…Fraga. Rich in commerce with a very…
October 1134 CE
…Fraga.
Rich in commerce with a very productive agricultural system, the region is constantly plagued by warfare throughout this period.
The land has become dotted with many fortresses, towers and even subterranean refuges where people can take shelter from attack.
King Alfonso I of Aragon the Battler, known by the Muslims as Ibn Rudmir (literally "son of Ramiro) or al-Farandji, lays siege to the town of Fraga with an army from Aragon, provoking a swift and decisive response from the the Almoravid Empire.
The Emir of Cordoba, son of the caliph, equips a force of two thousand knights, the emirs of Murcia and Valencia assemble five hundred knights and the governor of Lleida another two hundred.
Once these forces are joined together, they march to the relief of Fraga.
Alfonso has about five hundred knights with him; accompanying him also is García Ramírez, the future king of Navarre.
The Christian forces break under the charge of the Almoravid cavalry.
Alfonso I, a fierce, violent man and a soldier through and through, rallies his troops, his entourage clashing with the cavalry of the emir of Murcia.
The Almoravid cavalry decimates the Aragonese soldiers.
Upon seeing this, the townspeople, most of whom are of Arab origin, exit the city and fall upon the Aragonese camp, pillaging and killing a majority of the soldiers there.
They carry off the Aragonese army's provisions into the city of Fraga.
At this moment, the emir of Cordoba launches a final attack stroke with his cavalry and breaks the Christian troops once again.
Having lost a majority of his soldiers, Alfonso is obliged to flee and made for Zaragoza.
He will die a mere twenty days after the battle.
The Aragonese toll at Fraga is significant, with many notable members of Aragonese society among the dead or captured.
Guy of Lescar, who had fought with the Christian forces, is captured by the Almoravid forces and imprisoned at Valencia.