Battle of Covadonga
In the Picos de Europa the Asturian rebels of Pelagius defeated a Muslim punitive force — the first Christian victory after the conquest of Spain, traditionally regarded as the beginning of the Reconquista.
- Date
- between 718 and 722exact date unknown: an interval is given
- Place
- Covadongatoday: Cangas de Onís, Asturias, Spain · Western and Central Europe
- Participants
- Kingdom of Asturias, Pelagius (Pelayo), Umayyad Caliphate
- Threads
- Early medieval Europe (500–1000)
- Also known as
- Баталья-де-Ковадонга; Batalla de Covadonga
The battle is known only from Asturian chronicles of the late 9th century, above all the Chronicle of Alfonso III, which surround it with legend: the Christians sheltered in the cave of the Virgin at Covadonga, stones and arrows turned back on the attackers, and a mountainside buried the fleeing Muslims. The commander Alqama was killed, and the governor Munuza soon abandoned Gijón.
The date is disputed: the traditional 718 and the later 722, preferred by many modern authors, are both defended. Arab writers barely mention the clash, but the survival of an independent Christian principality in Asturias made Covadonga the founding legend of the Spanish monarchy.
Connections
Causes and preconditions
- Umayyad conquest of Hispania711–718 · Western and Central EuropeA revolt against the new Muslim rulers in the mountains of the north
Same participants
- Second Arab siege of Constantinoplebetween 15 July and 15 August 717 – 15 August 718 · Balkans and Anatoliavia Umayyad Caliphate
- Battle of Tours10 October 732 · Western and Central Europevia Umayyad Caliphate
Meanwhile in the world
Other regions, within 25 years of this event
Eastern Europe
- The Khazar rulers adopt Judaismbetween 740 and 861
- Kyi, Shchek and Khoryv: the legendary founding of Kyivbetween 500 and 700
- Early Slavic cultures: Prague-Korchak, Penkovka and Kolochinc. 450 – c. 700
Balkans and Anatolia
- Second Arab siege of Constantinoplebetween 15 July and 15 August 717 – 15 August 718
- Byzantine Iconoclasmbetween 726 and 730 – 11 March 843
The same period
Sources
- Wikipedia (English): Battle of Covadonga
- Wikipedia (Russian): Битва при Ковадонге
- O’Callaghan J. F. A History of Medieval Spain. — Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1975.
- Wikidata: Q957186