He lay down facing the country of the Spanish Moors, So that Karl told his glorious squad, That Count Roland died, but won!
(Song of Roland)
When the Moors consistently defeated the Christian kingdoms in Spain, they did not succeed in destroying them to the end. On the southern slopes of the Pyrenees mountains, the world (or reserve) of the Christian faith continued to be preserved, represented by several, albeit small, but, nevertheless, completely self-sufficient kingdoms, the main role among which was played by Navarre. By the middle of the 11th century, when the Muslim city of Tudela was captured in 1046, it actually reached its borders. After that, Navarra's military efforts were aimed at helping other Christian states outside its territory and maintaining its own independence, both from Muslims and from fellow Christians.
A drawing by Angus McBride depicting a 13th century Spanish knight. He is opposed by two infantrymen, one of whom has the cross of Toulouse on his surcoat.
By the beginning of the XII century, the Kingdom of Aragon also already existed, being the western part of the French county of Barcelona. Unlike Navarre, Aragon tried to advance its possessions south even after reaching a common border with Castile in 1118. A century later, Aragon completed his part of the Spanish Reconquista by capturing the Balearic Islands (1229-1235) and the Denia Peninsula (1248). All this, as well as the absorption of Catalonia by Aragon in 1162, strengthened the position of the Aragonese not only on land, but also at sea. They soon began to compete with the Anjou Monarchy for control of Sicily and southern Italy.
Miniature depicting warriors of the Kingdom of Navarre from the "Navarre Illustrated Bible", dated 1197 Pamplona, Spain. (Library of Amiens Metropol)
As for Catalonia, in the first half of the 11th century it was divided into no less than eight counties, and all were theoretically vassals of the French crown. By the time of the First Crusade, they had largely united and were able to take part in the Reconquista, moving south as far as Tortosa, taken in 1148. The main thing to emphasize is that all these kingdoms were under strong military influence from southern France since the 11th century. However, there were clear differences between the various regions in northern Spain. Thus, Navarre, being almost exclusively a land of mountains and valleys, never sought to break into the plains of central Iberia. That is why the infantry played the main role in her army. Moreover, Navarre infantrymen, armed with long spears, were highly regarded and used as mercenaries in many parts of Western Europe in the 12th century. The same applies to the neighboring and militarily similar Basques and Gascons. The latter are known to have often used bows instead of darts. The Navarre infantry was also popular in the 14th century, when the kingdom of Navarre itself began to use mercenary Muslim troops, possibly from the Tudela region. It is believed that it was these horsemen who became the forerunners of the later Spanish cavalry of the ginet, dressed in chain mail and armed with short spears, swords and shields.
Spanish Warriors from the Pamplona Illustrated Bible and Lives of Saints, 1200 (University of Augsburg Library)
The same source. Image of horsemen fighting the infantry. Pay attention to the unusual shaped pennants on the spears and the fact that the horses are already covered with blankets.
In Aragon, light cavalry also began to play an important role as the kingdom began to expand its holdings across the Ebro plain. Meanwhile, most of the Aragonese mercenaries who fought outside the Iberian Peninsula were still foot soldiers. The most famous and characteristic of such Aragonese troops were the Almogavars or "scouts". The Almogavars are known for the fact that during the XIII-XIV centuries, in addition to Spain, they fought as mercenaries in Italy, the Latin Empire and the Levant. The Almogavars were generally from the mountainous regions of Aragon, as well as Catalonia and Navarre. Usually they wore a light helmet, leather armor, breeches and half-leggings made of sheep and goat skins; and on his feet are rough leather sandals.
Almogavar troops during the conquest of Mallorca. Gothic fresco from Salo del Tinel (Throne Room of the Royal Palace) in Barcelona.
J. Moreno Carbonero. Roger de Flore's entry into Constantinople (1888). In the foreground are the Almogavars.
The weapons of the Almogavars were short spears used for throwing, or lighter javelins, as well as a wide cleaver, an analogue of felchen, hanging on a leather belt along with a shopping bag or a bag for trifles like flint and tinder. For a decent pay, they served cities, monarchs, and churches, and it is not surprising that the Swiss mercenaries and the same landsknechts appeared later. Previously, there was no such need for them, and besides, the same Swiss cantons did not wage serious wars at the beginning. And the mercenaries were supplied by such states as Scotland, Ireland and … Navarre with Catalonia, and Aragon!
B. Ribot and Terris [ca]. Pedro the Great at the Battle of the Panissar Pass during the Aragonese Crusade 1284-1285 (c. 1866). On the left are the Almogavars.
As for the cavalry, for example, it is known that Catalan horsemen still served as mercenaries in the Muslim troops of the Murabits at the beginning of the 12th century, but by the 13th century, the most valued among professional Catalan soldiers were … crossbowmen! The fact is that both the Catalans and the Aragonese actively fought at sea, and here the use of the crossbow acquired particular importance. Moreover, its use against Muslims did not fall under the restrictions of Christian Councils, and this was important. The soldiers of that time were devout people and remembered that hell and fiery hell awaited sinners, therefore, whenever possible, they tried to fight, but not sin! Firearms were used early in Spain. For example, it is known that in 1359 Aragon used bombards to protect one of the ports.
Fresco depicting the Battle of Portopi, c. 1285 - 1290 from the Palace of Berenguer d'Aguilar in Barcelona, which is now kept in the National Museum of Art of Catalonia in Barcelona.
Fragment of a fresco depicting the Battle of Portopi. It depicts Guillaume Ramon de Moncada or Guillermo II the lord of Montcada and Castelvi de Rosanes (in Catalonia), the Viscount of Béarn, Marsan, Gabardana and Brulois (in the southwest of modern France). On his shield, surcoat, helmet and horse blanket, the front part of which is made of chain mail (!), The coat of arms of Moncada and Béarn is depicted.
Interestingly, the Almogavar infantry went into battle with the Catalan battle cry "Desperta Ferro!" (Wake up, iron!). At the same time, they also carved sparks from stones and rocks, hitting them with the tips of spears and darts! The first mention of this call of them is found in the description of the Battle of Galliano (1300), and it is also reported in the Chronicle of Ramon Muntaner. Other variants of the battle cry were calls: Aragó, Aragó! (Aragon, Aragon!), Via Sus! Via Sus !, Sant Jordi! Sant Jordi! (Saint George! Saint George!), Sancta Maria! Sancta Maria! (Holy Mary! Holy Mary!)
Effigius Bernat de Brull, 1345 (Church of Sant Pere de Valferos, Solsana Catalonia). For some reason, there is no surcoat on him, but a chain mail mantle with a hood and chain mail gloves with fingers braided to the sleeves are clearly visible. On the legs are plate leggings.
Quite a lot of effigia have survived in Spain, which allows us to imagine quite well how the Spanish knights of 1050-1350 were armed. For example, the effigy of a member of the Kastellet family, approx. 1330, from the Basilica of Santa Maria, to Villafranca del Penades in Catalonia. There is a complete resemblance between her and the depiction of Christian warriors depicted on the mural "The Conquest of Mallorca". The most notable detail is the surcoat caftans with medium length sleeves and decorated with heraldic images, worn over the armor. By 1330, the Catalan knight was also wearing plate-cuffed mittens and metal-plated greaves.
Effigia Hugo de Cervello, approx. 1334 (Basilica of Santa Maria, in Villafranca del Penedés, Catalonia) For the named year, his equipment may seem already outdated!
Effigia Bernado de Minorisa, Catalonia, approx. 1330 (Church of Santa Maria de la Seo, Manresa, Spain) opposite, shows us a knight wearing the latest European weapons and armor. And he really looks more like the knights of eastern France and Germany than his Spanish compatriots. His chain mail hood is worn on a soft base, which makes his head seem almost square, and why, by the way, it is understandable - this is necessary to make it more comfortable to wear a large flat-top helmet on his head. He does not have plate armor on his arms, and the only indication that he may be wearing anything other than a chain hauberk is his surcoat, which may well be hidden by additional plate armor. The legs are covered with greaves, and on the feet are sabatons. He has a very large sword in his hands, and a dagger is suspended from a belt on the right.
Effigia of Don Alvaro de Cabrera the Younger from the Church of Santa Maria de Belpuy de las Avellanas, Lleida, Catalonia, 1299 (Metropolitan Museum, New York)
But the most remarkable example of all the Spanish effigies is the sculpture on the sarcophagus belonging to Don Alvaro de Cabrera the Younger from the Church of Santa Maria de Belpuy de las Avellanas, in Lleida, Catalonia. It has a number of distinctive features typical of Spanish, Italian and possibly Byzantine-Balkan weapons. First of all, this concerns a plate gorget to protect the neck, attached to the collar lying on the shoulders. For the time when the effigia was made, it was a very modern thing. The collar is decorated with the same floral motif that can be seen on the rivets on the top of the surcoat and on the figure's sabatons. This almost certainly suggests that under the fabric there was some kind of metal or leather lining made of scales or metal plates, which, however, this fabric hides.
Reconstruction of the appearance of the armor of Alvaro de Cabrera the Younger (in the figure on the right). Rice. Angus McBride.
Other interesting features include gauntlets with surprisingly long cuffs, which essentially replace an important piece of plate armor like the wambras. Although they seem to be metal, they were most likely made of leather. Greaves are hinged and are therefore almost certainly made of iron. Sabatons are made of plates, while the rivets have a floral pattern, comparable to the pattern of rivets on surcoat.
