Battle of Alameda

Battle of Alameda
Part of Establishment of the Emirate of Córdoba

Al-Andalus in 750 CE
Date14–15 May 756
Location
Al-Musara (near Córdoba), al-Andalus
Result Umayyad victory
Belligerents
Umayyad dynasty Fihrid dynasty
Commanders and leaders
Abd al-Rahman I
Habib ibn Abd al-Malik al-Marwani (commander of the Umayyad Syrian cavalry)
Abd al-Malik ibn Umar al-Marwani (commander of the junds of Egypt and Homs)
Ibrahim ibn Khashrah al-Awdi (commander of the Berber cavalry)
Buhlul al-Lakhmi (commander of the Yemeni cavalry)
Asim al-Uryani (commander of the Umayyad infantry)		 Yusuf ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Fihri
al-Sumayl ibn Hatim al-Kilabi
Strength
≈2,000 cavalry, ≈3,000 infantry[1] Unknown
Casualties and losses
Unknown Heavy losses; several tribal chiefs killed[2]

The Battle of Alameda, also known as the Battle of al-Musarah or Battle of Almuzara (Arabic: معركة المصارة), was fought in 14-15 May 756 CE near Córdoba. It formed part of the process by which ʿAbd al-Raḥmān I al-Dākhil established an independent Umayyad emirate in al-Andalus, separate from the newly established Abbasid Caliphate based in Iraq which had overthrown the Syria-based Umayyad Caliphate.[3]

Background

Since the Berbers were unwilling to assist him in seizing power, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān I (“al-Dākhil”) decided to cross into Hispania, then divided among the Kalbī, Qaysī, and Yemeni factions.[4] He took advantage of this instability and of the presence of Syrian Umayyad troops led by Balj ibn Bishr, who had organized a number of junds (military districts) that effectively controlled parts of al-Andalus.[1]

His loyal servant Badr prepared the ground and secured local support, allowing ʿAbd al-Raḥmān to sail from Morocco, landing at Almuñécar on 14 August 755. He settled in Torrox.[5]

In 756, Isbiliya opened its gates to him, after which he advanced on Córdoba, then defended by ʿAbd al-Raḥmān Abū Zayd, son of the governor Yūsuf ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Fihrī. The latter was defeated at Merch Rahita, and Córdoba was besieged by ten thousand men commanded by Taman ibn Alqamāh, one of ʿAbd al-Raḥmān’s earliest supporters.[3]

The Yemeni chief Abū Ṣabbāḥ Yaḥyā al-Yahsūbī attempted to assassinate ʿAbd al-Raḥmān but was not followed by his men. Shortly afterward, the new emir entered Córdoba and appointed Abū ʿUthmān as governor. However, Yūsuf al-Fihrī had not laid down his arms: he tried to retake the city by attacking through the Navafría Valley, briefly entering Córdoba before fleeing again when ʿAbd al-Raḥmān returned with his troops.[2]

The battle

In March 756, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān entered Seville, which at that time controlled the provinces of Elvira, Sidonia, and Málaga. His forces, composed of Syrians, Yemenis, and Berbers, advanced along the Guadalquivir Valley, while Yūsuf marched from his capital Córdoba toward Seville. Upon learning of his opponent’s advance, Yūsuf returned to the capital.[5]

The two armies eventually faced each other on opposite banks of the swollen Guadalquivir River, which could not be crossed. Both forces marched parallel to each other until they reached al-Musara (Alameda), just outside the city of Córdoba.[1]

Negotiations were opened: Yūsuf offered one of his daughters in marriage and a dowry of lands. On 13 March, aware of his troops’ exhaustion and the enemy’s superior condition, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān asked his men whether they preferred peace or battle; they chose battle.[3]

When the river’s level dropped, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān pretended to accept Yūsuf’s proposal, who even sent animals to feed the Umayyad troops. But at nightfall, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān’s army secretly crossed the river. At that moment, his force numbered about 2,000 cavalry and 3,000 infantry.[1]

At dawn, both sides prepared for battle. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān placed his infantry in the center, despite a shortage of cavalry on the flanks. Armed only with a bow, he was almost the only one mounted on a true warhorse, surrounded by his most loyal men. Lacking a standard, he improvised one with a green turban tied to a spear, a symbol that later became the banner of the Umayyads of al-Andalus.[5][4][6]

Yūsuf also arranged his troops for combat. The Umayyad cavalry, composed of slaves and Berbers, charged the center and right wing of Yūsuf’s army. A notable duel took place between Khālid Sūdī, Yūsuf’s slave and cavalry commander, and Ḥabīb ibn ʿAbd al-Malik al-Marwānī, commander of the Umayyad cavalry, where the Umayyad general resulted victorious.[3]

During the battle, some Yemenis feared that ʿAbd al-Raḥmān might flee, since he was on horseback. Hearing this rumor, he called Abū Ṣabbāḥ Yaḥyā al-Yahsūbī and asked for his mule—a gesture that reassured his men.[1]

Eventually, the Umayyad horsemen of Syria led by Ḥabīb ibn ʿAbd al-Malik al-Marwānī launched a decisive assault on the enemy’s center, killing three infantry commanders; two of them being Yūsuf’s sons, and the other being the son of al-Sumayl ibn Ḥātim. Yūsuf and al-Sumayl fled, abandoning the field and leaving their left flank isolated, which resisted until late in the day before its leaders were slain.[2]

After the Battle of Alameda, fought just outside Córdoba on 14–15 May 756, the Umayyads achieved a complete victory, and several chiefs allied with Yūsuf were killed.[4]

Aftermath

Yūsuf ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Fihrī and al-Sumayl ibn Ḥātim al-Kilābī withdrew to Granada. There, on al-Sumayl’s advice, Yūsuf abdicated his title of malik and recognized Prince ʿAbd al-Raḥmān I al-Dākhil as emir. The other tribal chiefs likewise acknowledged him, bringing peace to the country.[5]

The new emir ordered that the Friday sermon (khuṭba) no longer mention the Abbasid caliph’s name, signaling the official independence of the Emirate of Córdoba from the Abbasid Caliphate. However, Yūsuf and al-Sumayl attempted to recover power once more in 759.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Ibn Ḥayyān, Muqtabis I, ed. Maḥmūd ʿAlī Makkī (Beirut: Dār al-Thaqāfa, 1970), p. 110.
  2. ^ a b c Kennedy, Hugh (1996). Muslim Spain and Portugal: A Political History of al-Andalus. London: Longman, p. 37.
  3. ^ a b c d e Ibn Idhārī, al-Bayān al-Mughrib fī Akhbār al-Andalus wa-l-Maghrib, ed. G. S. Colin and E. Lévi-Provençal (Leiden: Brill, 1948), vol. 1, pp. 25–27.
  4. ^ a b c Dozy, Reinhart (1861). Histoire des Musulmans d’Espagne jusqu’à la conquête de l’Andalousie par les Almoravides (711–1110). Leyden: Brill, pp. 86–88.
  5. ^ a b c d al-Maqqarī, Nafḥ al-Ṭīb min Ghusn al-Andalus al-Raṭīb, ed. Iḥsān ʿAbbās (Beirut: Dār Ṣādir, 1968), vol. 1, pp. 123–125.
  6. ^ Hannay, David (1911). "Abd-ar-Rahman" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 1 (11th ed.). pp. 31–32.
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