Battle of Clavijo

The Battle of Clavijo part because of the legend associated with it to the famous battles of the Reconquista. They reportedly found on 23 May 844 ( 834 according to other sources ) in the Campo de la Matanza near Clavijo in the La Rioja region between the army of the king Ramiro I of Asturias and a force of the Emir Abd ar -Rahman II. instead. Ramiro should have won. According to modern research considers the battle but either fictitious or it was in fact a battle which took place only after Ramiro's death.

The report about the battle comes from a supposedly issued by King Ramiro after the victory on 25 May 844 certificate, the Privilegio de los votos. This document was forged in the mid- 12th century by the priest Pedro Marcio Santiago de Compostela and is the source of the 9th century, therefore, of no value. The presentation of the forged document was adopted in the 13th century by the chronicler Lucas of Tui and Rodrigo Jiménez de Rada, and thus came in later historical works, especially in the Estoria de España ( Crónica General ).

In the forged document to the king Ramiro be subject to the following statements. Some of his ( unnamed ) predecessors had not fought out of laziness and neglect of duty against the Muslims, but bought peace by an annual tribute payment. This tribute, the tribute was first mentioned here of the one hundred virgins, was made up of hundreds of Christian virgins, 50 and 50 from the nobility of the people who had been handed over to the Muslims. He, Ramiro, have refused to pay tribute and chosen to fight. First, his army had been routed and had then collected again at Clavijo. (Santiago), where he was the holy Apostle James appeared as the patron saint of Spain in a dream and promised him for the battle to come help. The next morning the Christian troops were drawn with the cry, "Help us, O God, and Holy Jacob! " In the fight and had won, where the Apostle was self- published as a knight on a white horse. 70,000 enemies had fallen. To thank Ramiro had afterwards the Jacob church in Santiago granted an annual payment, which was to be paid as a general release of all Christians in the Empire.

Since none of the older of the era of Ramiro I. temporally far closer sources mention the battle, although this would have been a spectacular event if it had occurred in the manner described, it can be assumed that it is an invention of the document forger. This was even on Jacob's Church, which should benefit from the forged document.