The Almoravid Counteroffensive and the Reconquest of Lisbon (1095 CE)

By the late 11th century, the Almoravids, a powerful Berber dynasty from North Africa, launch a major counteroffensive against the Christian kingdoms of Iberia, reversing many of the territorial gains made during the previous decade.

This Muslim resurgence begins in 1095 with the reconquest of Lisbon, a strategically vital city on the Atlantic coast. Lisbon had been transferred to Castile only four years earlier, but now falls back under Almoravid control, marking the beginning of a broader campaign to push Christian forces back northward.

The Almoravid advance forces the Christian kingdoms to abandon newly conquered lands, restoring the Muslim-Christian frontier to its earlier position and stalling the momentum of the Reconquista.