Atlas of Battles

battle, landmark, medieval

Battle of Guadalete

Battle of Guadalete was a battle fought on 19 July AD 711 at Iberian Peninsula, in what is now Spain. It was part of the Umayyad conquest of Hispania, which ran from AD 711 to AD 726. The recorded result: Umayyad victory. Recorded strength: ~2,500 (Collins); 33,000 (Lewis) against ~1,900 (Collins); 12,000 (Lewis).

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The battle of Guadalete - as imagined some 1200 years later by the spanish painter Martinez Cubells (1845-1914). The details depicts the commencement of the Goths' retreat in the face of Tarik's Berbe
The battle of Guadalete - as imagined some 1200 years later by the spanish painter Martinez Cubells (1845-1914). The details depicts the commencement of the Goths' retreat in the face of Tarik's Berbe. Salvador Martínez Cubells, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought19 July AD 711
WhereIberian Peninsula, Spain36.600N, 6.217W
OutcomeUmayyad victory
BelligerentsVisigothic KingdomagainstUmayyad Caliphate
Casualties and lossesHeavy, including many nobles and the king killedand~3,000
Part ofUmayyad conquest of HispaniaAD 711 to AD 726

Where it sits in the Umayyad conquest of Hispania

Siege of Córdoba, AD 711Battle of Guadalete, AD 711Battle of Écija, AD 711Conquest of Mérida, AD 712Capture of Málaga, AD 713Capture of Seville by the Umayyad army, AD 713Battle of Orihuela, AD 713AD 711AD 713Battle of Guadalete, AD 711
7 placed engagements of the Umayyad conquest of Hispania in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date19 July AD 711
PlaceIberian Peninsula, Spain
36.600N, 6.217W
KindBattle, medieval
Strength~2,500 (Collins); 33,000 (Lewis)~1,900 (Collins); 12,000 (Lewis)
Casualties and lossesHeavy, including many nobles and the king killed~3,000
Commanders
  • Roderic
  • Tariq ibn Ziyad
Battle of GuadaleteBattle of GuadaleteBattle of GuadaleteBattle of CádizCapture of CadizBattle of TrocaderoCádiz ExpeditionBattle of CádizCapture of CadizSevilleTangierGibraltarCeutaMálagaHuelvaFaroAlgeciras100 km36.600N, 6.217W
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 Guadalete
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 Guadalete today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-08-30. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 0 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from -4 to 109 m, 113 m of relief, gently rolling country and today it is 29% built-up, 26% grassland, 24% water.

built-up: 29%grassland: 26%water: 24%tree cover: 9%wetland: 4%bare ground: 4%cropland: 4%built-up 29%grassland 26%water 24%tree cover 9%wetland 4%
west to east, 10.0 km0 to 41 mnorth to south, 10.0 km0 to 54 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 AD 711

Battle of Guadalete is one of 144 engagements of the 8th century in the atlas and one of 1,070 in present-day Spain.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q504172, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Guadalete, revision 1378269639, 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.