The Conquest of Asilah ' onMouseout='HidePop("59907")' href="/topics/Portuguese_language">Portuguese

Portuguese language

Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...

: Arzila), took place in Morocco on 24 August, 1471, and opposed the Kingdom of Portugal

Kingdom of Portugal

The Kingdom of Portugal was Portugal's general designation under the monarchy. The kingdom was located in the west of the Iberian Peninsula, Europe and existed from 1139 to 1910...

 and the Wattasid Morocco

Kingdom of Fez

The Kingdom of Fez or Wattasid sultanate was the name given to the northern part of Morocco between 1472 and 1554 with its capital at Fez.The Wattasid are a branch of the Zenete, a Berber clan whose origins lie in what is now modern day Libya....

.

Continuing with his policy of expansion of the Portuguese territories in Morocco, and with the spirit of Crusade against the muslims always present, King Afonso V of Portugal

Afonso V of Portugal

Afonso V KG , called the African , was the twelfth King of Portugal and the Algarves. His sobriquet refers to his conquests in Northern Africa.-Early life:...

 initially sets plans to conquer Tangier

Tangier

Tangier, also Tangiers is a city in northern Morocco with a population of about 700,000 . It lies on the North African coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel...

, but he later changes his plans and decides to conquer Arzila.

Departing from the Portuguese town of Lagos

Lagos, Portugal

Lagos is a municipality at the mouth of Bensafrim River and along the Atlantic Ocean, in the Barlavento region of the Algarve, in southern Portugal....

 with an army of about 30,000 men and 400 ships, Afonso V arrives at the Moroccan coast on the afternoon of 22 August. The Portuguese King then summons his Council for a reunion, and decides to attack Asilah on the morning of the following day. After a troubled disembarkation that resulted in the death of more than 200 men caused by strong winds and waves, Afonso's army reaches the shore and lays siege to the city of Asilah

Asilah

Asilah or Arzila is a fortified town on the northwest tip of the Atlantic coast of Morocco, about 31 km from Tangier. Its ramparts and gateworks remain fully intact...

, conquering it after an hard battle on 24 of August, 1471.

The Count of Valença

Count of Valença

Count of Valença was a Portuguese title of nobility, created by a royal decree, dated from July 20, 1464, by King Afonso V of Portugal, and granted to Dom Henrique de Menezes, who was already 3rd Count of Viana and 4th Count of Viana .However, on November 12, 1471, he gave back to the Crown the...

, Henrique de Menezes, was appointed as the first Portuguese governor of Asilah by King Afonso V.

See also

• History of Portugal
  History of Portugal
  The history of Portugal, a European and an Atlantic nation, dates back to the Early Middle Ages. In the 15th and 16th centuries, it ascended to the status of a world power during Europe's "Age of Discovery" as it built up a vast empire including possessions in South America, Africa, Asia and...
  
  
• History of Morocco
  History of Morocco
  The History of Morocco spans over 12 centuries, without considering the Classical antiquity. The country was first unified by the Idrisid dynasty in 780, representing the first Islamic state in Africa autonomous from the Arab Empire. Under the Almoravid dynasty and the Almohad dynasty, Morocco...
  
  
• Portuguese Empire
  Portuguese Empire
  The Portuguese Empire , also known as the Portuguese Overseas Empire or the Portuguese Colonial Empire , was the first global empire in history...
  
  
• Wattasid dynasty
• House of Avis
• Battle of Ceuta
  Battle of Ceuta
  The Battle of Ceuta and the subsequent conquest of the Wattasid city of Ceuta by the Portuguese had its roots in the earliest years of the House of Aviz dynasty of Portugal...
  
  
• Edward of Portugal
• Henry the Navigator
• Fernando, the Saint Prince
  Fernando, the Saint Prince
  The Blessed Infante Fernando , commonly known as the Saint Prince was an infante of Portugal of the House of Aviz and a saint of the Roman Catholic Church....