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Battle of Río Verde
The Battle of Río Verde was a military engagement between the Granadans and the Castilians at the Río Verde near Marbella. The Granadans achieved a resounding victory. BackgroundIn 1447, taking advantage of Castile political turmoil, the Granadan Sultan, Yusuf V, attacked Castile and restored the lost castles from Castile, including Arenas, Huéscar, Vélez-Blanco, Vélez-Rubio, Benamaurel, and Benzalema. In August of the same year, Yusuf was assassinated, and in September, Muhammad IX took control of Granada. War with Castile continued.[1] BattleOn March 15, 1448, a Castilian force of 400[2] or 600 cavalry, attacked the Granadan territory and steel cattle.[3] The Castilians were led by Juan de Saavedra. Two days later, the Castilians advanced through the area of Estepona, towards Marbella, up to Río Verde. Upon retreating, the Castilians were attacked by a force of Granadans consisting of 1,500 cavalry.[4] The Granadans were led by Viziers Ibrāhīm bin Abd al-Barr and Abū l-Qāsim b. al-Sarrāŷ.[5] The Granadans massacred the majority of the force and took Juan as a captive.[6] It is said that only 4 managed to escape the massacre.[7] The Romance "Rio Verde" describes the battle:.[8]
AftermathThe ransom amount was estimated at twelve thousand doubloons. Saavedra had to leave two of his daughters as hostages and resort to the help of the King and the Seville council.[9] The impact of this defeat was such that, in addition to inspiring the well-known ballad “Green River, Green River," it forced the Castilian King to propose a truce to the Andalusian emir the following month, which he again rejected. The agreement that al-Aysar did sign was a general suspension of hostilities with Aragon and Navarre on 25 December 1448.[10] References
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