The siege of Burriana was one of the battles that occurred during the Conquest of Valencia by

James I of Aragon James I the Conqueror ( Catalan/Valencian: ''Jaume I or Jaume el Conqueridor''; Aragonese: ''Chaime I'' ''o Conqueridor''; ; 2 February 1208 – 27 July 1276) was King of Aragon, Count of Barcelona, and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1 ...

. Burriana was an important

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

city, being the capital of La Plana, Valencia. It was known as the "Green City". The city was besieged for two months, finally falling to the forces of James I in July 1233.

Context

In 1229, the city of

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

, known to the Muslims as "Balansiya", had fallen to the forces under the command of

Zayyan ibn Mardanish Zayyan ibn Mardanish or Zayán Ibn Mardanix (b. ?, Onda – d. 1270, Tunisia) also known as ''Zahén'' or ''Çaèn'', was the last king of the Taifa of Valencia before it fell to the Kingdom of Aragon in the Reconquista campaign led by James I of A ...

, a local leader who was opposed to the

Almohades The Almohad Caliphate (; or or from ) or Almohad Empire was a North African Berber Muslim empire founded in the 12th century. At its height, it controlled much of the Iberian Peninsula (Al-Andalus) and North Africa (the Maghreb). The Almohad ...

. In capturing that city, he dethroned

Zayd Abu Zayd Zayd Abu Zayd (, 1195 – 1265/1270) was the last Almohad governor of Valencia. He succeeded as governor of Valencia to his uncle Abū 'Abd Allāh Muhammad. At the death of the Almohad caliph Yaqub al-Mansur, he gained complete autonomy thanks to ...

, who subsequently fled to the

Kingdom of Aragon The Kingdom of Aragon (; ; ; ) was a medieval and early modern Monarchy, kingdom on the Iberian Peninsula, corresponding to the modern-day Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Aragon, in Spain. It became a part of the larger ...

used this as a

casus belli A (; ) is an act or an event that either provokes or is used to justify a war. A ''casus belli'' involves direct offenses or threats against the nation declaring the war, whereas a ' involves offenses or threats against its ally—usually one bou ...

to intervene in the Muslim civil war on the side of the Almohades, but in reality with the pretext of expanding his own territory. Two Aragonese knights, Hugo de Follalquer, Grand Master of the

Knights Hospitaller The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), is a Catholic military order. It was founded in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century and had headquarters there ...

, and Blas de Aragón, who had just returned from a period of exile in Valencia, met with Jaime I at

Alcañiz Alcañiz () is a town and municipality of Teruel province in the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. The town is located on the banks of the river Guadalope. Alcañiz is the unofficial capital of the Lower Aragon historical region. It lies ...

. They recounted stories of the prosperity of the Muslim kingdom and encouraged the king to conquer it in 1233.

Consequences

After taking Burriana, the castles to the north continued to fall into Aragonese hands one by one including;

Peniscola Peñíscola () or Peníscola () and officially Peñíscola/Peníscola, anglicised as Peniscola, is a municipality in the Province of Castellón, Valencian Community, Spain. The town is located on the Costa del Azahar, north of the Serra d'Irta a ...

, Castelló de la Plana,

Borriol Borriol is a town and municipality located in the province of Castellón, Valencian Community, Spain. History Numerous archaeological remains, including the rock paintings of l'Albaroc indicate that the Borriol area was populated in antiquity. Th ...

les Coves de Vinromà Les Coves de Vinromà is a municipality located in the province of Castellón, Valencian Community, Spain. References

Municipalities in the Province of Castellón Plana Alta {{valencia-geo-stub ...

and

Vilafamés Vilafamés is a municipality located in the province of Castellón, Valencian Community The Valencian Community is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish Autonomous communitie ...

. Three years later, the decisive

Battle of the Puig The Battle of the Puig of 1237, also known as the Battle of the Puig de Santa Maria, the Battle of the Puig de Enesa, or the Battle of the Puig de Cepolla was a battle of the Iberian Reconquista and of the Aragonese Conquest of Valencia. The b ...

sealed the conquest in 1236.

References

* The information on this page was translated from its Spanish equivalent.

Bibliography

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Context

Consequences

See also

References

Bibliography