Capture of Santarém (1111)

In 1111, the Almoravids launched a campaign into the County of Portugal to capture the territories of western Iberia that had already been held by the Almoravids in 1094.

Capture of Santarém (1111)
Part of Reconquista
Date 25/26 May 1111 Location Santarém, Portugal Result Almoravid victory
Belligerents
Almoravids	County of Portugal
Commanders and leaders
Syr ibn Abi Bakr Abi Muhammad Abdul Majid bin 'Abdoun	Henry, Count of Portugal
Strength
Unknown	Unknown
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Unknown

Background

After the Battle of Sagrajas, in 1093, the Almoravids began taking down the Taifas in Andalusia, as the Taifa of Badajoz had been maintaining an equivocal position between Alfonso VI of León and Castile and the Almoravids, as the ruler of Badajoz, who had been terrified from the Almoravids who were about to overthrow them, finally allied with Alfonso, and in return for the king's protection, he gave him the towns of Sintra, Lisbon, and Santarém, however this did not save the ruler of Badajoz as in 1094 the Almoravids conquered Badajoz and executed both him and his son, and recaptured Lisbon and Sintra.

Capture

In 1111, the Almoravids, led by general Syr ibn Abi Bakr, the governor of Seville marched towards Portuguese lands under Henry, Count of Portugal whose capital was Coimbra. Syr ibn Abi Bakr then marched to Evora and captured it, then marched to Lisbon and Sintra capturing it.^[a] Syr then moved to Santarém. The Almoravids then besieged it; it was a heavily fortified city. After repeated efforts to capture its walls, the Almoravids successfully stormed them in a desperate attack, killing many of the garrison; the rest surrendered and were captured on May 25 or 26. According to the Almoravid Vizier Abi Muhammad Abdul Majid bin 'Abdoun, the Almoravids captured the city due to fortune; otherwise, they would have failed to capture it.

After the capture, the Almoravids raided as far as Coimbra. Count Henry's forces weren't able to push back the raiding Almoravids.

Notes

^[a] These cities were occupied by the Almoravids in 1093–4, which suggest a fluctuating borders between the Moors and Christians.

Bibliography

• Jonathan Wilson, The Conquest of Santarém and Goswin's Song of the Conquest of Alcácer Do Sal, Editions and Translations of De Expugnatione Scalabis and Gosuini de Expugnatione Salaciae Carmen. [1]
• Muhammad Abdullah Enan, The State of Islam in Andalusia, Vol. III: The Era of Almoravids and Almohads, Part 1, p. 70 [2]
• Muzaffar Husain Syed، Syed Saud Akhtar، B D Usmani, Concise History of Islam, p. 118 [3]