Siege of Carmona (763)
| Siege of Carmona (763) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Abd al-Rahman I | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Emirate of Córdoba |
 Abbasid Caliphate | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Abd al-Rahman I |
al-Ala ibn Mughith al-Judhami † | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 700 men | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | Heavy | ||||||
The siege of Carmona was a military engagement between the Umayyads and the Abbasids, who besieged the city of Carmona, where Abd al-Rahman garrisoned himself there, in an attempt to install Abbasid rule in Andalusia. The Umayyads decisively defeated the Abbasids and prevented their invasion.
History[edit]
In 763, the local governor of Beja, Al-Ala ibn Mughith al-Judhami, rebelled against the Umayyads in Andalusia. The Abbasid caliph, al-Mansur, made one final attempt to bring Andalusia under Abbasid control. Al-Ala aligned himself with the Abbasids. He received money, arms, and moral support from the Caliph. Al-Ala even raised the Abbasid flag and appointed himself governor of Andalusia. The Umayyad prince, Abd al-Rahman, left Cordoba and went to Carmona, a strong fortress high on a hill.[1][2][3]
Al-Ala besieged the fortress for two months.[4] Eventually Abd al-Rahman saw the Abbasids becoming impatient with the siege and ordered his troops to burn the scabbards of their swords, encouraging his men, numbering 700, to follow with him in a sortie that took the Abbasids by surprise. Al-Ala was killed alongside many Abbasid officers. The officers were beheaded, including Al-Ala. Their heads were embalmed and sent to Kairouan as a message of defiance to the Caliph.[5][6][7]
The debacle at Carmona ended any Abbasid interference in Andalusian affairs; both sides soon became preoccupied with other issues. Al-Mansur reportedly said:[8]
We all belong to God. We sent this miserable man to his death. Praise be to God who has put the sea between me and this devil.