Battle of Albelda (851) 851
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Year | 851 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
|---|---|---|
| Era | Medieval (500–1499) | derived from year |
| Location | Spain | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Europe | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Reconquista | Wikidata P361 |
| Coordinates | 42.3500, -2.4667 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The first Battle of Albelda took place near Albelda in 851 between the Muslim forces of Musa ibn Musa, chief of the Banu Qasi and governor of Tudela on behalf of the Emirate of Córdoba, and an army of the Franks and Gascons from France, probably allies of the Christian Kingdom of Asturias, inveterate enemy of Musa. The Muslims, who were probably the aggressors, were victorious.
The battle is usually connected with a campaign of Ordoño I of Asturias to suppress a Basque revolt, and may be related also to the capture of certain Frankish and Gascon leaders. In the past, the battle has been conflated with the Battle of Monte Laturce, also near Albelda, which occurred in 859 or 860.
According to Ibn Hayyan, in 237 A.H. (851/2 A.D.), the same year that Íñigo Arista died, Musa ibn Musa defeated the Gascons (Glaskiyyun) in battle under the walls of Albelda. On the first day of battle, Musa suffered serious losses, and he himself received thirty-five blows of a lance. On the second day Musa counterattacked and forced the Gascons to retreat. According to Ibn al-Athir, the Muslims invaded Christian territory in 851 and had a great victory at Albaida, the fame of which spread throughout al-Andalus.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Albelda (851) (revision 1370431452), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
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- Battle of Monte Laturce 859 · 32 km
- First Battle of Arquijas 1834 · 33 km
- Second Battle of Arquijas 1835 · 33 km
- Battle of Mendaza 1834 · 37 km
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Other battles of the Reconquista
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- Battle of the Burbia River 791
- Battle of Lutos 794
- Battle of Las Babias 795
- Battle of Pancorbo (816) 816
- Battle of Guadalacete 852
- Battle of Monte Laturce 859
- Battle of the Morcuera 865
- Battle of Cellorigo 882
- First Battle of Cellorigo 882
All 63 battles of the Reconquista →
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