2.  The Battle of Las Navas
de Tolosa, known in Arab
history as the Battle of Al-
Uqab (‫معركة العقاب‬took ,(
place on 16 July 1212 and
was an important turning
point in the Reconquista
and in the medieval history
of Spain.
 The forces of King Alfonso VIII of Castile were joined by the
armies of his Christian rivals, Sancho VII of Navarre, Pedro II
of Aragon and Afonso II of Portugal, in battle versus the
Berber Muslim Almohad rulers of the southern half of the
Iberian Peninsula. The sultan Caliph al-Nasir led the Almohad
army.

3. • In 1195, Alfonso VIII of Castile had been defeated by the
Almohads in the so-called Disaster of Alarcos. After this victory,
the Almohads had taken important cities as Trujillo, Plasencia,
Talavera, Cuenca and Uclés. Then, in 1211, Muhammad al-Nasir
had crossed the Strait of Gibraltar with a powerful army, and
invaded the Christian territory.
• After this, the threat was so great for the Iberian Christian
kingdoms that Pope Innocent III called European knights to a
crusade.
• These European knights caused problems in Toledo (where the
different armies of the Crusade gathered), with assaults and
murders in the Jewish Quarter. More than 30,000 men deserted
and returned to their homes across the Pyrenees.

4.  Most of the men in the Almohad army came from Morocco, Algeria,
Tunisia and even as far away as Mauritania and Senegal and much
of the Iberian peninsula's southern half.
 In the battle, there were ten miles of Muslims soldiers in the eyes
of Alfonso and his men.
 At the Battle of las Navas de Tolosa, 50,000 Christians fought a
Muslim army of 125,000 soldiers.

5. • The 125,000 Muslims set up their camp on the “Cerro de los
Olivares”. The infantry were in front, placed in three lines, with the
cavalry on the flanks.
• According to legend, the Caliph had his tent surrounded with
slaves, who were chained together as a defense.

6.  The first who gave the order to fight was Alfonso VIII.
 After a long operation of launching arrows, the Spanish cavalry
attacked. The shock was absolutely brutal and the situation
became critical for Christians; they had to retreat.
 Seeing the Christians go back, the Muslims broke their close
formation to chase, which was a serious tactical error, because it
weakened the Almohad army center.
 The three kings, Pedro II, Alfonso VIII and Sancho VII came to the
forefront of his men and attacked with everything they had. It was
victory or death.
 The troops of Navarre reached the red tent of al-Nasir, to crush the
personal guard of Miramamolin. The Caliph only had time to scape
with a group of loyal soldiers.
 Thousands of men have fallen, but the victory finally was decanted
from the Christian side.
 King Alfonso VIII sent a letter to Pope Innocent III announcing the
great victory of the Christians. The Crusade had been a succes.

7. • The Caliph Muhammad al-Nasir died
shortly after the battle in Marrakech,
where he had escape after the
defeat.
• Alfonso VIII of Castile extended his
conquest, consolidating the southern
border. He died two years after the
victory (1214).
• Pedro II of Aragon, died the following
year (1213) in the battle of Muret.
• Sancho VII of Navarre survived twenty years. At the end of his
life, he locked himself in his palace of Tudela, where he
remained until his death in 1234, when he was 80 years.

8. • The Christian victory was complete. 100,000 Muslims were
left dead on the field, and the booty was immense.
• Christian losses were very few, only about 2,000 men.
• The crushing defeat of
the Almohads would
give greater impetus
to the Christian
Reconquest, begun by
the kingdoms of
northern Iberia
centuries before.

9.  That victory marked the Muslim
decline and the beginning of the
final phase of the Reconquista.
Monument at Las Navas De Tolosa.
Alberto Sánchez (2ºH)