The Portuguese conquest of Asilah (; Portuguese: ''Arzila'') was a campaign led by King Afonso V in modern

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

from the

Wattasids The Wattasid dynasty (, ''al-waṭṭāsīyūn'') was a ruling dynasty of Morocco. Like the Marinid dynasty, its rulers were of Zenata Berber descent. The two families were related, and the Marinids recruited many viziers from the Wattasids. Th ...

on 24 August 1471.

History

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 (; 15 January 1432 – 28 August 1481), known by the sobriquet the African (), was King of Portugal from 1438 until his death in 1481, with a brief interruption in 1477. His sobriquet refers to his military conquests in Northern Africa. ...

initially set plans to conquer

Tangier Tangier ( ; , , ) is a city in northwestern Morocco, on the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The city is the capital city, capital of the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, as well as the Tangier-Assilah Prefecture of Moroc ...

, but subsequently decided to conquer Arzila. Departing from the Portuguese town of

Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

with an army of about 30,000 men and 400 ships, Afonso V arrived at the Moroccan coast on the afternoon of 22 August 1471. The Portuguese King summoned his Council and decided to attack Asilah on the morning of the following day. There was a terrible storm and a number of Portuguese ships were lost. It poured rain the entire three days of the siege. The storm was so severe it prevented the ships from laying down a cannon bombardment, and only two pieces of heavy artillery were brought to shore. After a troubled disembarkation that resulted in the death of more than 200 men caused by strong winds and waves, Afonso's army reached the shore and laid siege to the city of

Asilah Asilah () is a fortified town on the northwest tip of the Atlantic coast of Morocco, about south of Tangier. Its ramparts and gateworks remain fully intact. History The town's history dates back to 1500 B.C., when Phoenicians occupied a site ...

, conquering it after a hard battle on 24 of August, 1471. The Count of Valença, Henrique de Menezes, was appointed as the first Portuguese governor of Asilah by King Afonso V. The victory at Asilah paved the way for the unopposed conquest of

four days later on 28 August 1471.

Aftermath

was conquered and looted by the portuguese. Among the prisoners taken were two wives and a son of the Wattasid leader Mohammed ash-Shaykh, much of whose treasure also fell into portuguese hands

Pastrana Tapestries

In the late 15th century, a set of four large tapestries was commissioned to commemorate the battle. They were woven by Flemish weavers in Tournai, Belgium. The tapestries are notable highly for their portrayal of a contemporary event. The works are regarded as among the finest Gothic tapestries in existence.

Notes

References

*Jeremy Black, ''Cambridge illustrated atlas, warfare: Renaissance to revolution, 1492-1792'' (1996) *Bailey Wallys Diffie,Boyd C. Shafer,George Davison Winius, ''Foundations of the Portuguese empire, 1415-1580'' (1977) *Ignacio da Costa Quintella, Academia das Ciências de Lisboa, ''Annaes da marinha portugueza, Volume 1'' (1839) {{Refend

15th century in Morocco 1471 in the Portuguese Empire

Morocco–Portugal military relations Amphibious operations