Battle of Algeciras (1278)

Battle of Algeciras

Marinid gravestone, 13th century (Museo Municipal de Algeciras).

Date	25 July 1278
Location	Strait of Gibraltar, Emirate of Granada, Spain
Result	Moroccan Victory

Belligerents

Kingdom of Castile

Order of Santa María de España

Sultanate of Morocco

Emirate of Granada

Commanders and leaders

Pedro Martínez de Fe

Abu Yaqub Yusuf an-Nasr

Strength

Castilian navy
•100 ships

Marinid navy
• 72 ships
Nasrid navy
• 12 ships

Casualties and losses

All but 3 ships

Figures unknown

The Battle of Algeciras was a naval battle which occurred on July 25, 1278. The battle pitted the fleets of the Kingdom of Castile, commanded by the Admiral of Castile, Pedro Martínez de Fe, and the combined fleets of the Sultanate of Morocco and that of the Emirate of Granada, commanded by Abu Yaqub Yusuf an-Nasr. The battle was fought in the context of the Moorish naval expeditions to the Iberian Peninsula. The battle, which took place in the Strait of Gibraltar, resulted in a Muslim victory.

This battle coincided with a simultaneous siege of the city of Algeciras which lasted from 1278–79 and was commanded by the Infante Sancho. The Castilian prince would abandon the siege later in 1279, marking the end of the first action of the long battle for the Strait of Gibraltar.

In 1275, the Marinid Sultan Abu Yusuf Yaqub ibn Abd Al-Haqq disembarked on the peninsula commanding an army with the strategic objective to occupy the city of Tarifa. Along this route, he directly participated in various actions, including the Battle of Écija.

By 1278, King Alfonso X of Castile, sent a large fleet from Sevilla with the goal of blockading that same city. The fleet, which was made up of more than 100 ships of different types, was commanded by the Order of Santa María de España, a military-religious Spanish order which was concentrated in naval warfare. The fleet was commanded by the Admiral of Castile, Pedro Martínez de Fe. The Moroccan Sultan worked to gather his own fleet of 72 ships and was reinforced with a small fleet of 12 ships sent by the Sultan of Grenada, Muhammad II.

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