The Capture of Aceca was a military engagement between the

Almoravids The Almoravid dynasty () was a Berber Muslim dynasty centered in the territory of present-day Morocco. It established an empire that stretched over the western Maghreb and Al-Andalus, starting in the 1050s and lasting until its fall to the Almo ...

and the

Castilians Castilians () are the inhabitants of the historical region of Castile in central Spain. However, the boundaries of the region are disputed. Not all people in the regions of the medieval Kingdom of Castile or Crown of Castile think of themsel ...

at the fort of Aceca, northwest of

Toledo Toledo most commonly refers to: * Toledo, Spain, a city in Spain * Province of Toledo, Spain * Toledo, Ohio, a city in the United States Toledo may also refer to: Places Belize * Toledo District * Toledo Settlement Bolivia * Toledo, Or ...

. The Almoravids were victorious.

Background

Almoravids continued to harass Toledo under the Almoravid prince, Tashfin bin Ali, the son of

Ali ibn Yusuf Ali ibn Yusuf (also known as "Ali Ben Youssef") () (c. 1084 – 28 January 1143) was the 5th Almoravid emir. He reigned from 1106 to 1143. Early life Ali ibn Yusuf was born in 1084–1085 (477 AH) in Ceuta. He was the son of Yusuf ibn Tashf ...

, who governed Al-Andalus from Gradan in the years 1128–1138. The Almoravids took

Colmenar de Oreja Colmenar de Oreja is a town and municipality of the Las Vegas comarca, in the Community of Madrid, Spain. It was subject to a seven-month siege in 1139. Location It is located in the hydrographic plateau of the rivers Tagus and Tajuña, a ...

as their base in the east and

Calatrava la Vieja Calatrava la Vieja (formerly just ''Calatrava'') is a Middle Ages, medieval site and original nucleus of the Order of Calatrava. It is now part of the Archaeological Parks (''Parques Arqueológicos'') of the Castile-La Mancha, Community of Castile- ...

in the south. Almoravid forces raided

Tagus The Tagus ( ; ; ) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales between Cuenca and Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally westward, and empties into the Atlantic Ocean in Lisbon. Name T ...

and tried to isolate Toleda, however, they did not attempt to hold on forts they captured, instead they destroyed them. One of the chief Christian forts between Toledo and Oreja was the Aceca fort northwest of Toledo.

Battle

In the summer of 1130, during the month of Ramadan, Tashfin left Granada with an army reinforced by forces from Cordoba. Tashfin went to raid Toledo again. The news of the raid arrived the Castilians fortified Toledo. The Almoravids then crossed the Tagus River and headed towards Aceca. Aceca was governed by a Castilian knight from Saldaña, Tello Fernandez, who used the fort to frequently attack the Muslim territory. The Almoravids attacked the fort from midnight until sunset. They successfully stormed the castle and captured it, razing it to the ground. All the Castilian men, numbering 300, were killed while some sources say 180 were killed. Tello Fernandez was captured with other captives. The Almoravids did not attempt to hold it. Tello was taken to Cordoba and then to Morocco where he never returned to his country.

Aftermath

After his victory, the Almoravids assaulted the fort of Bargas where they killed 50 knights, and San Servando where 20 knights were killed. They then returned to Granada where they were well received. Aceca would be later rebuilt by a knight called Gaucelmo de Rivas.Simon Barton, p. 172

References

Sources

*Richard Fletcher & Simon Barton (2000), The World of El Cid, Chronicles of the Spanish Reconques

*Muhammad Abdullah Enan (1963), The State of Islam in Andalusia, Vol. III: The Era of Almoravids and Almohads, Part

*Derek W. Lomax (1978), The Reconquest of Spai

*Simon Barton (2002), The Aristocracy in Twelfth-Century León and Castil

{{coord missing, Spain 1130 in Europe Conflicts in 1130 Battles of the Reconquista Battles involving Castile Battles involving the Almoravid Empire 12th century in al-Andalus