The Battle of az-Zallaqah الزلاقة (October 23, 1086) was a battle between the Almoravid Yusuf ibn Tashfin and Castilian King Alfonso VI. For other senses of this word, see Reconquista (disambiguation). ... October 23 is the 296th day of the year (297th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events Domesday Book is completed in England Emperor Shirakawa of Japan starts his cloistered rule Imam Ali Mosque is rebuilt by the Seljuk Malik Shah I after being destroyed by fire. ... Badajoz (formerly Badajos), the capital of the Spanish province of Badajoz in the autonomous community of Extremadura, is situated close to the Portuguese frontier, on the left bank of the river Guadiana, and the Madrid-Lisbon railway. ... A former kingdom of Spain, Castile comprises the two regions of Old Castile in north-western Spain, and New Castile in the centre of the country. ... Map showing the extent of the Almoravid empire Almoravides (In Arabic المرابطون al-Murabitun, sing. ... Alfonso VI (before June 1040 – July 1, 1109), nicknamed the Brave, was king of León from 1065 to 1109 and king of Castile since 1072 after his brothers death. ... Yusuf ibn Tashfin يوسف ابن تاشفين or Tashufin (died in 1106), was the Almoravid ruler in Muslim Spain and North Africa. ... For other senses of this word, see Reconquista (disambiguation). ... Combatants Kingdom of Asturias Andalusian Muslims of the Ummayad Commanders Pelayo of Asturias Munuza and Alqama Strength Possibly 300 Unknown Casualties Unknown Unknown The Battle of Covadonga was the first major victory by a Christian military force in Iberia following the Islamic Moors conquest of that region in 711. ... Combatants Franks Basques Commanders Charlemagne Roland, Eginhard, Anselmus Unknown (speculated: Duke Lop of Vasconia) Strength Major army Unknown (guerrilla party) Casualties Massacre of the Frankish rearguard Unknown (probably few) The Roncevaux Pass (French and English spelling, Roncesvalles in Spanish, Orreaga in Basque) is the site of a famous battle in... Battle of Simancas was a military battle that took place in 939 AD in the Iberian Peninsula between the troops of the Christian king Ramiro II of Leon and Muslim caliph Abd-ar-Rahman III near the walls of the city of Simancas, in which was decided the control of... The Battle of Atapuerca was fought in 1054 in the valley of Atapuerca between brothers King García V, El de Nájera, of Navarre and King Ferdinand I, the Great, of Casile and León. ... The Battle of Graus (or Siege of Graus) was a battle of the early Spanish Reconquista in spring 1063 (some sources say the battle was in early May, possibly around May 8). ... Combatants Almoravids Castile Commanders Yusuf ibn Tashfin Sancho, son of Alfonso VI Casualties Sancho The Battle of Ucles was fought on 29 May 1108 between the Kingdom of Castile and the Almoravids. ... The Battle of Ourique took place in July 26, 1139, in the countryside outside the town of Ourique, present-day Alentejo (southern Portugal). ... Combatants Portugal Crusaders Moors Commanders Afonso I of Portugal Arnold III of Aerschot Christian of Ghistelles Henry Glanville Simon of Dover Andrew of London Saher of Archelle Unknown Strength Unknown Unknown Casualties Unknown Unknown The Siege of Lisbon, from July 1 to October 25 of 1147, was the military action... Battle of Alarcos (July 18, 1195), was a great victory of Almohad ruler Abu Yusuf Yaqub al-Mansur over the Castilian King Alfonso VIII; also referred as the Disaster of Alarcos due to the magnitude of the Castilian defeat. ... The July 16, 1212 battle of Las Navas de Tolosa is considered a major turning point in the history of Medieval Iberia. ... Combatants Castile Moors The Battle of Jerez was fought in 1231 between Castile and the Moors. ... Combatants Christian Spain (Aragon and Castile) Granada Commanders Sultan Boabdil Strength Casualties The Battle of Granada was fought on January 2, 1492 between the forces of Aragon and Castile and the armies of Muslim controlled Granada. ... October 23 is the 296th day of the year (297th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events Domesday Book is completed in England Emperor Shirakawa of Japan starts his cloistered rule Imam Ali Mosque is rebuilt by the Seljuk Malik Shah I after being destroyed by fire. ... Map showing the extent of the Almoravid empire Almoravides (In Arabic المرابطون al-Murabitun, sing. ... Yusuf ibn Tashfin يوسف ابن تاشفين or Tashufin (died in 1106), was the Almoravid ruler in Muslim Spain and North Africa. ... A former kingdom of Spain, Castile comprises the two regions of Old Castile in north-western Spain, and New Castile in the centre of the country. ... Alfonso VI (before June 1040 – July 1, 1109), nicknamed the Brave, was king of León from 1065 to 1109 and king of Castile since 1072 after his brothers death. ...

Yusuf ibn Tashfin replied to the call of three Andalusian leaders (Abbad III al-Mu'tamid and others) and crossed to Andalusia with 7,000 warriors from Almoravids. He marched with his army to the north of al-Andalus till he reached az-Zallaqah. The army of Almoravids accumulated warriors from every place in al-Andalus and his army reached 30,000 warriors. Al-Andalus is the Arabic name given the Iberian Peninsula by its Muslim conquerors; it refers to both the Caliphate proper and the general period of Muslim rule (711–1492). ... Abbad III al-Mutamid (1027 - 1095), was the third and last ruler (reigned 1069-1091) of Sevilla in Spain from Abbadid dynasty. ... Map showing the extent of the Almoravid empire Almoravides (In Arabic المرابطون al-Murabitun, sing. ...

Alfonso VI of Castile reached the battle ground with 60,000 warriors. The two leaders exchanged messages before the battle. Yusuf ibn Tashfin offered three choices to the enemy: convert to Islam, to pay tribute (jizyah), or battle. Islam (Arabic:  ) is a monotheistic religion based upon the teachings of Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure. ... In Islamic law, jizyah (Arabic: جزْية) is a per capita tax required of adult males of other faiths under Muslim rule in exchange for the protection of the Muslim community. ...

Alfonso VI chose to fight against the Almoravids. The battle started at Friday at dawn by attack from Alfonso VI. Yusuf Ibn Tashfin divided his army into 3 divisions. The first division was led by Abbad III al-Mu'tamid and consist of 15,000 warriors, the second division consist of 11,000 warriors lead by Yusuf ibn Tashfin and the third division were 4,000 black African warriors with Indian swords and long javelins. Abbad III al-Mu'tamid and his division battled with Alfonso VI alone till the after noon, then Yusuf ibn Tashfin and his division joined the battle and circled Alfonso VI and his troops. Alfonso's troops panicked and started to lose ground, then Yusuf ordered the third division of his army to attack and finish the battle. Symbol of the Polish 1st Legions Infantry Division in NATO code A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of around ten to fifteen thousand soldiers. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa. ... Swiss longsword, 15th or 16th century Look up Sword in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A Roman coin showing Antoninianus of Carinus holding pilum and globe. ...

The casualties of Alfonso's troops were tremendous (more than 59,500 dead). Only 100 knights made it back to Castile. Alfonso VI survived the battle but he lost his leg. The silver Anglia knight, commissioned as a trophy in 1850, intended to represent the Black Prince. ...

The battleground was called az-Zallaqah (in English slippery ground) because the warriors were slipping all over the battle ground because of the tremendous amount of blood shed this day. Christian sources know it as battle of Sagrajas. Human blood smear: a - erythrocytes; b - neutrophil; c - eosinophil; d - lymphocyte. ...

Despite contemporary accounts, which usually vastly overrate the numbers involved, the Castilian army numbered about 14,000 men, including some 2,000 mounted knights; at least half the army was lost. The wounded King and most of the noblemen survived, although several were killed, including counts Rodrigo Muñoz and Vela Oveguez.

Casualties were also heavy on the Almoravid side, specially for the hosts led by Dawud ibn Aysa, whose camp was even sacked in the first hours of battle, and by the governor of Badajoz, al-Mutawakkil ibn al-Aftas. The Sevilla governor al-Mu'tamid had been wounded in the first clash but his personal example of valour rallied the al-Andalus forces in the difficult moments of the initial Castilian charge led by Alvar Fañez. Those killed included a very popular imam from Cordoba, Abu-l-Abbas Ahmad ibn Rumayla. Yusuf is said to have been disheartened by the carnage, in addition he had to return prematurely to Africa due to the death of his heir, so Castile did not lose much territory despite the destruction of most of his field army.