Military confrontation between the troops of the Leonese king Bermudo III and those of the count of Castile Fernando Sánchez
Ferdinand's victory ended Bermudo III's reign and united Castile with León under a single ruler, reshaping the Iberian political order.
Key Facts
- Date
- 4 September 1037
- Bermudo's lance wounds
- 40 wounds
- Knights who died with Bermudo
- 7 knights
- Ferdinand crowned in León
- 22 June 1038
- Bermudo's last known document
- 9 June 1037, donation to Monastery of Celanova
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
After Sancho the Great died in 1035, Bermudo III returned to León and initiated a war to reclaim the Tierra de Campos, the disputed territory between the Cea and Pisuerga rivers, which had been held under Castilian control and which Ferdinand regarded as his wife Sancha's dowry.
Bermudo III led Leonese forces against Ferdinand, Count of Castile, near Tamarón. Outnumbered, Ferdinand called on his brother García Sánchez III of Navarre for support. During the battle Bermudo fell from his horse, was surrounded, and was killed with forty lance wounds while attempting to reach Ferdinand.
With Bermudo's death his army dispersed, and Ferdinand took possession of León after a brief siege. Accepted as Bermudo's successor, he was crowned King of León on 22 June 1038, effectively uniting the County of Castile and the Kingdom of León under his rule.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Ferdinand, Count of Castile, García Sánchez III of Navarre.
Side B
1 belligerent
Bermudo III, King of León.