# Battle of Axarquía

The battle of Axarquía was a military engagement between the Castilians and the Granadans. The Castilians launched a raid against Axarquía but were ambushed by the Granadans. The battle ended with a resounding Granadan victory.

## Background

In 1483, the Grand Master of Order of Santiago, Alonso de Cárdenas, was entrusted with the defense of the Écija frontier. He was urged to launch a raid against Málaga suburbs by his Moorish renegades. Malaga Enviro was famous for silk production and trade, which made large exports to Europe. Malaga was approached by mountains called Axarquía which had Granadan villages. The Grand Master dispatched messages to the Governor of Andalusia, Don Pedro Henriquez, Count of Cifuentes, Don Juan de Silva, Alonso de Aguiler, and Maquis of Cadiz, who all answered his call for the expedition. The Marquis advised against it but was overruled by the Grand Master.

## Battle

On Wednesday, March 19, 1483, the army marched to Axarquia. The vanguard was led by Don Pedro Henriquez and Alonso de Aguiler, the center by Don Juan de Silva and Maquis of Cadiz, and the rearguard was led by the Grand Master. The army had a force of 3,000 knights and 1,000 infantry. Before the arrival of the Christians, the inhabitants of the mountain were warned of the upcoming attack and evacuated their homes quickly. The Christians arrived there and began plundering and burning the villages, making enormous loot. After watching their villages burned by the Castilians, they determined for revenge by setting up ambushes on the next day as darkness fell.
The Sultan of Granada, Mulay Hassan, and his brother, Al-Zagal, marched towards Axarquia with a cavalry force. The Castilian camp was full of riches and loot they had captured, making their march slower along with their ignorance of mountain passes. The Granadans arrived and met Christians and routed them, throwing them into the mountain defiles. At every pass, Moors were awaiting the Christians. They also used artillery to bombard the Castilians. Arrows and rocks hurled from the top.
The Castilians desperately attempted to descend to the narrow valleys, which were further complicated by rocks hurled from above. Proving resistance was futile, the army was broken and scattered, finding the Moors awaiting for them. The Marquis of Cadiz was able to escape with 60 or 70 cavalry. Don Pedro Henriquez, Alonso de Aguiler, and the Grand Master were able to escape; however, Don Juan de Silva was captured. The Castilians suffered 800 killed and 1,600 captured. The Granadan forces were smaller, and their casualties were negligible.

## Aftermath

The flower of Andalusian forces were killed in the battle. 400 captains were killed alongside 30 captains from Santiago's Order. The defeat was likely the treachery of the Moorish renegades, who informed the Sultan of their plans. The disaster created sorrow in Castile, and Isabella I of Castile was deeply saddened by the news. Contemporary accounts indicate self-doubt is now prevalent in Castile due to this defeat and the Loja fiasco.
However, in the next month, the new Granadan Sultan, Boabdil, would launch a raid into Castilian territory that would end up disastrously with him being captured by the Castilians.