Spanish Christians vs. Moors: the Battle of El Puig, 1237

Real Crusades History #149. And don't forget the Real Crusades History website!

The Battle of El Puig, 1237

After his successful crusade to take Majorca, James the Conqueror’s next great project was a campaign to capture the Moorish power directly south of the Kingdom of Aragon: the Taifa of Valencia.

The Valencian Crusade was announced at a general court celebrated in 1236 in Monzón. The campaign began with the capture of the Moorish fortress of El Puig, situated within striking distance of Valencia. Here, in 1237, James installed a garrison under the command of Don Bernat Guillem d’Enteca. Then the King departed for Tortosa to secure more supplies for his troops at El Puig. 

With the King gone, the Mohammedan ruler of Valencia, Zayyan ibn Mardanish, decided to attack El Puig. Zayyan knew that, so long as the Christians held El Puig, Valencia was in serious danger. Zayyan hoped to destroy the garrison at El Puig before James could return with more forces. 

Zayyan assembled a large army of troops drawn from Xàtiva to Onda – a considerable area of his Taifa – and then moved at dawn on El Puig. Meanwhile, ten Aragonese horsemen, engaged in a raid on the Valencian countryside, discovered this movement of Zayyan’s army and rushed back to El Puig to inform Don Bernat Guillen. Don Bernat ordered the garrison knights to hear mass, arm themselves for battle, and then assemble before the castle. Don Bernat believed that his men stood a better chance facing Zayyan’s troops in the field rather than waiting to be trapped in the castle by a siege.

Zayyan’s troops arrived, and organized a strong formation with a well-armed infantry screen in the front. Zayyan was first to attack, and initially his men managed to drive back Don Bernat’s knights. However, the Christians rallied, invoking the Mother of God by shouting, “Santa Maria! Santa Maria!” After a powerful Aragonese charge, the Moorish lines began to falter. At this point, Zayyan’s formations became crowded, and some of the troops in the rearguard began to flee. Now Don Bernat’s knights made a fierce attack on the Mohammedan vanguard, and this broke Zayyan’s front lines. Soon the Moors were in total rout, and the Christians pursued them all the way to the River Sec.

Zayyan’s army endured heavy casualties. Meanwhile, the Aragonese lost only a handful of men. One of the few knights who died was Ruy Ximénez de Luesia, who drove deep into the enemy ranks during the first attacks, and wasn’t seen again until his comrades found his body after their victory.

James was at Huesca when Guillem de Salas, one of the knights who’d fought at the battle, arrived to deliver the news, his face still bandaged from a wound he’d received in the fighting. James rewarded Guillem, and proceeded immediately to the cathedral to offer prayers of thanks. James had the clergy sing the Te Deum Laudamus to praise God for the victory.

The Christian victory at El Puig meant that James was very likely to capture Valencia. Zayyan had gambled on being able to dislodge the Aragonese from their strategic occupation of El Puig, but instead ended up losing a large number of his fighting men. In the end, James would achieve total victory, conquering the entirety of the Kingdom of Valencia. The courage and skill of his knights at the Battle of El Puig did much to make that possible.