Atlas of Battles

battle, major, early modern

Battle of Alcácer Quibir

Battle of Alcácer Quibir was a battle fought on 4 August 1578 at Ksar el-Kebir, in what is now Morocco. It was part of Q35810458. The recorded result: Moroccan victory.

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Battle of Alcácer Quibir (1578), Museum of the Ponta da Bandeira Fort, Lagos, Portugal. The image shows a detail of the only known representation of the Battle of Alcácer Quibir published by Miguel Le
Battle of Alcácer Quibir (1578), Museum of the Ponta da Bandeira Fort, Lagos, Portugal. The image shows a detail of the only known representation of the Battle of Alcácer Quibir published by Miguel Le. Georges Jansoone, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought4 August 1578
WhereKsar el-Kebir, Morocco35.017N, 5.900W
OutcomeMoroccan victory
BelligerentsKingdom of Portugal; Saadi alliesagainstSaadi Sultanate; Ottoman Empire
Part ofQ35810458

Where it sits in Q35810458

Battle of Covadonga, AD 718Battle of Olalíes, AD 722Siege to Pelayo, AD 735Battle of the Burbia River, AD 791Battle of Lutos, AD 794Battle of Río Quirós, AD 795Battle of the Nalón River, AD 795Battle of Campo da Matanza, AD 795Capture of Oviedo, AD 795Battle of las Babias, AD 795Battle of Anceo, AD 825Battle of Clavijo, AD 844Battle of Albelda, AD 851Battle of Guadalacete, AD 852Battle of Monte Laturce, AD 859Battle of the Morcuera, AD 865Siege of Coimbra, AD 878Battle of Cellorigo, AD 882First Battle of Cellorigo, AD 882Second Battle of Cellorigo, AD 883Siege of Lérida, AD 884Battle of Bayyana, AD 891Day of Zamora, AD 901Battle of San Esteban de Gormaz, AD 917Battle of Valdejunquera, AD 920Battle of Castromoros, AD 920Siege of Toledo, AD 930Siege of Madrid, AD 932Battle of Osma, AD 934Battle of Barcelona, AD 935Siege of Pals, AD 935Siege of Empúries, AD 935Battle of Simancas, AD 939Battle of Alhandega, AD 939Battle of Alhandic, AD 939Battle of Estercuel, AD 975Battle of Rueda, AD 981Battle of Torrevicente, AD 981Battle of Rovirans, AD 985Sack of Barcelona, AD 985Battle of Cervera, 1000Battle of Calatañazor, 1002Battle of Albesa, 1003Battle of Torà, 1006Battle of Cesar, 1035Battle of Graus, 1063Crusade of Barbastro, 1064Battle of Paterna, 1065Siege of Barbastro, 1065Battle of Golpejera, 1072Siege of Toledo, 1081Battle of Morella, 1084Battle of Piedra Pisada, 1084Siege of Zaragoza, 1086Siege of Tudela, 1087Siege of Monzón, 1089Battle of Tevar, 1090Battle of Alcoraz, 1096Battle of Arouca, 1102Battle of Valtierra, 1110Siege of Morella, 1117Conquest of Zaragoza, 1118Battle of Cutanda, 1120Siege of Lleida, 1122Siege of Lisbon, 1142Conquest of Santarém, 1147Siege of Almería, 1157Battle of Alcácer do Sal, 1161Capture of Juromenha, 1170Siege of Huete, 1172Battle of Ceuta (1182), 1182Siege of Moya, 1183Siege of Jaén, 1225Siege of Jaén, 1230Battle of Jerez, 1231Siege of Córdoba, 1235Battle of Chio, 1239Siege of Jaén, 1245Siege of Seville, 1248Siege of Faro, 1249Battle of Salé, 1260Battle of Écija, 1275Battle of Martos, 1275Siege of Algeciras, 1278Battle of Algeciras, 1278Battle of Moclín, 1280Siege of Jerez, 1285Battle of Arjona, 1297First Siege of Gibraltar, 1309Siege of Algeciras, 1309Siege of Ceuta, 1309Siege of Almería, 1309Battle of the Vega of Granada, 1319Battle of Guadalhorce, 1326Battle of Teba, 1330Siege of Guardamar, 1331Siege of Elche, 1332Battle of Ceuta, 1339Battle of Vega de Pagana, 1339Battle of Getares, 1340Battle of Río Salado, 1340Battle of Ceuta, 1341Battle of Sierra Bullones (1342), 1342Battle of Guadalmesí, 1342Battle of Estepona, 1342Siege of Algeciras, 1342Battle of Linuesa, 1361Battle of Guadix, 1362Siege of Algeciras, 1369Battle of Puerto Lope, 1394Battle of Collejares, 1406Battle of Gibraltar, 1407Siege of Setenil de las Bodegas, 1407Siege of Antequera, 1410Conquest of Ceuta, 1415Aljazira Skirmish, 1415Good Friday Skirmish (1417), 1417Escaramuça dos Gazulos (1418), 1418First Siege of Ceuta, 1419Second Siege of Ceuta, 1419Skirmish on the eve of Santa Maria de September, 1429Battle of La Higueruela, 1431Battle of Archidona, 1434Battle of Tangier, 1437Battle of Castril, 1438Battle of Río Verde, 1448Battle of Hellín, 1448Battle of Los Alporchones, 1452Siege of Ksar es-Seghir, 1458Eighth siege of Gibraltar, 1462Siege of Tangier, 1463Conquest of Asilah, 1471Siège of Graciosa, 1489Siege of Graciosa, 1489Battle of Tangier, 1502Capture of Castelo Real, 1510Battle of Azemmour, 1513Battle of the Alcaides, 1514Raid of Marrakesh, 1515Battle of Maâmora, 1515Siege of Asilah, 1516Siege of Agadir, 1533Siege of Safi, 1534Fall of Agadir, 1541Siege of Mazagan, 1562Battle of Alcácer Quibir, 1578Battle of Mamora, 1696Siege of Mazagan, 1769AD 7181769Battle of Alcácer Quibir, 1578
148 placed engagements of Q35810458 in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date4 August 1578
PlaceKsar el-Kebir, Morocco
35.017N, 5.900W
KindBattle, early modern
Strength23,000 men; 6,000 Moors; 3,000 Flemish and Germans; 2,000 Castilians; 600 Italians; 40 cannons60,000–100,000 men; 12,000 cavalrymen; Several thousand irregular troops; 4,000 Zwawa; 3,500 Jazulas; 3,000 Andalusians; 2,500 Renegades; 1,500 riflemen; 1,000 Turks; 34 cannons
Casualties and losses8,000 killed; 15,000 captured; or; 12,000 killed; (Spanish sources)7,000 killed; (Portuguese sources); or; 1,500 killed; (Spanish sources)
Commanders
  • Sebastian I
  • Abu Abdallah Muhammad II Saadi
  • Abu Marwan Abd al-Malik I Saadi
  • Ahmad al-Mansur
Battle of Alcácer QuibirBattle of Alcácer QuibirSiege of LaracheLarache expeditionBattle of Wad-RasBattle of TétouanAction of 16 March 1782Siege of LaracheLarache expeditionBattle of Wad-RasBattle of TétouanAction of 16 March 1782RabatFezGibraltarMeknesKenitraTazaAlgeciras100 km35.017N, 5.900W
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 Alcácer Quibir
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 10 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Alcácer Quibir today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2023-09-30. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2023.

The recorded site stands at about 40 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 0 to 133 m, 133 m of relief, gently rolling country and today it is 60% cropland, 18% built-up, 15% grassland.

cropland: 60%built-up: 18%grassland: 15%tree cover: 6%cropland 60%built-up 18%grassland 15%tree cover 6%
west to east, 10.0 km9 to 105 mnorth to south, 10.0 km0 to 56 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

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1578

Battle of Alcácer Quibir is one of 1,390 engagements of the 16th century in the atlas and one of 143 in present-day Morocco.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q1121532, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Alcácer Quibir, revision 1385702597, 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.