Continuing with his policy of expansion of the Portuguese territories in Morocco, and with the spirit of Crusade against the Muslims always present, King Afonso V of Portugal initially set plans to conquer Tangier, but subsequently decided to conquer Arzila.
Departing from the Portuguese town of Lagos with an army of about 30,000 men and 400 ships,[2] Afonso V arrived at the Moroccan coast on the afternoon of 22 August 1471. The Portuguese King summoned his Council and decided to attack Asilah on the morning of the following day. There was a terrible storm and a number of Portuguese ships were lost. It poured rain the entire three days of the siege.[3]
The storm was so severe it prevented the ships from laying down a cannon bombardment, and only two pieces of heavy artillery were brought to shore. After a troubled disembarkation that resulted in the death of more than 200 men caused by strong winds and waves, Afonso's army reached the shore and laid siege to the city of Asilah, conquering it after a hard battle on 24 of August, 1471.[1]
In the late 15th century, a set of four large tapestries was commissioned to commemorate the battle. They were woven by Flemish weavers in Tournai, Belgium. The tapestries are notable highly for their portrayal of a contemporary event. The works are regarded as among the finest Gothic tapestries in existence.[3]
Jeremy Black, Cambridge illustrated atlas, warfare: Renaissance to revolution, 1492-1792 (1996) ISBN0-521-47033-1
Bailey Wallys Diffie,Boyd C. Shafer,George Davison Winius, Foundations of the Portuguese empire, 1415-1580 (1977) ISBN0-8166-0782-6
Ignacio da Costa Quintella, Academia das Ciências de Lisboa, Annaes da marinha portugueza, Volume 1 (1839)
January 01, 2023
conquest, asilah, portuguese, conquest, asilah, arabic, أصيلة, أرزيلة, portuguese, arzila, modern, morocco, from, wattasids, took, place, august, 1471, part, moroccan, portuguese, conflictsthe, portuguese, assault, asilah, depicted, 15th, century, tapestry, da. The Portuguese conquest of Asilah Arabic أصيلة أرزيلة Portuguese Arzila in modern Morocco from the Wattasids took place on 24 August 1471 Conquest of AsilahPart of Moroccan Portuguese conflictsThe Portuguese assault on Asilah depicted on a 15th century tapestry Date24 August 1471LocationAsilah MoroccoResultPortuguese victoryBelligerentsKingdom of PortugalWattasid MoroccoCommanders and leadersAfonso V of PortugalPrince JohnMohamed CheikhStrength30 000 men400 shipsUnknownCasualties and lossesUnknown2 000 killed 1 5 000 captured 1 Contents 1 History 2 Pastrana Tapestries 3 See also 4 Notes 5 ReferencesHistory EditContinuing with his policy of expansion of the Portuguese territories in Morocco and with the spirit of Crusade against the Muslims always present King Afonso V of Portugal initially set plans to conquer Tangier but subsequently decided to conquer Arzila Departing from the Portuguese town of Lagos with an army of about 30 000 men and 400 ships 2 Afonso V arrived at the Moroccan coast on the afternoon of 22 August 1471 The Portuguese King summoned his Council and decided to attack Asilah on the morning of the following day There was a terrible storm and a number of Portuguese ships were lost It poured rain the entire three days of the siege 3 The storm was so severe it prevented the ships from laying down a cannon bombardment and only two pieces of heavy artillery were brought to shore After a troubled disembarkation that resulted in the death of more than 200 men caused by strong winds and waves Afonso s army reached the shore and laid siege to the city of Asilah conquering it after a hard battle on 24 of August 1471 1 The Count of Valenca Henrique de Menezes was appointed as the first Portuguese governor of Asilah by King Afonso V 4 The victory at Asilah paved the way for the unopposed conquest of Tangier four days later on 28 August 1471 3 Pastrana Tapestries EditMain article Pastrana Tapestries In the late 15th century a set of four large tapestries was commissioned to commemorate the battle They were woven by Flemish weavers in Tournai Belgium The tapestries are notable highly for their portrayal of a contemporary event The works are regarded as among the finest Gothic tapestries in existence 3 See also EditPortuguese Empire Wattasid dynasty House of Avis Conquest of Ceuta Edward of Portugal Henry the Navigator Fernando the Saint PrinceNotes Edit a b c Diffie Shafer Winius On August 24 the Portuguese captured the city killing some 2000 infidels and taking 5000 captives p 145 Black Asilah had been captured in 1471 by a Portuguese force of 400 ships and 30 000 men p 18 a b c The Invention of Glory Afonso V and the Pastrana Tapestries National Gallery of Art PDF Archived from the original PDF on 2016 12 21 Retrieved 2014 07 30 Quintella p 181 p 182References EditJeremy Black Cambridge illustrated atlas warfare Renaissance to revolution 1492 1792 1996 ISBN 0 521 47033 1 Bailey Wallys Diffie Boyd C Shafer George Davison Winius Foundations of the Portuguese empire 1415 1580 1977 ISBN 0 8166 0782 6 Ignacio da Costa Quintella Academia das Ciencias de Lisboa Annaes da marinha portugueza Volume 1 1839 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Conquest of Asilah amp oldid 1089002691, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
