Siege of Al-Dāmūs

Part of the Reconquista (Aragonese conquest of Valencia)

The castle at Ademuz.

Date	1210
Location	Ademuz, Province of Valencia, Spain
Result	Liberation of the city by Christian forces.

Belligerents

Commanders and leaders

Peter II of Aragon

Pedro de Montagut

Unknown

The Siege of Al-Dāmūs was a battle of the Reconquista that occurred in the year 1210. The forces of the Kingdom of Aragon, together with auxiliary forces of the Knights Templar and Knights Hospitaller, were pitted against the defending forces of the Almohades. The Christian forces defeated the Muslim defenders. This battle was significant because in taking the castle at Ademuz, the Christian forces riled their Muslim opponents to initiate a grand offensive that would eventually culminate in the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa. This offensive, in turn, marked the end of the Islamic domination of the region and the beginning of Christian rule in the province.

In 1210, the Almohad Empire, who controlled the Balearic Islands (conquered in 1203), launched a great incursion into the Catalan coast led by Abubola the Elder. The Muslim forces, being the combined forces from the Magreb and Al-Andalus, disembarked and began pillaging the countryside seizing much booty and captives in the process.

In March 1210, in response to the Almohad incursion, King Peter II of Aragon, who was at the time in the city of Monzón, gathered an army to attack the Moors of the Taifa of Valencia. Within the objectives of this campaign lay Al-Dāmūs (Spanish: Ademuz), one of the fortresses that formed the defensive net of the Turia River.

In the middle of 1210, Al-Dāmūs was conquered by Peter II of Aragon with the help of the Knights Hospitaller and the Knights Templar.

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