Almogavars Almogavars is the name of a class of soldier mostly from the Crown of Aragon and other Iberian kingdoms during the 13th and 14th centuries . Almogavars were lightly clad , quick - moving frontiersmen and foot - soldiers . They were well known during the Christian " Reconquista " ( reconquest ) of the Iberian Peninsula . Aragonese crown troops were commanded mainly by Christian officers , or " infanzones " ( low noblemen without money ) . They hailed from Catalonia , Aragon , Valencia , Castile and Portugal . At first these troops were formed by farmers and shepherds originating from the countryside , woods and frontier mountain areas . Later , they were much employed as mercenaries in Italy , Latin Greece and the Levant . History . Almogavar history begins with early invasions of Iberia by Muslim peoples and battles with northern and western foes . These troops of different faiths were joining to the service of the Christian kingdoms as they once had been under the command of the Muslim kingdoms . The hinterland of Ebro Valley oscillated between two powerful states , Moors of al Andalus and Franks , of the Carolingian Empire , looking to expand the Marca Hispanica . Ethnic development . Very early on , Iberian society was composed of Muslims who were at first ethnically Near Eastern Muslims . Large proportions were also Arabic , Berber , Iberian native converts ( muwallads ) , native Christians , and a Jewish minority . The Jewish minority represented about 5 % of the population . The ethnically Arab were at the top of the social hierarchy ; Muslims in general had a higher social standing . Christians and Jews were considered dhimmi s and had to pay a specific tax called a jizya . They still enjoyed the possibility of social mobility . Conversion to Islam would translate into a higher rate of social mobility for Christians and Jews alike . Half of the Christians in Al - Andalus are reported to have converted to Islam by the 10th century , with more than 80 % by the 11th century . Even Christians that did not accept Islam as their religion , became increasingly Arabized in terms of culture . These Christians became known as Mozarabs or musta ’ ribs , a word meaning " Arabized . " However , after the conquest of the Islamic kingdoms by the northern Christian kingdoms , the population again gradually become Christian for similar reasons . Rulers commonly became divided and fought amongst themselves . Co - existence and alliances were as prevalent as frontier skirmishes and raids , especially in the eighth and ninth centuries . Blurring distinctions even further were the mercenaries from both sides who simply fought for whoever paid the most . Most were of Muslim descent and custom but not all were . In their war cries they shouted " Awake iron ( i . e . sword ) , kill , kill , Saint George , Aragon . . . " as stated by chronicler Ramon Muntaner . Next centuries the ranks of the Almogavars were restocked with people from widely diverse backgrounds , including Christians . Several contemporary historians ( Jerónimo Zurita y Castro , Bernat Desclot . . . ) , mostly from Kingdom of Aragon , identify the Almogavar way of life as this of bandits and thieves . Almogavars called themselves and their chiefs by Arabic names . In their war cries they did not curse against the name of God , as it was referred to by chronicler Ramon Muntaner . Eventually , the ranks of Muslims and pagans Almogavars were increased with people from widely diverse backgrounds . Christian Almogavers were incorporated and increased when the number of peninsular Christians grew . Socioeconomically , Almogavars generally came from peasant or keep herds people displaced by famine caused by armies ' campaigns in reconquista wars . Most of these Almogavars were of Muslim descent and custom but also some were pagan people . The pagan Iberians were a number of inhabitants yet in the mountains and rural areas . Many almogavars were Muslim deserters , originating in the Muslim areas in and out of the Ebro Valley . Many Almogavars did not follow Christian precepts popularly , it including not eating meat on Friday . This horrified the Christian enemies of Almogavars and it was described on numerous occasions in various locations and dates by French and Greeks . They did not fear excommunication by Pope . Some included warriors among almogavars came from the following kingdoms and locales : The Almogavars also included other Vascon or vasconized people of the Ebro Valley : And Iberian or European people : Their ranks even included Germans , who joined the troops of the king of Aragon during the expedition by the Byzantine Empire . Origins and early history , 7th through 9th centuries . " See also early Al - Andalus history " In 711 , Tariq ibn Ziyad , under the orders of the Umayyad Caliph Al - Walid I , led a large army from the north coast of Morocco on 29 April 711 CE . The armies of Tariq , composed of recent converts to Islam , landed at Gibraltar . The Muslim armies swept through Hispania . Bandits known as " Al - Mogauar " were located in the territories of the Al Andalus towards the 10th century . The first historical reference appears in the Arabic chronicle « " muluk Akhbar Al - Andalus " » , " history of the kings of the Andalus " , written between 887 CE and 955 CE by Ahmad ibn Muhammad al - Razi , known among the Arabs with the nickname Al - Tariji ( the Chronicler ) and among Christians as the " Moor Rasis " . In his chronicle , the historian of Qurtuba describes the areas of Al - Andalus , and the Ebro valley . Al Tariji identifies for first time in history the existence of troops called almogavars in the city of Saraqusta , the Islamic Zaragoza . When Charlemagne destroyed the walls of Pamplona after a failed attempt to conquer the Muslim Saraqusta , the Vascon leaders , allies and relatives of Banu Qasi , a muladi family of Muslim leaders , annihilated the rearguard of Franks in the Battle of Roncevaux Pass : a coalition of Vascon and Muslim troops ambushed the rearguard with great slaughter . Íñigo Arista of Pamplona was maternal stepbrother of Musa ibn Musa ibn Qasi . In 799 , pro - Frankish assassins murdered Mutarrif ibn Musa , governor of Pamplona , perhaps the brother of Musa ibn Musa ibn Qasi and of Íñigo himself . Also in 799 , northern Basques , organized in the Duchy of Vasconia , collaborated with the Franks during campaigns such as the capture of Barcelona . In 806 , Pamplona , still under Cordovan rule , was attacked next by the Franks . The Pamplonese led by somebody named Velasco the Gascon pledged allegiance to Charlemagne again , but his hold on power proved feeble . At about 814 , an anti - Frankish faction led by Enecco , an ally of the Banu Qasi , seems to have taken over again . A Frankish army was sent to quash the revolt , to little effect . Furthermore , on their way north through Roncevaux an ambush attempt took place that ended in stalemate , due to the greater precautions taken by the Franks , i . e . Basque women and children taken with them as hostages . After the death of Charlemagne in 814 , uprisings started anew . The revolt in Pamplona crossed the northern Pyrenees and in 816 Louis the Pious deposed the Basque Duke Seguin of Bordeaux . Failure to suppress the rebellion started a widespread revolt , led by Gartzia Semeno ( who according to late traditions was a near - kinsman of Eneko Aritza , the first monarch of Pamplona , and newly appointed duke Lupus Centullo ( c . 820 ) . ) Meanwhile , in Aragon the pro - Frankish Count Aznar Galindo was overthrown by Enecco´s allied Count Gartzia Maloith . Aznar Galindo in turn sought refuge in Frankish - held territory . Louis the Pious then received the submission of rebel Vascon lords in Dax , but things were far from settled . Historian Ibn Hayyan reported that in 816 , Abd al - Karim ibn Abd al - Wahid ibn Mugit launched a military campaign against the pro - Frankish " Enemy of God " , " Velasco the Gascon " ( , " Balašk al - Ŷalašqī " ) , " Sahib " of Pamplona ( ) . These armies were reported to have united Christian and pagan factions . A three - day battle was fought in which the pro - Córdoba faction routed their enemies and killed Velasco , along with García López , kinsman of Alfonso II of Asturias , Sancho " warrior / knight of Pamplona " , and pagan warrior " Ṣaltān " . This defeat of the pro - Frankish force appears to have allowed the anti - Franks Íñigo to come to power . In 820 , Íñigo is said to have intervened in the County of Aragon , ejecting a Frankish vassal , count Aznar I Galíndez , in favor of García " el Malo " ( " the Bad " ) , who would become Íñigo ' s son - in - law . In 824 , the Frankish counts Aeblus and Aznar Sánchez made an expedition against Pamplona , but were defeated in the third Battle of Roncesvalles . In 824 , the third Battle of Roncevaux ensued . Counts Eblo and Aznar Galindo ( also identified as Aznar Sánchez and the latter appointed Duke of Gascony ) were captured by the joint Pamplonese and Banu Qasi forces , strengthening the independence of Kingdom of Pamplona . The type of soldiers in these on - going battles consisted of small groups trained in assault by surprise . Christian Aragonese Crown soldiers will adapt these tactics and come to be known by the name of almogavars . 10th and 11th centuries . Taifa s often hired Christian mercenaries to fight neighbouring realms , both Christian and Muslim . The Banu Hud of Taifa of Saraqusta resisted the Almoravid dynasty . They ruled until they were eventually defeated by the Almoravids in May 1110 . The last sultan of the Banu Hud , Abd - al - Malik , and " Imad ad - Dawla " of Saraqusta , was forced to abandon the capital . Abd - al - Malik allied himself with the Christian Aragonese under Alfonso I of Aragon . From that time the Muslims of Saraqusta became military regulars within the Aragonese forces . In the Taifa of Zaragoza , Christian infanzon El Cid ( exiled from Castilla with his supporters the Mesnada ) offered their services to Yusuf al - Mu ' taman ibn Hud . El Cid and his supporters accepted the command of Taifa of Zaragoza and swore allegiance to the Moorish Muslim king of the northeast Al - Andalus city of Zaragoza , Yusuf al - Mu ' taman ibn Hud . They served both this Moorish king and his successor , Al - Mustain II . The Muslim ruler given the title of " Al Sidi " ( " El Cid " ) , he served as a leading figure in a Moorish force consisting of Muladis , Berbers , Arabs and Malian s . O ' Callaghan writes : That kingdom was divided between al - Mutamin ( 1081 – 1085 ) who ruled Zaragoza proper , and his brother al - Mundhir , who ruled Lérida and Tortosa . El Cid entered al - Mutamin ' s service and successfully defended Zaragoza against the assaults of al - Mundhir , Sancho I of Aragón , and Ramón Berenguer II , whom he held captive briefly in 1082 . In 1084 , El Cid and the Moorish armies defeated Sancho of Aragon at the Battle of Morella near Tortosa . He was then troubled by the fierce conflicts between the Muladis of Badajoz and the Arabs of Seville . In 1086 , the Almoravid invasion of the Iberian Peninsula began . It was started through and around Gibraltar . The Almoravids , Berber residents of present - day North Africa , led by Yusuf ibn Tashfin , were asked to help defend the divided Moors from Alfonso . El Cid probably commanded a large Moorish force during the great Battle of Sagrajas , which took place in 1086 , near the Taifa of Badajoz . The Almoravid and Andalusian Taifas , including the armies of Badajoz , Málaga , Granada , Tortosa and Seville , defeated a combined army of León , Aragón and Castile . Already in 1095 troops named Almogavars served King Sancho Ramírez I of Aragon . These forces took part in the conquest of a Muslim city , which the Chronicles did not identify at the time . However , after the recapture , this city was renamed by King Ramirez as Limousin Mont Són , and later Castilianized as Monzón . 12th , 13th and early 14th centuries . In 1111 or 1115 , some Almogavers to Christian ' s kings service were reported when Christian King Alfonso I of Aragon and Pamplona designated Almogavers as the populace of the " El Castellar " fortress . This fortress was located on the banks of the Ebro near Zaragoza . This reference took place the same year that Aragonese and Navarrese troops conquered Ejea and Tauste and as they prepared to besiege Saraqusta . In 1177 , Alfonso the Chaste went to the siege of Al - Madinat kunka ( Cuenca ) with a group armed and identified as almogavers . This effort was in support of the Castilian monarch . War in Sicily and crusade against the Crown of Aragon . On 30 March 1282 , Peter III of Aragon waged war on Charles of Anjou after the Sicilian Vespers for the possession of Naples and Sicily . The Almogavars formed the most effective element of his army . Their discipline , ferocity and the force with which they hurled their javelins made them formidable against heavy cavalry of the Angevin armies . They fought against cavalry by attacking the enemies ' horses instead of the knights themselves . Once a knight was on the ground he was an easy victim of an Almogavar . Between 1284 and 1285 , the " Crusade against the Crown of Aragon " was declared by Pope Martin IV against King Peter the Great of Aragon . This crusade was declared based on King Peter ' s intervention in Sicilian affairs against the papal will . Most of the conflict took place in Catalonia , although the first episode took place in the frontier of Navarre and Aragon . The Almogavars were at the service of King commanded by King Peter or Roger of Lauria . Roger of Lauria had much more control over his captains than the enemies did . His crews were made up of specialized troops , instead of the more generic types used by his enemies . His archers were used initially , while his oarsmen Almogavars stayed under cover . These Almogavars were much more agile than the heavily armored knights with swords , as his enemies often used , especially on the moving deck of a galley at sea . Roger used trickery to disguise the size of his force . In addition , he sometimes kept some of his galleys hidden , to attack the rear of the enemy after the battle had started . Roger was also infamous for the ruthless sackings and the devastation of his actions , often driven only by greed and personal advantage . On the other side , his reputation alone possibly caused some enemies to lose heart during a battle . The Catalan Company . In 1302 , the Peace of Caltabellotta ended the war in southern Italy . The Almogavars , under the leadership of Roger de Flor ( " Roger Blum " , a former Knight Templar ) , formed the Catalan Company in the service of the emperor of the East , Andronicus II Palaeologus . This company was organized to fight against the Turks . Both kings of Aragon and Sicily agreed with this strategy as a viable alternative to having the Almogavar standing army unemployed in their realms . The Almogavar campaign in Asia Minor took place in 1303 and 1304 . It began with a series of military victories , but also saw widespread looting of Byzantine civilians . When the Almogavars insisted in receiving the agreed payment , the Byzantine Emperor refused . Thereafter the Almogavars turned to violence , making their presence intolerable to the Byzantine population . In 1305 , Roger de Flor and his lieutenants were assassinated by orders of the Emperor while meeting to discuss terms on their compensation . This assassination was presumably on the instigation of Genoese merchants , who were conspiring to keep their own position of influence and power . This betrayal resulted in the Almogavars ravaging the neighborhood of Constantinople . The Aragonese Duchy of Athens . Subsequently the Almogavars marched against the Duchy of Athens , under the rule of the French House of Brienne . In March 1310 , Duke Walter V of Brienne and all his knights were defeated and slain by the Almogavars at the Battle of the Cephissus , or Orchomenus in Boeotia . They then divided the wives and possessions of the Frenchmen by lot , and summoned a prince of the house of Aragon to rule over them . The culminating achievement of the Almogavars was the foundation of Aragonese rule over the duchy of Athens . Although the duchy eventually fell to the Ottoman Empire , even today the King of Spain still holds the title of ' Duke of Athens and Neopatria ' . Late Period . As time passed , Muslim Almogavars became less numerous . In 1502 , violating the 1492 peace treaty Ferdinand II of Aragon forced all Muslims in Castile and Aragon to convert to Catholicism or be expelled . Nevertheless , King Ferdinand , ruler of the Kingdom of Aragon , continued to tolerate the large Muslim population living in his territory . Since the Crown of Aragon was independent of Castile , their policies towards Muslims were more tolerant . Historians have suggested that the Crown of Aragon was inclined to tolerate Islam in its realm because the landed nobility there depended on the cheap , plentiful labor of Muslim vassals . However , the landed elite ' s exploitation of Aragon ' s Muslims also exacerbated class resentments . These Aragonese troops were subjected mainly by Christian nobility . In the 1520s , Valencian guilds rebelled against the local nobility in the Revolt of the Brotherhoods . The rebels " saw that the simplest way to destroy the power of the nobles in the countryside would be to free their vassals , and this they did by baptizing them . " The Inquisition and monarchy decided to prohibit the forcibly baptized Muslims of Valencia from returning to Islam . In 1609 , nominally converted Christian Moriscos were thereafter expelled . Cultural and linguistic legacy . Etymology . Like most Iberian words beginning with the prefix " al - " , it is derived from the Arabic language , from , " scout " Al - Mogawer المجاور , means " beside " or " neighbor " . Other sources claim that the word Almogavar may come from the Arabic " al - muqafir , " a " raider " or " devastator " . Some sources claim that the Catalan word " " Almogàver " " is based on the name " al - mughawwar " , meaning " « els que provoquen algarades » " ( " the ones wreaking havoc " ) given to them by the Saracens . When they made brief incursions , lasting one or two days , of about twelve men into Muslim - controlled territory . The name and also the presence of these Muslim mercenary troops is earlier , in other Iberian kingdoms . The Almogavars were led by the " " Adalí " " , from Arabic " ad - dalla " , " guide " . The captain of a large squadron was known in Catalan as " " Almogaten " " , from Arabic " al - muqaddam " , " captain " . Negative connotation of Almogavars . Almogavars were also known as " catalans " in Byzantine Empire territories . The presence of the company left its mark on the folklore and the popular legend of the different regions where they spent , including as far as the Balkans and Greece . Devastation caused by Almogavars troops has created a negative connotation in some locales . In the regions of Attica and Boeotia , a popular saying included : may " the revenge of the Catalans fall on you " . In Bulgaria , the expressions " Catalan " and " Son of Catalan " mean " wicked man , soulless , torturer " . This negative connotation reached beyond the boundaries of folklore to influence poets such as Ivan M . Vazov in the poem " Pirates , " first published in 1915 . Vazov includes the Catalans with the Turks as the greatest oppressors of the Bulgarian nation . In the region of Parnassus , the following saying is popularised : " I will flee from the Turks to fall into the hands of the Catalans " . Currently , in Albania the word " Catalan " means " ugly and wicked man . " Likewise , " Catalan " or " Katallani " is designated in Albanian folklore as a monster with one eye , reminiscent in many ways the Cyclops Polyphemus . This cyclops is represented by a wild blacksmith who feeds on human flesh . He also has no knees , so he can not bend , and long legs like masts of a ship . He faces a young hero named Dedaliya . This tradition , in various versions , is usually called by the title of " Daedalus dhe Katallani " , Daedalus and Catalan . The battle cry of the Almogavars in Catalan . Meaning : Listen ! listen ! Wake up , O iron ! / Help us God ! / [ . . . ] / Just seeing us coming the villages are already ablaze . / Just seeing us passing the crows are wiping their beaks . / War and plunder , there are no greater pleasures . / Forward Almogavars ! Let them call the gravediggers ! / The voice of the Somatent is calling us to war . / Weariness , rains , snow and heat we shall endure . / And if sleep overtakes us , / we will use the earth as our bed . / And if we get hungry , we shall eat raw meat . / Wake up , O iron ! Forward ! / Fast as the lightning / let us fall over their camp ! / Forward Almogavars ! Let us go there to make flesh , / the wild beasts are hungry !