Siege of Coria (1138)
| Siege of Coria | |||||||
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| Part of the Reconquista | |||||||
 The wall of Coria as it was when it kept out Alfonso in 1138 |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Kingdom of León–Castile | Almoravid Empire | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Alfonso VII of León and Castile Rodrigo Martínez † |
unknown | ||||||
The Siege of Coria in July 1138 was the first and shorter of two attempts to take the city of Coria by Alfonso VII of León. Coria had previously been reconquered in 1079 by Alfonso VI. It was lost to the Almoravids not long after Alfonso's death in 1109. On the heels of a successful razzia (raid) deep into Islamic al-Andalus, Alfonso VII briefly invested the city before retiring. A second siege in 1142 was successful.
The main source for the siege is the second book of the contemporary Chronica Adefonsi imperatoris.
Besides the knights of the royal household, the king was accompanied by the private followings (mesnadas) of his leading barons, such as the brothers Count Rodrigo Martínez and Osorio Martínez, and by a contingent of militia from the nearest Christian city, Salamanca. The king also brought with him physicians and surgeons. (Possibly one of these, a certain medicus and canon of Toledo named Hugo, was rewarded by Alfonso for his prior services in 1152.) Before investing Coria Alfonso "sent plundering companies to the city to capture the men, women and all the livestock in the fields [outside the walls]." The Corians responded ("bravely" in the words of the Chronica) with a sally, but the plundering troops feigned retreat and led the Muslims into an ambush prepared by Alfonso, where they were all cut down. The city responded by shutting its gates and fortifying them with timbers; Alfonso moved his camp close by the city.
The besieging forces were inadequate for the task and Alfonso sent messengers into the Extremadura and the Province of León threatening to confiscate the property of any "knights and foot soldiers [who] did not come [and] offended the emperor."
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