Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa

Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa
Part of the Reconquista (Spanish Christian–Muslim War of 1172–1212)
Portrayal of the battle by Francisco de Paula Van Halen (1864)
Date 16 July 1212 Location Near Santa Elena, Jaén, Andalusia, 38°17′04″N 3°34′58″W / 38.28443°N 3.58286°W / 38.28443; -3.58286[1] Result Spanish-Crusader victory[2][3][4][5]
Belligerents
Kingdom of Castile Order of Santiago Order of Calatrava Crown of Aragon Kingdom of Navarre Knights Templar Volunteers from the Kingdom of Leon and the Kingdom of Portugal Crusaders from all over Europe	Almohad Caliphate
Commanders and leaders
Centre: Alfonso VIII of Castile Vanguard: Diego López II de Haro Rodrigo Jiménez de Rada Right wing: Sancho VII of Navarre Left wing: Peter II of Aragon[6]	Muhammad al-Nasir
Strength
12,000–14,000[7][8]	22,000–30,000[7][9] "Many hundreds of thousands"[10]
Casualties and losses
~2,000[11][page needed]	Very high[7][12] ~20,000[8]

The Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa, known in Islamic history as the Battle of Al-Uqab (Arabic: معركة العقاب), took place on 16 July 1212 and was an important turning point in the Reconquista and the medieval history of Spain.^[13] The Christian forces of King Alfonso VIII of Castile, were joined by the armies of his rivals, Sancho VII of Navarre and Peter II of Aragon, in battle^[14] against the Almohad Muslim rulers of the southern half of the Iberian Peninsula. The caliph al-Nasir (Miramamolín in the Spanish chronicles) led the Almohad army, made up of people from all over the Almohad Caliphate.