Battle
1297 battle
The battle of Arjona was a military engagement between the Granadans and the Castilians near Arjona. The battle ended in a resounding Granadan victory.
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Text from the Wikipedia article “Battle of Arjona”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
The battle of Arjona was a military engagement between the Granadans and the Castilians near Arjona. The battle ended in a resounding Granadan victory.
After the defeat of Iznalloz, the Castilian knight Ruy Pérez Ponce de León succumbed to his wounds a few days later. The death of this knight weakened the power of the ruling queen, María de Molina, who invoked the loyalty of Guzman el Bueno and earnestly requested that he defend Andalusia, threatened by the Sultan of Granada. The Granadan Sultan, Muhammad II, did not cease to make incursions into Christian lands, devastating the fields and keeping the inhabitants of the border towns in constant alarm, with Arjona being one of the points that suffered the most from the attacks of the Muslims. The Queen begged Guzman to come to the front of the Christian army to punish the Moors and pacify the border. Guzman did so.
In 1297, Guzman set out to intercept the Granadans. Guzman was joined by Infante Don Henrique, who was the great-uncle of Ferdinand IV. Arriving at Andújar, they received word that the cavalry of the Granadan Sultan had been camped for three days near Arjona, ravaging their fields and looting the farms and cottages. The Castilians met the Granadans at Arjona, and the fierce battle ensued. The Granadan cavalry already charged against the Castilian vanguard, broke through it, scattered it, and penetrated into the Castilian camp until they managed to knock down the Infante from his horse.
The Infante was almost killed and was averted from death because Guzmán, seeing him in such great danger, charged against it at the head of a force and enveloping him among his own, saved him from death. The majority of the Castilians were killed, and only a few survived and were taken captives and imprisoned at Granada. Pedro Pascual, bishop of Jaén, was taken prisoner and executed 3 years later.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Battle of Arjona”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.