Battle of Rio Salado

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Battle of Río Salado (October 30, 1340), was a united victory of King Afonso IV of Portugal and King Alfonso XI of Castile over Muslim ruler Abu al-Hasan 'Ali of Marinid dynasty and Nasrid ruler Yusuf I.

[edit] Campaign

After his defeat at the Battle of Teba in 1330, Mohamed IV of Granada sent to Abu Hasan for help in maintaining his survival. Hasan sent a fleet and an army that landed at Algeciras in 1333. These set about helping the Granadan King to capture the Castilian outpost of Gibraltar, which they did after less than two months. They then conducted a limited campaign to reunite these territories to the realm of Granada. Back in Morocco, Abu Hasan amassed his biggest army to undertake an invasion of Castile with the intention of undoing the previous century's Christian advances.

This invasion was a final attempt of Marinids to set up a power base in the Iberian Peninsula. The Marinids had mobilised a vast army and, after crossing the Strait of Gibraltar and defeating a Christian fleet at Gibraltar, then proceeded inland to the Salado River near Tarifa, where they met the Christians. The Marinids suffered a disastrous defeat and moved back to Africa, especially due to the intervention from the Portuguese King Afonso IV, the Brave.

[edit] Consequences

Never again was a Muslim army able to invade the Iberian Peninsula. The war with Granada continued for 10 more years during which Alfonso XI made a few small territorial gains from the western part of Granada. Most importantly, the town of Algeciras, a valuable bridgehead held by the Marinids was finally retaken after a two-year siege in 1344. This siege attracted volunteers from all over Europe due to extensive publicity. An attempt to recapture Gibraltar from the King of Granada was frustrated, however and Alfonso XI had to settle for isolation of the citadel from the rest of Muslim territory when peace was agreed in 1350. Gibraltar was not captured until 1462.