Chapter 10 - The Granadan War, Act I
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The last remnant of Al-Andalus -
The coat of arms of the Emirate of Granada and its last Sultan, Muhammad XII
The last Muslim state in left standing in the Iberian Peninsula, known to them as Al-Andalus, was the Emirate of Granada, ruled by Sultan
Muhammad XII of the
Nasrid dynasty, better known by the Castilians as
Boabdil. Technically, the emirate is nothing more than a tributary state to Castile since the mid-13th century, as the Sultans pay tribute in the form of gold from the Mali and Songhai empires that was carried to Iberia through the merchant routes of the Sahara.
For the next two centuries, the Emirate enjoyed cultural and economic prosperity as a trade hub between the Maghreb and the Iberian Peninsula, heavily financed by Genoese bankers, not to mention that most of the famed
Alhambra palace was built during the period. By the time of the Portuguese discoveries in Africa in the 15th century, Granada’s role as a trade hub had waned, with its economy weakened and its world-famous porcelain trade disrupted by the Aragonese in
Manises in Valencia. Heavy taxes were imposed on ordinary Granadans to support its extensive defenses and a large army to defend the Emirate.
Internally, Granada has suffered from constant succession struggles, with the Sultan’s rule limited to the city of Granada, and rival emirs emerging from the Alhambra and the
Albayzín district. Slowly but surely, various towns fell to the Castilians over time as a result of frequent border skirmishes, from
Algeciras in 1344, to
Antequera in 1410 and Gibraltar in 1462 (until it was lost to the Portuguese in 1477). The prior dominance of Castile meant that Granada’s existence was a precarious one, but the sudden victory of the Portuguese forces and
La Beltraneja’s supporters in the War of Castilian Succession merely guaranteed its existence… for now.
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The Wattasid Dynasty -
Fez, the main city of the Wattasids
Across the Strait of Gibraltar lies Morocco, ruled by the Wattasid dynasty, established by
Abu Abd Allah al-Sheikh Muhammad ibn Yahya, who was of Berber descent in 1472. Originally, they had been the autonomous governors of the eastern
Rif region since the late 13th century, forging close ties with their predecessors, the
Marinids and providing many bureaucratic elites for the prior ruling family. Over time, when they began to accumulate power through political maneuvering, which caused most of the family to be slaughtered in 1459, with only Muhammad ibn Yahya being the only surviving one. He then fled to
Fez, where he established himself there as the main Moroccan dynasty.
Diplomatically, the Wattasids tried to take a more pragmatic approach to the Iberian countries and at the same time, protect Morocco from foreign incursions. The only notable event of this short-lived dynasty’s former policy prior to their downfall was an agreement with Castile in 1485, in which Morocco agreed not to assist Granada in return for the Castilians to not capture Moroccan ships in the
Alboran Sea. The latter promise to defend Morocco eventually failed, with the Portuguese taking both the small towns of
Safim in 1481, and
Azamor in 1486 as vassals. The former would especially become an important port for the Portuguese during the process of integration of coastal Morocco after the Granadan War.
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Provocation at Archidona -
Granadan soldiers in the late 15 century (
Image source)
The war began in December 1499 when Granada launched a surprise attack in the small town of
Archidona [1] near the border with Castile, which was in the latter’s hands since 1462. This was in part due to a Castilian raid into Granadan territory that took place earlier. The town was sacked and its population was enslaved, creating a massive provocation that led to a wider war in both Iberia and the Maghreb Coast. Aragon, under King
Enrique I, who succeeded Juan II upon his death in 1479 also joined the war by sending a small contingent of forces while focusing on the
Hafsids in the coast of
Ifriqiya, out of finally expelling the Moorish remnants from Iberia altogether. Although the results of the first few battles near the border of Granada were inconclusive due to the terrain, several small towns in Granada near the Castilian border began to fall, starting with
Loja,
Iznájar and
Alhama by 1500.
In addition to his journeys into Africa and India, Duarte Pacheco Pereira was also known for leading the Portuguese army in the early stages of the Granadan War
Meanwhile, seeing the war lingering next door to Granada from Gibraltar, 15,000 Portuguese troops (10,000 footmen, with a significant portion being handgunners and 5,000 knights, plus 30 artillery pieces) led by
Duarte Pacheco Pereira, known for being one of the Portuguese crown’s official geographers and his subsequent journeys into India, began to march from Gibraltar to the western part of Granada known as the Takurunna Core. In the later half of 1500, the Portuguese seized the towns of
Ronda and
Marbella, the latter being one of the bases for the Granadan fleet. The rapid movement of the Portuguese troops opened the way to the city of
Málaga, which was the main seaport for Granada’s maritime trade.
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The siege of Málaga -
The Alcazaba of Málaga
Málaga itself was the main target of the joint Portuguese-Castilian campaign of 1501 in the Takurunna Core. Juana of Castile was accompanied by one of the main Castilian generals of the war,
Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, known as
El Gran Capitán (The Great Captain) [2] with 35,000 troops (30,000 Castilians, made up of footmen and knights and a 5,000 strong Aragonese contingent) and 50,000 laborers. The Portuguese army under Pacheco Pereira joined in from the west of the city. Before reaching Málaga, the Castilian army seized the town of
Vélez-Málaga with little resistance, with the addition of smaller places along the road to the city.
The city itself was prosperous, filled with elegant Moorish architecture with its countless gardens and fountains. The citadel above the town lies the
Alcazaba, connected via a causeway to another fortress that is higher in altitude, the
Gibralfaro castle. The city’s suburbs were protected by a wall, and towards the sea lay orchards of various fruits, especially vineyards where the famous Málaga wine was made. The town was well-defended with a regular garrison with artillery, as well as volunteers from neighboring parts of the Emirate and Berber mercenaries from the Rif known as the
Gomeres.
The city’s access to the sea was blockaded by Portuguese and Castilian ships. The first attacks toward the city were in the landward suburbs, with both the Portuguese and Castilian forces breaching the western and eastern walls. The Granadan forces then retreated back to the city, where they tried to make stiff resistance against both armies as much as possible. The city walls were then successfully mined by Castilian siege engineers, and the Portuguese successfully took the
Alcazaba in the west with little losses. Seeing the Portuguese and Castilian forces approaching into the main citadel, the Granadan garrison commander surrendered, throwing themselves on the mercy of the Christian Iberian kingdoms, allowing for most of the population of the city to be spared [3]. It took from mid-June to the end of July of 1501 to take the city.
The conquest of the city was a harsh blow to Granada, which has lost its chief seaport. Frustrated at the loss of Málaga, Muhammad XII had no choice but to appeal to the rising Muslim power to the east - The Ottoman Empire.
[1] The OTL Granadan War began in 1482 when the Granadans launched a surprise attack on the town of Zahara. The war began much later TTL due to the Castilian recovery from the loss of its territories and the downfall of Queen Isabel after the War of Castilian Succession.
[2] Since TTL's Italian Wars are limited to a Franco-Austrian conflict, we'll begin to see more of him in the Granadan war. Fernández de Córdoba's tercio tactics will become observed during the war and eventually adopted by the Portuguese sooner than OTL.
[3] The result of the OTL Siege of Málaga in 1487 led to most of its population being either killed or enslaved. Given that the Granadan War took place later than OTL and Juana being more sane here, this is not the case.
Note - we're now beginning to see the early stages of the Granadan War. The Portuguese and Castilians are now enjoying their early successes in the western part of Granada, taking the Emirate's main seaport. Granada, now frustrated by the Portuguese intervention in the war, is now reaching out to the Ottomans for help. As a result, over the next few years, the war will spill over to the rest of the Maghreb coast, from Safi to Tripoli. Any suggestions and/or feedback for this chapter?