Zaragoza. Zaragoza was the most important city in Sharq al-Andalus, as the Almoravids made it the capital of the Upper March (Arabic: الثغر الاعلى). Zaragoza was also a base for the Almoravids to launch campaigns against the Kingdom of Aragon and the Catalan Counties.

Expeditions

In 1112, Ibn al-Hajj left from Zaragoza with his forces heading to the lands of Aragon, where he destroyed the Huesca region and the surrounding cities. The Almoravid forces reached the town of Ayera northeast of Huesca, where they captured and sacked it. Its governor, Íñigo Sanz de Laves, was among the prisoners. The invading forces continued their attacks north, raiding the Cinca River and the foothills of the Pyrenees

Between 1113 and 1114, the Almoravids, led by Ibn al-Hajj, carried out heavy raids on the regions of Huesca and Barbastro. During this campaign, the Almoravids recaptured the towns of Chalamera, Ontiñena, Pomar de Cinca, Sariñena and Velilla de Cinca. The attacks reached Catalonia and the foothills of the Pyrenees. There was no Aragonese or Christian resistance, as Ibn al-Hajj immediately returned to Zaragoza.

Aftermath

The absence of Alfonso I had a profound impact on the southern borders of his kingdom, which he was then tasked with defending. In late 1114, the governors of Zaragoza and Valencia, Muhammad ibn al-Hajj and Muhammad ibn Aisha, launched a campaign against Catalonia. While returning to Zaragoza, they were ambushed at Martorell by Catalan troops, resulting in the deaths of Muhammad ibn al-Hajj.

In 1118, after six years in captivity, Íñigo Sanz de Laves finally paid a ransom of 500 mithqals for himself, his wife, his son and his daughter.

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Further reading

• Stalls, William Clay (1995), Possessing the Land: Aragon's Expansion Into Islam's Ebro Frontier under Alfonso the Battler, 1104–1134 Leiden, Brill