Jaén Andalucia Spain

Abd al-Aziz ibn Musa, Musa ibn Nusair's son, takes Jaén, …

…the Qinnasrin jund in Jaén.

After sixty-five days of meticulous preparations, Abd ar-Rahman personally leads an expedition to the south of his realm in the spring of 913.

His troops are able to recover the coras (provinces) of Jaén and …

The Almoravids are determined to defeat the Kingdom of Castile and roll back the advances of the Reconquista; to that end, Almoravid leader Tamim ibn-Yusuf, leading the forces of Granada, sets out for Jaén in early May.

Here he meets the forces of Córdoba and …

…force the surrender of Jaén and …

The Almohad caliph Muhammad an-Nasir had meanwhile moved to Jaén on June 22, then …

…the mountainous area around Baeza, intending to cut off the Christians at the plain of Las Navas de Tolosa, about forty miles (sixty-four kilometers) north of Jaén.

An-Nasir’s army is composed of forces from the entire Almohad empire.

Most of the men in the Almohad army come from the African side of the empire, which includes Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and even as far away as Mauritania and Senegal, in addition to much of the Iberian peninsula's southern half.

The Christians, soon after their arrival on July 12, take Castroferral with hopes of then reaching the Muslim encampment through the pass of La Llosa.

The pass is heavily guarded, however, and it is through a local shepherd who directs the Christians to an alternate opening that they are able to reach the Muslim base.

Alfonso himself leads the Christians into battle and shatters the Almohad forces on July 16 at the battle of Las Navas de Tolosa (also called the Battle of Al-Ôuqab).

An-Nasir flees, while …

Ferdinand III besieges and captures the Moorish stronghold of Jaén, in eastern Andalusia, in 1245-46.

The reign of Ferdinand IV of Castile has occurred during a time of anarchy.

From 1296 to 1301, the Kingdom of León had been independent under Juan I of León, being crowned as King of León, Galicia and Seville.

Ferdinand owed his escape from the violence of competitors and nobles, partly to the tact and undaunted bravery of his mother Maria de Molina, and partly to the loyalty of the citizens of Ávila, who had given him refuge within their walls.

As a king he has proved ungrateful to his mother, and weak as a ruler.

In 1302, he had married Constance, daughter of King Denis of Portugal, with whom he has had three children: Eleanor, born in 1307, Constance, born in 1308; died in 1310, Alfonso, born in 1311.

In 1309 Ferdinand had captured Gibraltar from the Moors (who had held it since 711) with the help of Alonso Pérez de Guzmán of Aragón.

He dies suddenly in his tent at Jaén when preparing for a raid into the Emirate of Granada on September 7, 1312.

His one year-old son succeeds him as Alfonso XI.

His grandmother, María de Molina, his mother Constance, and his granduncle John and uncle Peter assume the regency.