Almogavars
Almogavars is the name of a class of light infantry soldier that originated in the Crown of Aragon and was used in the later phases of the Reconquista, during 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: , , or . 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 The first documented historical reference appeared in the chronicle Akhbar muluk Al-Andalus or Chronicle of the Moor Rasis, the history of the kings of Al-Andalus, written between 887 and 955 by Ahmad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" 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 in history:The word Almogavar was also used during the last centuries of the Reconquista, 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.
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
Because of the Muslim invasion of the Iberian peninsula, the wars of the Reconquista 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 having 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 genuine warrior spirit formed in these shepherd communities, so that they ended up not knowing how to live by any other means than making 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.
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 and a falchion. They had full beards and dressed poorly, only in a short gown ; 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 enormous sparks, which, together with their terrible cries, terrorized their enemies. Endowed with great 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!".The following excerpt from the chronicle Llibre del rei en Pere d'Aragó e dels seus antecessors passats by Bernat Desclot, describes the Almogavars:
However, such descriptions are not complete and the description of the Almogavars, as much in clothing as in arms or way of life, differs more or less depending on place and time. Thus, the previous description, which describes them as people living not 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, 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, perfectly adapted to the conditions of the border with the Saracens, based on 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, was the highest rank in the Almogavar force. 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. 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.
''Almogavar a llom cavall'' (mounted Almogavar)
An intermediate rank between the adalid and the almocaden is documented in Castile.''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 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.
Almogavar
Also called hombres de campo or peones 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, 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.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, 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.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.
It also must be emphasized that they were not exactly an army, but formed a very hard way of life, and they did not usually have any jobs: They took everything from their raids; so in times of peace, they were a great nuisance for any leader. The primary activity of these groups was to carry out small raids in enemy territory with the objective of taking livestock and captives and then selling them. In times of war, the kings and local nobles encouraged these activities, which yielded the King's fifth of the booty obtained.
They were born during the violence of the frontier between the Islamic and the Christian world, and actually were often the cause of the frontier tensions. The frontier with the Saracen, not very attractive for people who wished for a life of quiet work, was a refuge for adventurers, of people who enjoyed living with risks and who lived by the fist and by looting enemy territory. During the wars they joined the army, most of the time without a salary, but in exchange for rights on the loot, and being fed.