page_title: Siege of Málaga (1487)
section_title: Siege (7 May – 13 August 1487)
hierarchical_section_title: Siege of Málaga (1487) / Siege (7 May – 13 August 1487)
caption_attribution_description: Ferdinand I of Aragon, The Catholic
context_page_description: The Siege of Málaga (1487) was an action during the Reconquest of Spain in which the Catholic Monarchs of Spain seized the city of Mālaqa from the Emirate of Granada. The siege lasted about four months.
  It was the first conflict in which ambulances, or dedicated vehicles for the purpose of carrying injured persons, were used. Geopolitically, the loss of the emirate's second largest city—after Granada itself—and its most important port was a major loss for Granada. Most of the surviving population of the city were enslaved or put to death by the victors.
context_section_description: While still at Vélez, Ferdinand attempted to negotiate a surrender on good terms, but his offers were refused by Hamet el Zegrí. Ferdinand left Velez on 7 May 1487 and advanced along the coast to Bezmiliana, about six miles from Mālaqa, where the road led between two heights defended by the Muslims. A fight ensued that continued until evening, when the Christians managed to turn the position and the nasrid retreated to the Gibralfaro fortress. The landward height was converted into a Christian strong point, and they began construction of works encircling the city. These were either a trench and palisade, or an earth embankment where the ground was too rocky for excavation. A fleet of armed ships, galleys, and caravels placed in the harbor cut off all access to the city from the sea.
  The first attack was against the landward suburb. They breached the wall, and after strong resistance the Muslims were driven back into the city. King Ferdinand II sent an expedition to the ruins of Algeciras to retrieve stone balls used in the Siege of Algeciras (1342–44) so they could be used against Mālaqa. Queen Isabella joined her husband, accompanied by her court and by various high clergymen and nobles, a move that helped to boost morale.
  The Muslims kept up fire from the city on the opposing lines, and made repeated sallies, sometimes in strength. There were also attempts to relieve the city. In one case El Zagal sent a body of cavalry from Guadix, but a stronger force sent by Abdallah intercepted and defeated it. Abdallah followed up by sending costly gifts to the Catholic monarchs and assuring them of his friendly disposition. In return, the monarchs agreed to leave his subjects in peace and to allow non-military trade between Granada and Spain. Málaga began to run short of food supplies. The Holy Roman Empire sided with Castile and Aragon by Maximilian I sending two Flemish transports with military supplies.
  Ferdinand had intended to starve the city out, but became impatient with the delays and began construction of mobile siege towers that could be used to bridge the walls, and mines to enter the city from below or to undermine the walls. The Muslims attacked and destroyed the towers, counter-mined and drove out the Castillian and Aragonese forces and sent out armed vessels against their fleet.
  However, after three months they managed to take possession of an outlying tower attached with a bridge of four arches to the city wall, a key point from which to advance into the city. By this time the population had run out of stores of food and had been reduced to the extremes of eating dogs and cats, eating the leaves of vines and palms, and chewing hides. Seeing their extreme suffering, Hamet el Zegrí eventually agreed to withdraw with his forces to the Gibralfaro, and let the population make terms with the Christians.
caption: Ferdinand II of Aragon
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