Battle of Sacavém
Crusaders
c. 2.000 captured
- v
- t
- e
- 8th century
- Covadonga
- 1st Roncevaux Pass
- Burbia River
- Orbieu River
- Lutos
- Las Babias
- Río Quirós
- Oviedo
- 1st Lisbon
- 9th century
- 1st Barcelona
- 1st Tortosa
- Pancorbo
- 2nd Roncevaux Pass
- Clavijo
- Albelda
- Guadalacete
- Monte Laturce
- Morcuera
- Polvoraria
- 1st Cellorigo
- 2nd Cellorigo
- 2nd Barcelona
- 10th century
- Day of Zamora
- 1st Majorca
- Pallars and Ribagorza
- 1st San Esteban de Gormaz
- 2nd San Esteban de Gormaz
- Valdejunquera
- 1st Toledo
- Alhandic
- Simancas
- Estercuel
- Torrevicente
- Rueda
- 3rd Barcelona
- 11th century
- Cervera
- Calatañazor
- Torà
- Albesa
- Aqbat al-Bakr
- Graus
- Coimbra
- Barbastro
- Paterna
- Llantada
- Golpejera
- Cabra
- Piedra Pisada
- Morella
- 2nd Toledo
- 1st Zaragoza
- Sagrajas
- Tudela
- Tévar
- 3rd Toledo
- Almodóvar del Río
- 1st Valencia
- 2nd Lisbon
- Alcoraz
- Bairén
- Consuegra
- 4th Toledo
- 5th Toledo
- 12th century
- 2nd Valencia
- Mollerussa
- Balaguer
- Uclés
- Norwegian raid
- 3rd Lisbon
- Talavera
- Formentera
- Ibiza
- 1st Balearic Islands
- 6th Toledo
- Candespina
- Vatalandi
- 1st Santarém
- 2nd Balearic Islands
- Martorell
- Coimbra
- 2nd Zaragoza
- Cutanda
- 1st Lleida
- 1st Granada
- Corbins
- Alcalá
- 3rd Valencia
- Aceca
- 1st Badajoz
- Fraga
- Leiria
- 1st Coria
- Ourique
- Oreja
- Trancoso
- 2nd Coria
- 4th Lisbon
- 1st Montiel
- Soure
- Albacete
- 1st Almería
- Al-Ludjdj
- 2nd Santarém
- Sacavém
- 5th Lisbon
- Sacavém
- 2nd Tortosa
- 2nd Lleida
- 2nd Almería
- 1st Alcácer do Sal
- Palmela
- 1st Évora
- 2nd Badajoz
- Juromenha
- 3rd Santarém
- Central Iberia
- Tarragona
- Cuenca
- Calatrava
- 2nd Seville
- Abrantes
- 2nd Évora
- 4th Santarém
- Alvor
- 1st Silves
- 2nd Silves
- Tomar
- 2nd Alcácer do Sal
- 2nd Silves
- Alarcos
- Talamanca
- 13th century
- Al-Dāmūs
- Las Navas de Tolosa
- 3rd Alcácer do Sal
- 1st Jaén
- Peníscola
- Aragonese raid
- 2nd Majorca
- 2nd Jaén
- 1st Jerez
- Ares
- Burriana
- Córdoba
- El Puig
- 4th Valencia
- Algarve
- 1st Xàtiva
- 2nd Xàtiva
- Biar
- 3rd Jaén
- 3rd Seville
- Faro
- 2nd Jerez
- Mudéjar revolt
- 3rd Jerez
- 1st Murcia
- Écija
- Martos
- Andalusia
- 1st Algeciras
- 2nd Algeciras
- Moclín
- Iznalloz
- 14th century
- 1st Gibraltar
- 3rd Algeciras
- 3rd Almería
- 2nd Gibraltar
- Vega de Granada
- Shepherds' Crusade
- Teba
- 3rd Gibraltar
- 4th Gibraltar
- Vega de Pagana
- Getares
- Río Salado
- Estepona
- Guadalmesí
- 4th Algeciras
- 5th Gibraltar
- Linuesa
- Guadix
- 2nd Montiel
- 5th Algeciras
- 2nd Murcia
- 15th century
- Collejares
- Antequera
- 6th Gibraltar
- La Higueruela
- 7th Gibraltar
- Los Alporchones
- 8th Gibraltar
- 9th Gibraltar
- 2nd Granada campaign
- Lucena
- Málaga
- Post-Reconquista Rebellions
- 1st Alpujarras
- 2nd Alpujarras
- North Africa
The mythical battle of Sacavém was a military clash between the first Portuguese king, Afonso Henriques, and the Moors from the taifa of Badajoz, at the beginning of the siege of Lisbon, that took place in early July 1147, on the shores of the Trancão River, near the old Roman bridge that, according to several ancient sources, crossed the river in the town of Sacavém, at the time know as Šaqabān (Arabic: شقبان).
Context
After conquering Santarém, in March 1147, Afonso Henriques prepared to take Lisbon and thus consolidate definitively the line of control around the Tagus valley.[citation needed]
Following the occupation of Santarém, news spread throughout the region that Christians were already besieging Lisbon, thus it was making it essential to help defend the last Muslim strongholds to the north of the Tagus at all costs.[citation needed]
Therefore, around five thousand Muslims from Alenquer would have gathered in the vicinity of Sacavém, as well as from Óbidos, Torres Vedras) and Tomar, under the command of the Muslim qaid of Sacavém, Bezai Zaide.[citation needed]
The Battle
According to the legend, the Portuguese only had a force of 1500 Christians against 5000 Moors, who already had begun the crossing of the old Roman bridge, ready to destroy the Portuguese. Despite the significant difference between the two opponents, the Christian side eventually won; most of the Muslims were either killed with the swords or drowned in the river.[citation needed]
This miraculous victory was attributed to the intervention of the Holy Virgin Mary which, according to the tradition, made many strange men who were fighting with the Christians appear during the battle. As Afonso Henriques had the support of the Crusaders to take Lisbon, it is very likely that these strange men were foreigners, that is, the Crusaders from Northern Europe.[citation needed]
It is said that Bezai Zaíde converted to the Christian faith after the battle, and became the first eremite of hermitage that was established near the place of the battle, dedicated to Our Lady of Victory.[citation needed]
The legend
The first to refer to this legend was the cistercian friar from Alcobaça, António Brandão,[1] claiming that it was based on an old tradition gathered among the people of Sacavém; Miguel de Moura, in his unpublished Memories of the Establishment of Monastery of Sacavém, also refers to this legend among the people of Sacavém, which he had investigated when he wanted to build a Monastery in the town, on the site of the old hermitage of Our Lady of Martyrs, in 1577.
However, there is no historical evidence that confirms the actual existence of this skirmish; the sources regarding the conquest of Lisbon, such as the well-known De expugnatione Lyxbonensi, which provides a detailed account of the siege, make no reference to this clash on the banks of the Trancão River.[citation needed]
In the 19th century, the Portuguese historian and politician Alexandre Herculano was the first to question this fact in his well-known History of Portugal. Nowadays, it is commonly considered to be a legend, at least in the form in which it was described.[citation needed]
References
- ^ Friar António Brandão, Monarquia Lusitana, fols. 170, 170 v. and 171