Atlas of Battles

battle, landmark, medieval

Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa

Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa was a battle fought on 16 July 1212 at Santa Elena, 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: Christian victory. Recorded strength: 12,000–14,000 against 22,000–30,000; "Many hundreds of thousands".

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Esta obra, que fue depositada por el Museo del Prado en 1878 en el Palacio del Senado de España, representa la batalla de las Navas de Tolosa, que se libró el día 16 de Julio de 1212 en las cercanías
Esta obra, que fue depositada por el Museo del Prado en 1878 en el Palacio del Senado de España, representa la batalla de las Navas de Tolosa, que se libró el día 16 de Julio de 1212 en las cercanías . Francisco de Paula Van Halen, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought16 July 1212
WhereSanta Elena, Spain38.343N, 3.549W
OutcomeChristian victory
BelligerentsCatholic coalition; Crown of Aragon; Kingdom of Castile; Kingdom of Navarre; Kingdom of Portugal; Knights Templar; Order of Calatrava; Order of Santiago; Crusaders; Leonese volunteersagainstAlmohad Caliphate
Casualties and losses~2,000andVery high
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 Las Navas de Tolosa, 1212
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

Date16 July 1212
PlaceSanta Elena, Spain
38.343N, 3.549W
KindBattle, medieval
Territorial changeFall of Ubeda and Baeza
Strength12,000–14,00022,000–30,000; "Many hundreds of thousands"
Casualties and losses~2,000Very high
Commanders
  • Muhammad an-Nasir
Battle of Las Navas de TolosaBattle of Las Navas de TolosaBattle of BailénBattle of CantichFall of UbedaSiege of Santuario de Nuestra Señora de la CabezaSiege of IliturgiSiege of IliturgiGranada‎AlbaceteJaénLorca100 km38.343N, 3.549W
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 Las Navas de Tolosa
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 25 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-07-28. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 792 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 475 to 1,049 m, 574 m of relief, steep country and today it is 74% tree cover, 20% grassland, 3% built-up.

tree cover: 74%grassland: 20%built-up: 3%shrubland: 2%tree cover 74%grassland 20%built-up 3%shrubland 2%
west to east, 10.0 km525 to 798 mnorth to south, 10.0 km570 to 885 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 1212

Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa is one of 590 engagements of the 13th century in the atlas and one of 1,070 in present-day Spain.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q219697, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa, revision 1385033251, 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.