Atlas of Battles

battle, major, medieval

Battle of Alarcos

Battle of Alarcos was a battle fought on 19 July 1195 at Alarcos, in what is now Spain. It was part of the Almohad wars in the Iberian Peninsula, which ran from 1172 to 1212. The recorded result: Almohad victory. Recorded strength: Undetermined; Modern estimate: More than 25,000 against Undetermined; Modern estimate: 20,000.

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Battlefield in Alarcos, CR, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain
Battlefield in Alarcos, CR, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain. Xemenendura, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought19 July 1195
WhereAlarcos, Spain38.953N, 4.000W
OutcomeAlmohad victory
BelligerentsKingdom of Castile; Order of Santiago; Order of St. Benedict; Kingdom of Navarre; Kingdom of Leon; Kingdom of AragonagainstAlmohad Caliphate; Castilian rebels
Part ofAlmohad wars in the Iberian Peninsula1172 to 1212

Where it sits in the Almohad wars in the Iberian Peninsula

Battle of Palmela, 1165Battle of Fahs al-Jullab, 1165Siege of Santarém, 1171Battle of Calatrava, 1173Conquest of Cuenca, 1177Siege of Abrantes, 1179Capture of Coruche, 1180Battle of Cape Espichel, 1180Siege of Évora, 1181Battle of Silves, 1182Siege of Cáceres, 1184Siege of Santarém, 1184Siege of Silves, 1189Siege of Silves, 1190Siege of Tomar, 1190Siege of Alcácer do Sal, 1191Siege of Silves, 1191Battle of Alarcos, 1195Siege of Al-Dāmūs, 1210Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa, 1212Fall of Ubeda, 121211651212Battle of Alarcos, 1195
22 placed engagements of the Almohad wars in the Iberian Peninsula in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date19 July 1195
PlaceAlarcos, Spain
38.953N, 4.000W
KindBattle, medieval
StrengthUndetermined; Modern estimate: More than 25,000Undetermined; Modern estimate: 20,000
Commanders
  • Abu Yusuf Ya'qub al-Mansur
Battle of AlarcosBattle of AlarcosBattle of Ciudad-RealBattle of MontielBattle of MontielBattle of CalatravaBattle of ConsuegraBattle of MontielBattle of CalatravaBattle of ConsuegraCórdobaJaénToledoLinares100 km38.953N, 4.000W
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Alarcos
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 50 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Alarcos today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-08-08. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 690 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 0 to 730 m, 730 m of relief, steep country and today it is 58% cropland, 32% grassland, 5% tree cover.

cropland: 58%grassland: 32%tree cover: 5%built-up: 4%cropland 58%grassland 32%tree cover 5%built-up 4%
west to east, 10.0 km0 to 695 mnorth to south, 10.0 km603 to 730 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 4 times between 1143 and 1809.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1195

Battle of Alarcos is one of 438 engagements of the 12th century in the atlas and one of 1,070 in present-day Spain.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q1481920, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Alarcos, revision 1379240366, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.