Battle of Pancorbo (816)

Battle of Pancorbo
Part of the Reconquista
Date 816 Location Pancorbo, Spain Result Cordoban victory, revolt of the Basques that established Íñigo Arista of Pamplona.
Belligerents
Asturians, Basques	Emirate of Córdoba
Commanders and leaders
Balask al-Yalasqi † Garcia ibn Lubb † Sancho † Ṣaltān †.	Abd al-Karim ibn Abd al-Wahid

The Battle of Pancorbo was a battle that took place in the year 816 between a Moorish army from the Emirate of Cordoba sent by Al-Hakam I and under the control of Abd al-Karim ibn Abd al-Wahid ibn Mugit and the pro-Frankish forces under the control of Balask al-Yalasqi. The battle was fought when the Córdoban forces attempted to cross the pass at Pancorbo.

The battle resulted in a Córdoban victory and was instrumental in the Basque revolt and the establishment of Íñigo Arista of Pamplona as a major player in the contemporary Iberian political scene.

The Emirate of Córdoba was engulfed in conflict as Al-Hakam I fought against the pretensions of his uncles Sulaymán and Abd-Al·lah ibn Abd-ar-Rahman who had rebelled against the Córdoban establishment with the death of Hisham I of Córdoba.

The disorder in the Emirate was exploited by the Franks who in 798, convened an assembly under William of Gellone for the purpose of assisting Alfonso II of Asturias and Bahlul Ibn Marzuq against the Córdoban Emirate. Their goal was to coordinate operations to take the Upper March in the name of Louis the Pious. However, for some reason that did not happen, and the Kingdom of Asturias launched attacks upon Lisbon in 797, Velasco took over Pamplona in 798, but William of Orange and Louis the Pious launched an expedition to conquer Barcelona later in 801.

The Arabs, commanded by Muawiya ibn al-Hàkam, son of Emir Al-Hakam I, attacked Álava and the region of Castile (the Al-Quila of the Arab sources) in 801, crossing the River Ebro and the pass of las Conchas. They were surprised by Velasco, a Basque commander in control of troops from the northern Christian domains, possibly sent by Sancho I of Gascony. This surprise attack occurred at La Puebla de Arganzón and resulted in a complete rout of the Umayyad forces under Muawiya ibn al-Hàkam who was obliged to return to Córdoba (Qurtuba) after most of his best commanders and a large part of his army were wiped out.

...
Wikipedia