Battle of Granada
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Granada was a siege
of the city of Granada
fought over a period of months leading up to its surrender on January 2, 1492. The city was captured by the combined forces of Aragon
and Castile
from the armies of the Muslim
Emirate of Granada
. Granada's Moorish
forces were led by Emir
Muhammad XII of Granada (King Boabdil).
Since the spring of 1491, Granada had been all that was left of the former Moorish Kingdom of Al-Andalus
when the Spanish forces of King Ferdinand II of Aragon
and Queen Isabella I of Castile
laid siege to the walled city. After several attempts to disperse the besiegers had been defeated, Boabdil attempted to raise support from the Islamic Marinid state in Morocco
. He negotiated a four month truce with the Spanish whereby he would surrender if no help was received by the expiry of the truce. Following the development of Nasrid-Ottoman relations, only limited help came from the Ottomans, who dispatched admiral Kemal Reis
to raid the Spanish coast.
Significant support failed to materialise and, on the agreed date the city capitulated. The Ottoman fleet was used to rescue refugees and ferry them to the coast of North Africa
.
This relatively small campaign was of momentous consequences as Granada was the last outpost of Al-Andalus
in Spain and its fall brought to an end 780 years of Muslim control in the Iberian peninsula
. It also marked the final act in the Reconquista
, the campaign by the medieval Christian states of Spain to drive out the Moorish invaders.
Granada still celebrates the 2nd of January. The Fall of Granada would soon be followed by a wave of Spanish expansion into Northern Africa, starting with the Conquest of Melilla
on the coast of Morocco
in 1497.
Siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit". Generally speaking, siege warfare is a form of constant, low intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static...
of the city of Granada
Granada
Granada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of three rivers, the Beiro, the Darro and the Genil. It sits at an elevation of 738 metres above sea...
fought over a period of months leading up to its surrender on January 2, 1492. The city was captured by the combined forces of Aragon
Crown of Aragon
The Crown of Aragon Corona d'Aragón Corona d'Aragó Corona Aragonum controlling a large portion of the present-day eastern Spain and southeastern France, as well as some of the major islands and mainland possessions stretching across the Mediterranean as far as Greece...
and Castile
Crown of Castile
The Crown of Castile was a medieval and modern state in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and parliaments of the kingdoms of Castile and León upon the accession of the then King Ferdinand III of Castile to the vacant Leonese throne...
from the armies of the Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
Emirate of Granada
Emirate of Granada
The Emirate of Granada , also known as the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada , was an emirate established in 1238 following the defeat of Muhammad an-Nasir of the Almohad dynasty by an alliance of Christian kingdoms at the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212...
. Granada's Moorish
Moors
The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of the Maghreb region who are predominately of Berber and Arab descent. They came to conquer and rule the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years. At that time they were Muslim, although earlier the people had followed...
forces were led by Emir
Emir
Emir , meaning "commander", "general", or "prince"; also transliterated as Amir, Aamir or Ameer) is a title of high office, used throughout the Muslim world...
Muhammad XII of Granada (King Boabdil).
Since the spring of 1491, Granada had been all that was left of the former Moorish Kingdom of Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus was the Arabic name given to a nation and territorial region also commonly referred to as Moorish Iberia. The name describes parts of the Iberian Peninsula and Septimania governed by Muslims , at various times in the period between 711 and 1492, although the territorial boundaries...
when the Spanish forces of King Ferdinand II of Aragon
Ferdinand II of Aragon
Ferdinand the Catholic was King of Aragon , Sicily , Naples , Valencia, Sardinia, and Navarre, Count of Barcelona, jure uxoris King of Castile and then regent of that country also from 1508 to his death, in the name of...
and Queen Isabella I of Castile
Isabella I of Castile
Isabella I was Queen of Castile and León. She and her husband Ferdinand II of Aragon brought stability to both kingdoms that became the basis for the unification of Spain. Later the two laid the foundations for the political unification of Spain under their grandson, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor...
laid siege to the walled city. After several attempts to disperse the besiegers had been defeated, Boabdil attempted to raise support from the Islamic Marinid state in Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
. He negotiated a four month truce with the Spanish whereby he would surrender if no help was received by the expiry of the truce. Following the development of Nasrid-Ottoman relations, only limited help came from the Ottomans, who dispatched admiral Kemal Reis
Kemal Reis
Kemal Reis was a Turkish privateer and admiral of the Ottoman Empire. He was also the paternal uncle of the famous Ottoman admiral and cartographer Piri Reis who accompanied him in most of his important naval expeditions....
to raid the Spanish coast.
Significant support failed to materialise and, on the agreed date the city capitulated. The Ottoman fleet was used to rescue refugees and ferry them to the coast of North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
.
This relatively small campaign was of momentous consequences as Granada was the last outpost of Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus was the Arabic name given to a nation and territorial region also commonly referred to as Moorish Iberia. The name describes parts of the Iberian Peninsula and Septimania governed by Muslims , at various times in the period between 711 and 1492, although the territorial boundaries...
in Spain and its fall brought to an end 780 years of Muslim control in the Iberian peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
. It also marked the final act in the Reconquista
Reconquista
The Reconquista was a period of almost 800 years in the Middle Ages during which several Christian kingdoms succeeded in retaking the Muslim-controlled areas of the Iberian Peninsula broadly known as Al-Andalus...
, the campaign by the medieval Christian states of Spain to drive out the Moorish invaders.
Granada still celebrates the 2nd of January. The Fall of Granada would soon be followed by a wave of Spanish expansion into Northern Africa, starting with the Conquest of Melilla
Conquest of Melilla
The Conquest of Melilla occurred in September 1497, when a Spanish fleet seized the North African enclave of Melilla.Plans for the conquest occurred as soon as the Fall of Granada in 1492. Spanish captains Lezcano and Lorenzo Zafra visited the coast of Northern Africa to identify possible locations...
on the coast of Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
in 1497.