The infante Sancho, eldest son of Alfonso…

The infante Sancho, eldest son of Alfonso X of Castile, directs the incursion into the Vega de Granada in June 1280, accompanied by, among others, Gonzalo Ruiz Girón, Grand Master of the Order of Santiago.

Sancho orders Gonzalo to proceed along with his retainers, Gil Gómez de Villalobos, abbot of Valladolid, and Fernán Enríquez and protect the troops stockpiling supplies for the army with an expeditionary force while he stays at Alcalá la Real and awaits reinforcements.

Upon returning from the aforementioned expedition, the Castilian and Leonese forces are attacked by Muslim forces under the command of Muhammad II who had been waiting in ambush around the city of Moclín.

Feigning flight, the Muslim troops stationed in Moclín draw the Castilian-Leonese troops to the spot where they had set their ambush.

The Christian troops pursue those of Muhammad II, who proceeds to cut off their means of retreat.

The Muslim forces then attack, defeating the Christian forces and inflicting heavy casualties.

The slaughter, referred to as the Disaster of Moclín, results in the deaths of over twenty-eight hundred Castilian-Leonese knights and soldiers and the deaths of most of the knights in the service of the Order of Santiago.

The order's Grand Master, Gonzalo Ruiz Girón, is mortally wounded in the action.

When the infante Sancho hears news of the disaster, he orders that the remaining troops under his command hold their ground, a move that prevents an overall rout and slaughter of all the Christian troops on the campaign.

Once all the Christian troops have reorganized after the disaster, the Sancho passes through Moclín and proceeds into Granada to cut the valley in two.

After a campaign of aggression throughout this area of Granada, Sancho returns to Córdoba via Jaén.

By August 7, the campaign has ended and Sancho has returned to Cordoba.

Gonzalo Ruiz Girón, Grand Master of the Order of Santiago, dies from his wounds a few days after the disaster.

He is buried in a sepulcher in the city of Alcaudete.

To avoid the extinction of the Order of Santiago due to the deaths of so many of its knights, Alfonso X of Castile integrates the members of the Order of Santa María de España into that of Santiago and names Pedro Núñez as Grand Master of the newly integrated order.

The Order of Santa María de España, founded by King Alfonso X himself, ceases to exist.