Conquest of Murcia (1265–66)
A conquest of Murcia took place in 1265–66 when James I of Aragon conquered the Muslim-held Taifa of Murcia on behalf of his ally Alfonso X of Castile.
| Conquest of Murcia | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Mudéjar revolt of 1264–1266 | |||||||||
James I of Aragon entering the city of Murcia after the surrender of its inhabitants, February 1266. | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
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Aragon Castile Order of Santiago |
Taifa of Murcia Supported by: Emirate of Granada | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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James I of Aragon Manuel of Castile Paio Peres Correia |
Al-Wathiq of Murcia Abdallah ibn Ali | ||||||||
Previously, Murcia was a semi-independent vassal of Castile, but renounced its allegiance during the Mudéjar revolt of 1264–1266. Aragon entered the war on Castile's side after Castile's Queen Violant—who was James' daughter—wrote a letter asking for her father's help.
After initial negotiations with his nobles, James marched from Valencia at the end of October 1265. Subsequently, Aragonese troops took multiple Murcian towns and defeated a reinforcement column sent by the Emirate of Granada. The siege of the city of Murcia started in January 1266, ending in its surrender on 31 January and James' entrance to the city on 3 February.
After the conquest, Murcia was returned to Castile and lost its semi-independent status. Subsequently, its Muslim population was moved to suburbs as Castile brought Christian settlers to populate the region.