The Conquest of Zaragoza of 1118 was a military operation led by Alfonso I the Battler, king of

Aragón Aragon ( , ; Spanish and ; ) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to south): Huesca, Zaragoza, a ...

and

Pamplona Pamplona (; ), historically also known as Pampeluna in English, is the capital city of the Navarre, Chartered Community of Navarre, in Spain. Lying at near above sea level, the city (and the wider Cuenca de Pamplona) is located on the flood pl ...

, who It allowed him to take the city of

Zaragoza Zaragoza (), traditionally known in English as Saragossa ( ), is the capital city of the province of Zaragoza and of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributaries, the ...

from 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 ...

History

The city, which had once been the capital of the

Taifa of Zaragoza The taifa of Zaragoza () was an independent Arab Muslim state in the east of Al-Andalus (present-day Spain) with its capital in Saraqusta (Zaragoza) city. It was established in the early 11th century as one of the many Taifa kingdoms that foll ...

,Lafuente, 1998 p. 56 had about inhabitants counting its periphery. It had been previously besieged by

Alfonso VI of León Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century ( Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic Kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula. ...

in 1086, by

Sancho Ramírez Sancho Ramírez ( 1042 – 4 June 1094) was King of Aragon from 1063 until 1094 and King of Pamplona from 1076 under the name of Sancho V (). He was the eldest son of Ramiro I and Ermesinda of Bigorre. His father was the first king of Aragon ...

in 1091, and by Alfonso I of Aragon himself in 1110. Within the attacking contingent there were, in addition to Aragonese, French, Castilian, Navarrese, and Catalan, beginning the siege in May 1118.Lafuente, 1998 p. 59 Together with the Aragonese king, who joined the siege once it had begun, nobles such as Gastón de Béarn fought or

Centule II, Count of Bigorre Centule II (also ''Centulle'') (died 1129) was the Count of Bigorre from 1114 to his death. He established feudal bonds across the Pyrenees with Aragon. He was also a major participant in the Crusades, fighting in the army of Raymond of Saint-Gill ...

. The monk Pedro de Librana carried the indulgence papal, granted by the pontiff Gelasius II in December 1118. Stalls, 1995 p. 39 The small defending Almoravid contingent, which lacked a leader after the death of Governor Ibn Tifilwit in 1116, received external support from troops commanded by the Granada governor Abd Allah. ibn Mazdali, who died on November 16, demoralizing the defending troops. These capitulated on December 11, 1118, and the Christian troops triumphantly entered the city on the 18th of that month. Despite the abundant siege weapons arranged by the army of Alfonso I during the siege, the capitulation of the city must have been more due to the hunger suffered by the besieged. The Christians also suffered from hunger, leaving part of the siege of the Frankish troops. After the conquest of Zaragoza, Alfonso I proceeded to continue the military campaign, with the conquest of Tudela and Tarazona the following year. Also as a result of the taking of the city, the city of

Jaca Jaca (; in Aragonese language, Aragonese: ''Chaca'' or ''Xaca'') is a city of northeastern Spain in the province of Huesca (province), Huesca, located near the Pyrenees and the border with France. Jaca is an ancient fort on the Aragón (river), ...

would lose political importance. Mouton, 1980 p. 17

References

Bibliography

* * * * * {{cite book, title=Possessing the Land: Aragon's Expansion Into Islam's Ebro Frontier Under Alfonso the Battler, 1104-1134, author=Stalls, year=1995, location=Leiden, New York and Cologne, issn=0928-5520, publisher=The Medieval Mediterranean, isbn=90-04-10367-8, ref=Stalls Battles involving the Almoravid Empire 1118 in Europe 11th-century military history Culture of Aragon Almoravid Empire History of Navarre