Battle of Jerez

Part of the Reconquista

Date	1231
Location	Spain
Result	Castilian Victory

Belligerents

Castile

Moors

Commanders and leaders

Álvaro Pérez de Castro
infante Alfonso (ambiguous; see text)

Ibn Hud

Strength

1,000 knights
2,500 infantry

The Battle of Jerez, also called the Jerez cavalcade, was fought in 1231 between the forces of Ferdinand III, king of Castile and León, and the Moors. It took place near the modern city of Jerez de la Frontera, in southern Spain. The Moors were led by Ibn Hud, the de facto successor of the Almohads. The Castilians were victorious.

In April 1231, Ferdinand ordered an expedition of algaras (mounted scouts/raiders) which departed from Andújar towards Córdoba, leaving a trail of destruction in its path. They raided Palma del Río, killing many inhabitants. Thereafter they proceeded as far as Seville which they bypassed heading towards Jerez and Vejer camping near the Guadalete river. In all likelihood this troop was intended to distract Ibn Hud from the frontier, and in this it succeeded beyond expectations as not only Ibn Hud chased after them, but in battle his troops were routed and suffered heavy losses, allowing the Christians to depart loaded with loot. On a strategic level, the raid was also successful in that it allowed the unimpeded capture of Quesada by an army of Archbishop Rodrigo Jiménez de Rada, also ordered in April by Ferdinand.

It is not exactly clear who led the Castilians in this raid turned battle. It is undisputed that Álvaro Pérez de Castro was present. The reference to infante Alfonso in the Christian chronicle has been interpreted however to mean either Alfonso de Molina, the king's brother, or the king's son, the future Alfonso X. The Primera Crónica General (1906) interpreted it as Molina, and so did historian Derek William Lomax (1978), however historian Gonzalo Martínez Diez (2000) concludes it was the king's son because of a passage that describes the infante as being very young ("muy moço") and under the protection of Álvaro Pérez de Castro who led the troops ("para guardar el infante y por cabdillo de la hueste"). Spanish historian Julio González (1946) was aware of both interpretations, but thought it was highly improbable that Ferdinand's son was involved in a military action at such a young age. A 2003 biography of Alfonso X also places him alongside Álvaro Pérez de Castro in the raiding campaign of 1231, including this battle.

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