Throughout Ramadan we are publishing articles about historical moments that took place in this blessed month. We present to you the Battle of Guadalete – which marked the beginning of Muslim rule in Spain.

The Visigoths were the ruling elite of the Iberian Peninsula. They were historical Arian Christians, considered heretics by the Christian powers of Europe. However, they converted to Catholicism and allowed the Vatican to extend its influence through Spain. This did not stop the political turmoil however.

Internal strife was a common feature at the time – assassinations, coups and rebellions were a regular occurrence, often against the native Romanos as a means to sustain power.

King Roderic’s rise to power was no different. With much of the support of the dukes and priests, his successful coup only achieved a divided kingdom. The son of the king he killed, Achilla, rallied support in the north. Roderic had no choice but to rally an army himself and take back the northern territories.

It was at this time, the Muslims in northern Africa were advancing.

By 710, the Ummayyad Caliphate controlled nearly all of the African Mediterranean coast. Musa bin Nusayr, the appointed governor of western Libya, Tunisia, and eastern Algeria, received reports of the internal strife in southern Iberia, as well as pleas for help. Musa ordered a number of reconnaissance missions to see if the reports were true.

Musa later appointed Tariq ibn Ziyad, a Berber servant who had converted to Islam. Tariq was given an army of some 7,000 men, composed of both Arab and Berber soldiers. Numerous reports stated that a Visigoth noble, who had a grudge against Roderic, helped supply Tariq’s army with ships to land in Iberia. Tariq’s army quickly seized control of Cordoba and Carthagonova and with such victories, requested more reinforcements from Musa. Musa quickly responded with sending an additional 5,000 soldiers.

Upon hearing of the Muslim invasion, Roderic managed to wrap up his northern invasion by convincing Archilla to put aside their war and face the Muslim threat.

The Battle

Most historians estimate the number of the Visigoth army to be around 33,000 strong. The vast majority were peasants, drafted on basis of emergency, which meant they would have lacked the courage, discipline and most importantly, the training needed. They were also almost without any armour, equipped with some axes, slings and clubs.

Tariq’s army consisted of Arabs and Bebers and were much smaller in number – only 12,000 but were much better equipped than the Visigoth army.

Around mid-July, Roderic confronted the Muslim army in southern Iberia. Their army were already spotted by Tariq’s scouts and they quickly set up camp in the hills near the town of Sidonia, near the Guadalete River, to prepare for battle. Occupying high ground made scouting on the Visigoth army easier.

The Visigoths conducted a number of raids to harass the Muslim army over the next coming days, however, this led to just mere skirmishing, probably trying to measure the strength of the Muslim army. In the last two days before the battle, both armies slowly drew up their battle lines, daring either side to attack the other. Neither took the bait.

On July 25th both armies lined up in their positions, ready to commence the battle. Tariq gave a rousing speech to his men that victory was within their grasp and reminded them that if they killed the king, the whole army would be demoralised and routed.

The Visigoths were most likely spread among 4 thin lines with their calvary at their rear. Roderic was nestled in the middle, surrounded by nobles who decided to make a battle to get rid of Roderic and made a pact with Tariq.

The first assault by the Visigoths was rebuffed by the defensive stance of the Muslim army.

Roderic used his numbers to probe any strategic advantage he could gain before launching a full assault. When Roderic gave the order to charge, one or more of his wings did not follow his orders, leaving him exposed.

Tariq was quick to act. Seeing the King exposed, he ordered his entirely cavalry to directly assault the isolated centre of the Visigoth army. Roderic, confident in his massive numbers and the defensive stance of the Muslim army, was taken completely by surprise by the attack on his flank. His army was being decimated by Tariq’s cavalry. Soon Tariq finally came face to face with Roderic and landed a heavy blow with his scimitar on the his helmet – the force of which knocked Roderic from his horse and he fell among the scrum of battle. Rumors quickly spread throughout the Visigoth army that the king was dead.

This paved the way for the Visigoth army to be quickly routed. Their frontline were quickly flanked afterwards and decimated and the rest fled towards the river. The Muslims had won.

The Aftermath

Casualty numbers of on both are speculative, but it was understood that the Visigoths lost around 74% of their army, while the Muslims lost around a quarter of theirs (3,000).

Little remains of the Visigoth legacy: such is the testament of how culturally austere and retrogressive they were compared to the Muslims at the time. Tariq’s conquest opened up a new legacy of Muslim rule in Spain, and with it an age of multiculturalism, economic prosperity, technological innovation and cultural opulence.

Tariq’s name lives on to this day. Just south of the Iberian Peninsula, a mountain island was named after him, ‘Jabal at-Tariq’, or “Tariq’s Mountain”, which is today known as Gibraltar.

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