Battle of Torrevicente
The Battle of Torrevicente was fought on Saturday, 9 July 981 between a force loyal to the
The principal sources for the battle—all
Ibn Abi ‘Amir left
The octogenarian Galib, riding a horse and wearing a tall helmet, himself led the initial charge against the Berbers, who immediately broke ranks and fled. The left wing likewise broke under a charge and, in Ahmad ibn Hazm's words, each man looked out for only himself. Having dispersed both of Ibn Abi ‘Amir's flanks, Galib reportedly prayed that God would aid whoever was better suited to lead the Muslims. Then, spurring his horse, he descended into a nearby ravine. His comrades, presuming he was relieving himself, did not follow, but when he was gone a long time they went in search of him and found him dead on the ground, his horse calm nearby. The cause of death was unknown. Believing Galib's death was a sign from God, a large group of his followers went to seek peace from Ibn Abi ‘Amir, who, thinking it was a ploy, demanded proof of Galib's death. One brought his seal, another his hand, and another his horse. It was then that the Muslims inflicted a severe defeat on Galib's Christian allies. Galib's remaining Muslim troops panicked and fled in the direction of Atienza, pursued the whole way by the Ibn Abi ‘Amir's forces. García managed to escape, but Ramiro was found among the dead, along with many other Christians. Muslim historians interpreted the battle as a victory over the Christians.[7]
Ibn Abi ‘Amir followed his victory by taking Atienza and
Identity of Ramiro
Both the identity and the death of Ramiro at Torrevicente has been a matter of some controversy. Ibn al-Khatib and Ibn Hazm refer to him as "Rudmir ibn San", that is, Ramiro Sánchez. A younger son of
Notes
- ^ The Islamic year 371 is sometimes said to have begun on 7 July (1 Muharram) and thus the battle to have taken place on 10 July, but this is based on an erroneous calculation of the Islamic lunar years, and 10 July 981 was a Sunday. The year 371 began on 6 July 981.[4]
- ^ All three documents are dated by the Spanish Era in Roman numerals, making 981 M.aXVIII.a and 991 M.aXX.aVIII.a.
- ^ Martínez Díez 2005, p. 497.
- ^ Martínez Díez 2005, p. 497, provides a Spanish translation of al-Udri's account.
- ^ a b Martínez Díez 2005, p. 500.
- ^ Cañada Juste 1982, p. 35.
- ^ Martínez Díez 2005, pp. 497–99, provides a Spanish translation of Ibn Hazm's account
- ^ Cañada Juste 1982, pp. 33–34, provides a Spanish translation of Ibn Hazm's account
- ^ a b c Ruiz Asencio 1968, p. 46.
- ^ Ubieto Arteta 1950, pp. 16–18.
Sources
- Cañada Juste, Alberto (1982). "Un milenario navarro: Ramiro Garcés, rey de Viguera". Príncipe de Viana. 42: 21–37.
- Martínez Díez, Gonzalo (2005). El condado de Castilla, 711–1038: La historia frente a la leyenda. Barcelona: Marcial Pons Historia. pp. 495–500.
- Ruiz Asencio, J. M. (1968). "Campañas de Almanzor contra el reino de León (981–986)". Anuario de Estudios Medievales. 5: 31–64.
- Ubieto Arteta, Antonio (1950). "Monarcas navarros olvidados: los reyes de Viguera". Hispania. 10 (38): 3–24.