October, a key month in the struggle for medieval expansion
Between the 11th and 14th centuries, the peninsular Christian kingdoms underwent significant territorial expansion: Castile, Navarre, Aragon, and Portugal increased their power through military campaigns, political agreements, and the conquest of strategic cities, while at the same time, the various Muslim powers on the Peninsula received support from forces from North Africa.
Below you will find some of the most prominent events that occurred in October, which marked this process that progressively altered the political map of the Iberian Peninsula and had lasting consequences on its territorial organization.
October 18, 1035 – Death of Sancho III the Great
At the beginning of the 11th century, the Kingdom of Pamplona occupied a prominent position among the Christian territories of the north. Sancho III the Great had managed to expand his influence over vast territories in the northern peninsula, many of them currently located in Spain, becoming one of the most powerful Christian monarchs of the time, but his death opened a new political phase.
The territory was divided among his sons, following the succession arrangements established by the monarch, but this division fragmented the domains that Sancho III had gathered and favored the configuration of different political spaces, reinforcing the development of Navarre, Castile, and Aragon, whose interests would have growing importance during the following centuries.
October 23, 1086 – Battle of Sagrajas or Zalaca
At the end of the 11th century, Christian advances had increased the pressure on Muslim territories, and the conquest of Toledo by Alfonso VI in 1085 had meant an important strategic and political change, since the incorporation of this important city into the territories controlled by the Christians increased the pressure on the Muslim kingdoms of al-Andalus.
At that time, the Muslim territory of the Peninsula was divided into small kingdoms called taifas and, faced with the Christian advance, their rulers asked for help from the Almoravids, a Muslim dynasty from North Africa that sought to intervene in the Peninsula and halt the Christian advance. It was in this way that the forces led by Yusuf ibn Tashfin faced Alfonso VI's army near Badajoz and managed to defeat it, an important Muslim victory that reinforced their presence on the Peninsula and temporarily halted the territorial expansion of the Christians.
October 21, 1094 – Battle of Cuarte
Valencia was one of the most important enclaves in the eastern part of the peninsula due to its geographical location, its resources, and its commercial connections. Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, El Cid Campeador, had managed to conquer the city of Valencia and establish his rule there, but the Christian conquest provoked a reaction from the Almoravids who sought to recover it for its great strategic value; but they were defeated by the forces of El Cid in the vicinity of Cuarte, a town near Valencia, and the victory allowed El Cid to maintain control of Valencia for a time and reinforced his position in the territory.
October 25, 1147 – Conquest of Lisbon
Lisbon was under Muslim rule and occupied a strategic position along the Tagus River, as its port offered access to the Atlantic and made the city a fundamental objective for the Portuguese advance.
Afonso I of Portugal undertook its conquest with the support of European crusaders who were heading to the Holy Land, and after a long siege, the city surrendered. The incorporation of Lisbon strengthened the Kingdom of Portugal and expanded its domains to the south, while the city subsequently acquired ever-increasing political, economic, and military importance, especially due to its relationship with Atlantic routes.
October 9, 1238 – James I enters Valencia
During the 13th century, the Crown of Aragon underwent intense territorial expansion.
The Valencian lands offered important agricultural and commercial resources and had a privileged position in the Mediterranean, so James I advanced with his troops through the territory until achieving the capitulation of Valencia.
The monarch made his entry into the city and a new stage began for the Valencian territory and its incorporation into Aragon, which considerably expanded the Crown's domains and reinforced its Mediterranean presence.
Furthermore, the conquest also produced changes in the administration, the distribution of the population, and the economic organization of the region.
October 30, 1340 – Battle of Rio Salado
In the 14th century, the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada continued to be the main Muslim territory of the Peninsula, and the Marinids, a Muslim people who had arrived from North Africa, sought to increase their influence in the Strait of Gibraltar area and support Granada. However, the armies of Alfonso XI of Castile and Alfonso IV of Portugal faced their forces near Tarifa and won; the Christian victory reduced the military capacity of the Marinids and reinforced Castile's position in the Strait.
Control of this area was of great importance for maritime communications.
