Key Facts
- Duration
- 21 months (1342–1344)
- City population during siege
- ~30,000 civilians and soldiers
- Surrender date
- 26 March 1344
- Gunpowder use
- One of the first recorded uses in Europe
Strategic Narrative Overview
Castilian land forces surrounded Algeciras while Aragonese and Genoese fleets enforced a maritime blockade, cutting off food supplies to the city's population of roughly 30,000. The siege lasted twenty-one months. The Emirate of Granada dispatched a relief army, but Castilian forces defeated it near the Río Palmones, eliminating the garrison's last hope for external assistance and tightening the stranglehold on the city.
01 / The Origins
During the Reconquista, the Christian kingdoms of Iberia sought to reclaim territory held by Muslim powers. Algeciras, known in Arabic as Al-Jazeera Al-Khadra, served as the capital and principal port of the Marinid Empire's European holdings. Its strategic position on the Strait of Gibraltar made it a key objective for Alfonso XI of Castile, who allied with the Crown of Aragon and the Republic of Genoa to mount a combined land and naval operation.
03 / The Outcome
With no relief forthcoming and supplies exhausted, Algeciras surrendered on 26 March 1344 and was absorbed into the Crown of Castile. The siege is historically notable as one of the earliest recorded uses of gunpowder weapons in European warfare. Castile's control of Algeciras extended Christian authority further into southern Iberia, though the city was later abandoned and destroyed in subsequent conflicts.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
3 belligerents
Alfonso XI of Castile.
Side B
2 belligerents
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.