The 1147 siege delivered Lisbon to the Kingdom of Portugal, marking a decisive moment in the Reconquista and one of the few Christian successes of the Second Crusade.
Key Facts
- Siege duration
- 1 July to 25 October 1147 (17 weeks)
- City population at siege
- 60,000 families including refugees
- Citadel defenders reported
- 154,000 men (not counting women and children)
- Crusaders' departure point
- Dartmouth, Devon, Kingdom of England, May 1147
- Surrender date
- 24 October 1147, due to famine within the city
- Lisbon became Portuguese capital
- 1255
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The fall of Edessa in 1144 prompted Pope Eugene III to call the Second Crusade in 1145–1146. In spring 1147 he extended crusade status to campaigns in Iberia. A fleet of crusaders from England, diverted to Porto by weather in June 1147, was persuaded by Afonso I of Portugal to assist in attacking Lisbon, then held by the Almoravid dynasty.
Beginning on 1 July 1147, Portuguese forces and Northern European crusaders besieged Lisbon for seventeen weeks. The city, swelled with refugees and reportedly defended by 154,000 men, endured until starvation compelled its rulers to negotiate surrender on 24 October 1147, after which the city was pillaged and its goods distributed among the crusaders as agreed.
Lisbon passed under definitive Portuguese Christian control, strengthening the recently declared Kingdom of Portugal. Most crusaders settled in the captured city, while others continued to the Holy Land. The victory is regarded as one of the few successes of the Second Crusade and a significant advance in the broader Reconquista. Lisbon later became the capital of Portugal in 1255.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
2 belligerents
Afonso I of Portugal.
Side B
1 belligerent