Amina's Last Stand?
STAND Pt. 1
In 804 Toledo was gutted by fire and sword. In the more than three centuries that followed, the closest battle was fought days to the south when León Araman and Alejandro III defeated Lucas Almaghreb. Generations of Amina’s ancestors rebuilt and expanded the city but the years of peace led to the growth of large open suburbs beyond the walls on both sides of the river. There were benefits to growth--anything imaginable was available in Toledo it was said--but there were tradeoffs made in defense. Even with a population in decline since the turn of the century, only Constantinople and Baghdad were greater than Toledo.
After sunrise at the south end of the Upper City where the royal palace sprawled above the Tagus, the queen of Spana rose, was dressed, kissed her son goodbye for the day and got to work. It was the day after Manuel’s message and she summoned the General Court to a session that was the longest in living memory. Significant quantities of food and arms were at hand, not just for the southern army, but to resupply the troops along the Ebro. That particular conflict had developed at last into a true siege: Amina’s forces held the citadel and the land around city with the Francians trapped inside.
“My sirs,” she said, “Victory is within our grasp if we have the courage to seize it.”
It was insulting in a way to have her own idea turned against her.
He always tried to control me, that I could only rule with his help, she thought of Garcia.
I never expected the Maurez to turn on me. Her advisers almost refused to believe it. She still could not quite believe it herself, but he would soon be on her doorstep regardless of what anyone thought. It made a terrible sense when she thought about it. None of them advocated surrender. Perhaps it was the presence of two of her Royal Cavalesos outside the door, but she could not deny that betraying her now might be better for them individually.
But not for this country! she said to herself.
It was clear: a city the size of Toledo falling to a mere 10,000 men in hostile--
Holy Father please let it be hostile!--country would have been absurd. Even with the region denuded of troops for the north it was still an climb uphill for Garcia Maurez. What he could do and what was more likely to happen, was a blockade. Even small reductions in the food available to the city would lead to significant hunger. Garcia could shut her in and wait for the Francians to win at Zaragoza on the theory that the country would be paralyzed without the capital. But if her forces won at Zaragoza…
“Victory at Zaragoza will end foreign opposition,” she said to them. Everything they knew argued for that, especially the little she heard from Francia itself where the new Templars were making the populace restive. She suspected that with the king’s attention turned to other matters, his pet priest was using a heavy hand. “Garcia Maurez will have no hope then. We have only to hold out, and we will.”
It had been no decision for her. Fleeing her capital would be the end of her reign and those who tied themselves to her out of duty or love. It would see a bastard boy on the throne and a constant struggle between Garcia and whoever the Francians supported for control over him until his majority. A recipe for paralysis and decline even assuming everyone involved was competent.
Even though she intended to stand in Toledo, she still needed to make provision for the country and the northern army.
“You are each of importance for the continuance of this realm and I will allow you to retreat to Segovia to continue your offices there if you desire. I hope you go with God. The people however, are not able to flee and I cannot abandon them. Come what may, I will remain in the capital. If the worst should befall me, I ask those of you who survive only to remember a woman who always tried to do right by God and this country--and that you continue to do the same in whatever capacity God places you.”
After a little speech like that, she thought,
who will muster the courage to leave first?
The answer of course, was none of them. This freed her to order the most vital to Segovia yet still salve their pride. It made the others angry, but that anger was directed at her which was acceptable and at Garcia for forcing the issue which was preferred. As long as none of them were angry enough to go over to him, they would work all the harder to win her victory, which was vital to the effort she was already sketching out in her head.
In the short time left she sent her deputies to strip the surrounding land of anything edible and bring it to her--or destroy it. She lacked the numbers to defend the suburbs with their walls made to keep out animals and criminals or none at all. Staying in their homes was not an option as Amina intended to destroy what could not be taken into the city. Families with able-bodied men and women were permitted entrance into the city.[1] Amina did provide some boats for them to flee downriver, but most had no where to run and were doomed to suffer.
The only places on the south side of the river she intended to hold were the castles known as the Alcántara on the far side of the bridge of the same name, and the Rusafa near the western docks.[2] No matter how many stores they laid in, supplies had to come by water to make up shortfalls and securing the docks was necessary. Both castles would be fully manned.
She did not think Garcia would be able to completely cut off the city, but its size made it harder to defend. Across the city camps were set up in strategic city squares. Each was given a particular section of the walls to be responsible for. Combined with conscripted citizens to stand watch on the walls and provide support to the garrison, the hope was to defend the walls long enough for the soldiers to arrive in force. Amina also seized the city’s horses to create a capability to mount raids and sorties.[3] Amina wrote to Duke Alvaro and the vizrey not to abandon Zaragoza under any circumstances then took time to rest on the assumption she would get little when the siege began.
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Had Amina not already suspected him, Garcia’s plan might well have succeeded. It was only in the last few days that refugees arrived in the capital complaining of criminals (the Morabitunes) and the refusal of the southern army to control them. When he finally appeared, Garcia Maurez led a party of a fifty men that presented themselves at the entrance to La Rosa, the wealthy suburb on the east side of the city named for the color of the buildings.[4] After much deliberation with Giovan and the General Court, Amina had given permission for the populace to surrender to Garcia at the cost of their wealth and promised to repay them after a victory if they did not assist Garcia in taking the city.
When Garcia’s party reached the gates to the Alcántara they asked for permission to enter and take the supplies gathered for them. Amina denied them entry on the pretext of the reports regarding the behavior of the army. Garcia apologized and asked the queen to inspect the army to allay her fears. At the same time he was becoming suspicious himself when he saw so many boats stopping at the docks, saw the rebuilt fortifications and from the lack of soldiers on the way to the city. He declined Amina’s offer to enter the city and discuss the matter with her.
The impasse continued until the predawn hours of August 29, 1135. The weakest part of the defenses was the dock house that led to the royal palace through the extensive gardens. Under cover of darkness the leader of the mercenaries, Aben de Gudala, led a picked force across the Tagus and attempted to seize the dock house. He was discovered and repulsed, but upon learning of the incursion Amina raised a pure white flag[5] above the Alcántara, the Rusafa and the southern towers of the city. This was her signal for her agents to fire the suburbs where Garcia’s army was encamped. As expected the blaze ran out of control and caught the southern army by surprise. Scores burned to death or were trampled in the confusion along with the residents.
Outraged, Garcia cursed the queen and ordered Aben to raze the other suburbs in revenge. This was met by protests from his own allies, the other lords of the Maghreb come to take positions in Juan’s new government, but Garcia insisted. Even La Rosa was pillaged over the course of several days which showed Garcia had learned nothing from his actions in the Ebro.
Despite his ruthlessness, Garcia Maurez had difficulty cutting off the capital. The closest bridge over the Tagus was some 50 miles to the west. His destruction of the suburbs had spread the word and lost him any local goodwill. He had to spend time and lives to secure the local towns while also setting a strong guard around the Alcántara and Rusafa fortresses. It was only then that he sent left Aben’s son in command in the south and led the rest of the army in a long march to Albora.[6] As soon as he was gone, Amina’s troops made a number of sorties that proved costly to the rebels but could not break out. They did however secure the river for the supply boats and prevented the rebels from launching any naval attacks themselves.
In anticipation of Garcia’s move east, Giovan had set a strong guard at Albora and they forced Garcia to pay dearly for the crossing as well as firing the fields on their retreat to the capital. The Albora region was extremely fertile and while it was too far to supply the capital, small towns farther west did. Garcia had to subdue each of these which took two more weeks. It was not until late September that he stood before the northern walls.
Beyond that wall was another suburb, the poorest, little more than a slum. A number of industries distasteful for the capital’s residents were located here.[7] Garcia set fire to the wooden buildings himself giving the residents no chance to surrender. The entire slum burned so black smoke wreathed the capital as the siege began in earnest at last.
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[1]The women can easily fire the repeating crossbows.
[2]An extensive ferry system operates along with a wooden bridge. The Rusafa is slightly north of OTL’s San Martin bridge which does not exist here. Alcántara at Toledo was built by the Romans so it’s still there.
[3]This is workable because of the soldiers’ long experience with signal flags and the use of the proto-telescopes and because the city has a lot of good, smooth roads.
[4]Pink limestone found in Tarragona and Valencia. It’s in the rich suburb because it is heavy to move and so expensive to build with even today. It’s also the location of the building that houses the Agency of Agriculture which was abandoned.
[5]Classic Umayyad flag
[6]OTL’s Talavera de la Reina. Thanks to the Abd ar-Rahman’s campaigns it retains its Visigothic name.
[7]Stinky stuff, like tanners, dyers, slaughterhouses, paper mills, soap mills etc.
I should be able to post a partial map of the city by the next update.
