• Sancho Ordóñez, the eldest, is acclaimed King of Galicia.

This partition of the Asturian-Leonese realm reflects the ongoing dynastic struggles and regional fragmentation that characterize the early medieval kingdoms of northern Iberia.

 

Almanzor’s Sack of Santiago de Compostela (997 CE)

In 997 CE, Moors loyal to Almanzor (Al-Mansur) launch a devastating raid on Galicia, targeting one of Christendom’s most revered pilgrimage sites, Santiago de Compostela.

Seeking to humiliate the Christians, the Muslim forces ransack the city, stripping its cathedral of its great bells and carrying them off to Córdoba. The bells are then repurposed as lanterns for the Great Mosque of Córdoba, symbolizing the supremacy of Al-Andalus over the Christian north.

The Destruction of the City and the Fate of St. James’ Tomb

While Almanzor’s troops destroy much of Santiago, he spares the tomb of St. James the Apostle, likely out of respect for the saint’s reputation in the Islamic world or to avoid inciting further resistance from Christian forces.

This attack represents one of the greatest symbolic defeats suffered by the Christian kingdoms during the Reconquista, underscoring Almanzor’s dominance over Iberia at the height of his power.

Almoravid Naval Offensive Against Galicia (1120)

In 1120, the Almoravid fleet, commanded by admirals Abu Abd Allah ibn Maymum of Almería and Isa ibn Mayum of Seville, launched a naval assault on the Christian kingdom of Galicia. This operation was part of the Almoravid strategy to counter Christian expansion in the Iberian Peninsula, demonstrating their growing maritime strengthand ability to project power along the Atlantic coast.

Galician Response and the Struggle for the Iberian Coast

Faced with the Almoravid incursion, Galician forces mobilized to defend their coastal settlements. The attack underscored the intensifying struggle between Christian and Muslim powers for control of the Iberian seaboard, further entrenching the region in the broader conflict that defined the Reconquista.

 

The other Balmacedist troops in the north had given up the struggle after the defeat at Pozo Almonte.

Some have been driven into Peru, others into Bolivia, and one column has made a laborious retreat from Calama to Santiago, in the course of which it had twice crossed the main chain of the Andes.