Siege of Calatayud

The siege of Calatayud in 1120 was led by Alfonso I of Aragon, with the help of William IX of Aquitaine, against the city of Calatayud, then controlled by the Almoravids. The siege was successful and resulted in the conquest of the city by the Aragonese troops.

Siege of Calatayud
Part of the Reconquista
The castle of Ayyub [es], in Calatayud
Date May – 24 June 1120 Location Calatayud, Almoravid Empire (present-day Spain) 41°21′0″N 1°38′0″W Result Aragonese victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of Aragon Duchy of Aquitaine	Almoravid Empire
Commanders and leaders
Alfonso I the Battler William IX of Aquitaine	Unknown
Strength
Unknown	Unknown
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Unknown

Background

In 1118, Alfonso I of Aragon, accompanied by Gaston IV of Béarn and Centule II of Bigorre, began a campaign with the objective of conquering Zaragoza.^[1] The city fell on 18 December,^[2] after 8 months of siege.^[3] Shortly after this, in 1119, he conquered Tudela and Tarazona^[4][5] and repopulated the city of Soria.^[6] At the beginning of 1120, Alfonso began to prepare the conquest of Calatayud, the second largest city of the former Taifa of Zaragoza.^[7]

Siege

Alfonso I arrived at the gates of the city with the Duke of Aquitaine, William IX, in May 1120.^[8] With the possibility of a battle looming, some Aragonese knights began to make their testaments, including Lope Garcés [es], who donated his assets to the Holy Sepulchre and the Knights Hospitaller.^[9]

At the beginning of June, Alfonso received the news that an Almoravid army was heading to relieve the siege, so he decided to confront them and leave a small part of his army besieging the city.^[9] After defeating the Muslim army at Cutanda [es], the city surrendered along with Daroca, which was also under siege.^[10]

Aftermath

The city surrendered without resistance from the local Muslims. After the capture of the city, Alfonso I appointed Jimeno Sanz as lord of the city, although he was replaced two years later by Íñigo Jiménez [es].^[11] Alfonso I granted the city a charter, which he ratified and extended in December 1131.^[12]

Alfonso I conquered Borja in 1122^[13] and Medinaceli in 1124.^[14] During the next two years, he launched a campaign against the lands of Granada and Valencia and, despite not obtaining any territorial changes,^[15] he took with him many Mozarabs who would repopulate cities conquered by him previously, including Calatayud.^[16]

Legacy

Every weekend closest to 24 June, the inhabitants of Calatayud celebrate a festival called Las Alfonsadas [es], which commemorate the capture of the city by the Aragonese forces.^[17]