Almogavars (; ; ; ; originally ) is the name of a class of light infantry soldier that originated in Spain during the Reconquista and was used to great effect by Aragon during its Mediterranean conquests of the 13th and 14th centuries.
Almogavars were lightly clad, quick-moving frontiersmen and foot-soldiers. They hailed from the Kingdom of Aragon, the Principality of Catalonia, the Kingdom of Valencia, the Crown of Castile and the Kingdom of Portugal. In the Crown of Castile, the inner organization was managed by King Alfonso X of Castile in the Siete Partidas. At first, these troops were formed by farmers and shepherds originating from the countryside, woods, and frontier mountain areas. Later, they were employed as mercenaries in Italy, the Frankokratia, and the Levant.
Etymology There are several theories as to where this name comes from: (; ), (, 'the carrier of news'), or (, 'the pilgrim', as in 'adjunct [to a holy place]'). Another theory holds that it comes from the adjective , which translates as 'prideful' or 'haughty'. Similarly, the names of their military ranks derive from Arabic.
Saracen origin of the term The term was first used in the 10th century in the territory of Al-Andalus, to refer to small armed groups of Saracens engaged in looting and surprise attacks. The first documented historical reference appeared in the chronicle Akhbar muluk Al-Andalus or Chronicle of the Moor Rasis, the history of the kings of Al-Andalus, written between 887 and 955 by Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Razi, known among Arabs by the name "Al-Tarikhi" ("The Chronicler") and among Christians as the "Moor Rasis". In his chronicle, the historian of Qurtuba describes the territories of Al-Andalus, and upon arrival at the Ebro Valley, cites the existence of some troops called Almogavars present in the city of Saraqusta for the first time:
The word Almogavar was also used during the last centuries of the Reconquista (reconquest of Spain), at the Granadan border, for designating the groups of Moorish bandits that launched attacks from the kingdom of Granada on the border towns of the kingdoms of Murcia and Valencia.(...) almogavares de tierra de moros que entran a fazer mal e daño a los nuestros regnos (...).Carta de Juan I de Castilla. 1385-I-24.
Christian adaptation The Aragonese were the first Christians to adopt those strategies and fight like the groups of Saracens known as Almogavars, which eventually led to them being known by the same name.
Even though there were no contemporary chronicles of the events of the 11th and 12th centuries, the first time that any Christian Almogavars are mentioned is in a testimony by Jerónimo Zurita in his Annals of Aragón, which places the Almogavars in the time of Alfonso I of Aragon reinforcing the fortress of El Castellar around 1105–1110 with visions of the conquest of Zaragoza:
Alfonso the Chaste, loyal to his friendship with the kingdom of Castile, went to besiege al-madinat Kunka in 1177, with a group of foot soldiers identified as Almogavars, to help the Castilian monarch.
Socioeconomic origin
Due to the Muslim invasion of the Iberian peninsula, the wars of the Reconquista ("Reconquest") and the military campaigns of Al Andalus, the Christian shepherds had to organize themselves into bands of outlaws and penetrate the enemy domain in search of what their people needed to survive. During these raids, which usually lasted a few days, the Almogavars would live off the land and sleep out in the open, skills acquired from their former life as shepherds; the majority of them had grown up in the mountains, where the harshness of the climate limited the resources of the land.
But after many generations of leading this new kind of life that they had been pushed into by the invaders, it seems that a warrior spirit formed in these shepherd communities, and they ended up not knowing how to live by any other means than waging war. In addition, it was much easier to make a living through attacks lasting a few days than by working hard for the whole year. This way of life went on being adopted by the inhabitants of the areas that bordered the Muslim territories as the Christian kingdoms advanced toward the south. The presence of Islamic Almogavars fighting alongside Catholic Almogavars is also documented."Joan Martínez Omar, Adalid del Rey (...) fuera Moro (...) este Adalid veniera con el Rey quando venció al Rey Alobasen cerca de Tarifa, et le guió la hueste por buenos logares, el Rey fiaba mucho dél (...) manguer que oviese seido de la ley de los Moros". "Crónica de Alfonso XI", in Crónicas de los Reyes de Castilla, BAE, t. LXVI, Madrid 1953, vol. I, p. 343a.
Description They were characterized as being infantry shock troops that fought on foot, with light arms and baggage, generally with a pair of javelins, one short spear ("ascona muntera" in Catalan, meaning "a hunting spear") and a falchion. They had full beards and dressed poorly, only in a short gown (both in summer and winter); they wore a thick leather belt and leather sandals. In addition, they always carried a good piece of flint with them that they struck their weapons with before going into battle, which gave off sparks that, together with their unpleasant cries, terrorized their enemies. Endowed with valor and ferocity, those from the Crown of Aragon entered into combat to the cry of "Awake iron! Let's kill, let's kill", "for Saint George!" and "Aragon! Aragon!".Antonio de Bofarull (ed. y trad. al castellano), Ramón Muntaner, Crónica catalana, Barcelona, Jaime Jepús, 1860.
The following excerpt from the chronicle Llibre del rei en Pere d'Aragó e dels seus antecessors passats (Book of King Peter of Aragon and of his past ancestors) by Bernat Desclot, describes the Almogavars:
However, such descriptions are not complete, and the description of the Almogavars differs more or less depending on the place and time. Thus, the previous description, which describes them as people not living in villages but in remote areas such as forests and mountains, as well as the description of their weapons, only refers to Almogavars of the time indicated, and probably earlier centuries. The last Almogavars, those who from the second half of the 15th century to the 16th had the border of Granada as their sphere of influence, were residents of the towns there, were very knowledgeable about the terrain, and rampaged against the Granadan territory.
Their basic characteristics were lifelong dedication to war, not just as a profession but as a way of life, adapted to the conditions of the border with the Saracens. They were characterized by their looting and the sale or ransom of prisoners, frugality and resistance to fatigue, light weapons, and hierarchical organization.
Requirements and military rank The requirements the Almogavars had to meet were compiled by King Alfonso X in the Siete Partidas, included fitness and endurance, as well as agility. The codification of their ranks is also set out in this legal code.
Adalid (leader) From the Arab word dalid (guide, conductor), was the highest rank in the Almogavar force.Torres Fontes, Juan. Los fronterizos murcianos en la Edad Media. The adalid required wisdom, courage, intelligence and loyalty in order to guide the army on appropriate routes and to avoid danger, as well as knowledge of the land to secure places for shelter, with adequate water, firewood and grazing, and to know how to track the steps of the enemy. Among these functions were to prepare and organise expeditions and sole authority to make all decisions about raids, and he had a status similar to that of a knight (lower nobility). To appoint an adalid, twelve adalids or, in their absence, other authorised officials met and swore in the name of the king that the candidate had the necessary talents to perform this duty. After this oath, the king or other official presented him with a sword and baldric. Then he stood on a shield and the king or his representative unsheathed the sword and placed it in his hand. The adalids lifted their new colleague high, facing eastwards, and he made a pattern in the air with his sword, in the form of the cross and said:
"I, N, challenge all the enemies of the faith in the name of God and of my Lord and King and of his land".
He then did the same facing the other cardinal points of the earth. The ceremony concluded, the adalid sheathed his sword and the king said to him:
"Henceforth you are an adalid".
Initially this was a lifelong responsibility, but from the end of the 14th century it became hereditary, which brought the adalid still closer to the lower ranks of the nobility.Ferrer, María Teresa. Els almogàvers a la frontera amb els sarrains en el segle XIV, p. 2.
Almogavar a llom cavall (mounted Almogavar) An intermediate rank between the adalid and the almocaden is documented in Castile."Ley VI. Título XII". Partidas de Alfonso X.
Almocaden From Arabic al-muqaddem, 'the captain', 'he who leads'. He was of a lower rank and a captain of autonomous Almogavar groups; for this he was required to be knowledgeable about war and about leading his group, to have motivation, to know how to motivate his peers and to be light, to be faster and to be able to hide easily in addition to being fair, as set forth in Title XII, Act V of the entries (the Partidas):
The almocaden was an Almogavar of demonstrated experience who was accepted as a leader by the Almogavars of his group. Just like the two previous ranks, it also seems to have entailed being mounted on a horse, although there is only the reference of two almocadenes on horseback, so this requirement remains unclear.Ferrer i Mallol, Maria Teresa. Organització i defensa d'un territori fronterer, p. 242.
Almogavar Also called hombres de campo (countrymen) or peones (pawns) in Castile, these were of the lowest rank and formed the bulk of the army. As the Law VI, Title VII established, of the codes (the Partidas), to be elected an adalid it was necessary to have earlier been an Almogavar on horseback, and to be this, previously to be an almocaden, and to be an almocaden, previously an Almogavar."Las cosas que han de ir a bien, siempre han de ir, y subir de un grado a otro mejor. Así como se hace del buen peón un buen Almocadén, y del buen Almocadón buen almogávar de caballo, y de aquel, el buen Adalid".
Historic military significance The Almogavars were considered one of the best infantries of their era. In an age in which cavalry was the favored weapon of armies and the model of the chivalric ideal was a continuing myth, the Almogavars used the terrain to their advantage, fought at night and always went on foot without wearing armour, which gave them great mobility. Ramon Llull gave them as much importance as the crossbowmen and heavy armoured knights. According to his view, the only way to effectively combat Islam and recover the Holy Land was to start the war from the Spanish border, defeat the Moors of Al-Andalus, go to North Africa, and gradually moving up to the Levant; considering this and their military effectiveness, the Almogavars were a key part of his plan. In the year he wrote his chronicle (1315), the Almogavars were at the height of their fame and had achieved renown throughout the Mediterranean for their exploits in Tunisia, Sicily, and in the Catalan Company.Ferrer i Mallol, Maria Teresa. Organització i defensa d'un territori fronterer, p. 238.
When they were carrying out border incursions, the Almogavars usually fought in small, autonomous groups of five to fifteen men, counting on surprise. In times of open warfare, the groups were more numerous and there is mention of twenty or thirty comrades per group. Also, very rarely, some Almogavars participated in corsair operations against Granada.Ferrer i Mallol, Maria Teresa. Organització i defensa d'un territori fronterer, p. 263.