Battle of Alcoraz

Battle of Alcoraz
Part of Battles of the Reconquista
Peter receiving a shield emblazoned with St George's Cross.
Date 1096 Location Outside Huesca Result Aragonese victory Territorial changes Christian conquest of Huesca
Belligerents
Kingdom of Aragon	Taifa of Zaragoza Kingdom of Castile
Commanders and leaders
Peter I Alfonso the Battler	Al-Mustain II Gonzalo Núñez de Lara García Ordóñez

The Battle of Alcoraz took place in 1096 outside Huesca (Pre-Roman Bolskan, Latin Osca, Arabic Wasqah), pitting the besieging forces of Peter I of Aragon and Navarre against the relief forces of Al-Musta'in II of Zaragoza.

The siege was begun some two years earlier (1094) by Peter's father, Sancho Ramírez, who had camped at the time in the Castle of Montearagón. While inspecting the siege efforts around the walls, Sancho was killed by an arrow. His successor continued the siege and, at nearby Alcoraz, defeated the troops of Al-Musta'in come up from Zaragoza.

Later legends hold that during the battle Saint George appeared above the crown of Aragon, in support of the effort of the Reconquista. This parallels similar visions of Santiago Matamoros (Saint James) in support of the Christian forces of Asturias in the Battle of Clavijo over two hundred years earlier.

References

• Antonio Ubieto Arteta. 1951. Una narración de la batalla de Alcoraz atribuida al abad pinatense Aimerico. Argensola: Revista de Ciencias Sociales del Instituto de Estudios Altoaragoneses, 7:245–56.

Coordinates: 42°09′13″N 0°20′39″W / 42.15361°N 0.34417°W / 42.15361; -0.34417