Today we’re going to be talking about a pivotal moment in the Reconquista of Portugal: the Battle of Ourique.
In 1139 the County of Portugal was ruled by Afonso Henriques, the son of Henry of Burgundy, and Theresa, daughter of King Alfonso VI of Leon and Castile. At the time of his assumption to power, Afonso’s Portugal extended from the Miño River eastward to Braganza, and southward to Coimbra.
On its southern reaches, Portugal bordered territory controlled by the powerful Almoravid Caliphate of North Africa. In 1137, the Almoravids attacked the castle of Leiria, which Afonso had recently erected on the road from Coimbra to Santarém. Afonso quickly strengthened the fortifications of Leiria, and prepared to carry the war into Almoravid territory. In 1139 he mustered his army at Coimbra and struck south on a raid deep into Almoravid territory, which at one point may have even reached as far as Seville.
The extent of Afonso’s raid is striking, but Afonso had planned his route well, avoiding the well-fortified city of Santarem and scouting the region meticulously. Also, the Moorish city of Oreja was under siege by King Alfonso VII of Leon, and so considerable Almoravid forces were diverted to defend Oreja against the Leonese. It’s possible that Alfonso VII and Afonso Henriques had acted in concert with this mission to maximize damage to the Moors.
Meanwhile, the governor of Cordoba, Abu Muhammad Az-Zubayr Ibn Umar, mobilized an enormous army to check Afonso’s raid, drawing on troops from both North Africa and al-Andalus.
Afonso met the Almoravids near the village of Ourique southwest of Beja, far to the south of Portugal’s holdings in the Algarve. Afonso had with him just under a thousand Portuguese knights, including contingents of Templars, with roughly twice that number of infantry. The Almoravid army was much larger: eight to ten thousand troops. Five important Andalusian governors were present: the emirs of Seville, Elvas, Évora and Beja, including Ibn-Umar of Cordoba leading the operation.
Afonso I of Portugal
The Moors intercepted the Portuguese on July 24th. With his numerical superiority, Ibn-Umar cut off Afonso’s path of retreat, and the two armies prepared for battle.
The next morning, both sides arrayed their lines for combat. Afonso arranged his knights into a vanguard, two flanks, and a rearguard. The vanguard would’ve contained several hundred of the army’s best knights, while each flank had around two hundred knights and four to five hundred infantrymen. The rearguard contained the remainder of the cavalry and infantry units.
The Almoravid divisions contained light cavalry, infantry, and both mounted and un-mounted archers. They would’ve been arranged with a vanguard before a central column, with this entire formation augmented by two flanks. A rearguard was arranged behind this, with a reserve behind the rearguard.
Confident in his superior numbers, ibn-Umar ordered his vanguard to make the initial charge. The Portuguese responded by delivering a heavy cavalry charge, and the superiority of Latin cavalry had a major impact. The Christian knights held their formation against the Almoravid attacks, and delivered wave after wave of punishing cavalry charges. The superior armor and big, well-trained horses of the Latin knights, as well as their use of the couched lance tactic, which allowed their lance blows to carry the full weight of their charging stallions, devastated the Almoravid lines. As ibn-Umar’s formations broke up, the Portuguese rearguard charged through them, causing further devastation, and the Christian infantry cut down the survivors as they tried to flee.
By mid-day it was over: Afonso and his forces had won. The Moors fled, although we don’t know if ibn-Umar was able to effect an orderly retreat, or if his forces fled in disorder. The Portuguese remained for a further three days, pillaging the Almoravid camp. Afonso then returned to Coimbra.
It may have been Afonso’s victory at Ourique that prompted him to declare Portugal no longer a county, but now a kingdom. From here onward, Afonso would style himself rex Portugalensium – King of Portugal. Thus, by this great victory of the Reconquista, the Kingdom of Portugal was truly born as an entity.
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