Battle of the Three Kings 1578 AD (Part 2/2) - The Kings clash at Alcácer Quibir

 

Without too much scouting ahead, when the Portuguese army crossed the river they were bewildered by the large numbers of tribal cavalry and infantry that were assembling across the field.

 King Sebastian immediately decided that the only tactical option for his much smaller force of 23,000 was to form into a vast square.

 In the center, the wagon train was formed as a fort to protect the camp followers and provide a central anchor for the army.

 Portuguese regiments formed the flanks and rear of the square, mixed with contingents of cavalry and professional troops to boost their morale and keep the men in line.

 The front of the square was a formidable force, formed by experienced German and Italian mercenaries and other volunteers armed with arquebuses, who were trained to shoot and reload behind the protection of the wall of German pikemen.

 In addition, aiming to break up a potential massive charge by the Moroccans, Sebastian placed a series of wooden forts made of wagons which bristled with sharpshooters.

 Finally, an elite shock-regiment of heavy cavalry was drawn up in the front.

 Although vastly outnumbered, Sebastian’s army was better equipped and more technologically advanced.

 On the other side of the field, the 50,000-strong Moroccan army formed in a crescent-shape.

 In the center, disciplined infantry and arquebusiers were arrayed in two lines, each several ranks deep.

 To either side were Moroccan townsmen, as well as renegades from Spain and Turkey.

 The third line was formed of Berber soldiers and cavalrymen on the flanks.

 Realizing that the Crusaders were better equipped and possessed technologically superior weaponry, Sultan Abd al-Malik rode out to galvanize the men: “You must oppose the Crusaders with valour!

 For you fight for your families, your life, and your honour!

 And should you die today, you will be led into Paradise!”

 With their confidence raised, the troops cheered al-Malik’s name as he re-joined the ranks.

 But… no one knew the Sultan’s secret...

 which was, that he was dying… Suffering from either the plague or camp fever, the progress of the disease was accelerated by horse riding for several hundred kilometres in a forced march to reach the battlefield.

 Only the Sultan’s brother and his faithful Jewish doctor knew the true personal cost that the Sultan would pay and, reaching the limit of his skills, the doctor could only use his art to give the Sultan another day or two of vigour, urging him to rest.

 But Abd al-Malik refused to retire to his tent, insisting that there must not be even a hint of suspicion about his illness, in order to preserve the morale of the troops.

 Knowing he had little time left, he embraced his brother Ahmad, with whom he experienced decades of exile and spilled blood at Lepanto and Tunis, and told him “to fight, conquer, or die!” There was no more time to waste.

 Artillery of the two armies sounded off in full force, but needed to spend a couple of hours drawing closer to find the range.

 Then an hour before noon, the whole Crusader army knelt together, as one, in one last prayer.

 When they rose, the Portuguese elite shock cavalry leapt forth first on King Sebastian’s command, followed by the Castillian crack infantry regiment.

 The King, though vastly outnumbered, decided to utilize his superior troops and strike decisively in order to avoid being overwhelmed by the enemy, knowing that his elite shock cavalry could singlehandedly break and rout an enemy army many times their numbers.

 As the ground trembled under the hooves of the Crusader cavalry, Moroccan arquebusiers fired!

 Although their volleys were effective, the long reload time allowed Sebastian's crack troops to close the distance!

 As the Crusaders flung themselves into al-Malik's center the Moroccan division in the front was broken instantly.

 The second line could not hold the Crusader charge and was pushed back, and as the Castilian infantry joined the fighting the Moroccan center was thrown into confusion.

 al-Malik leapt forward with his bodyguards to help prevent the line from faltering, signalling the third line to reinforce the center.

 As the unstoppable Crusader heavy cavalry hacked through the enemy center, the Muslims held on by a thread and it seemed like their cohesion would break at any moment.

 Leading from the front, al-Malik and his regiment of experienced bodyguards, helped by the counter-attack of Berber infantry from the third line, finally

 blunted the brave Crusader assault.

 And now, seeing that Sebastian's best troops were locked in ferocious fighting with his center, the Sultan gave the signal to his brother!

 Waves of tribal horsemen emerged from behind the small gentle hills and undulated land of the valley, led by Ahmad al-Mansur.

 The impetus of the seemingly stunned Crusader cavalry had gone, as the gravity of the situation became clear with nearly 20,000 tribal horsemen now surging forward.

 The elite Christian troops began fighting their way back towards the main line, to escape al-Malik's trap, realizing that their forward push was now in vain.

 The Sultan ordered his infantry to envelop the Crusader vanguard and with his personal regiment of bodyguards he disengaged from the fighting to join his brother's cavalry attack that was bearing down on the Portuguese defensive square.

 Sebastian and his officers encouraged the men, knowing that what was soon to come would be a fight to the death.

 Meanwhile in the Crusader vanguard, some of the Castillian elite infantry was trampled as the heavy cavalry was trying to retreat, and their situation was becoming increasingly desperate, with Moroccan troops now coming from all sides.

 But Sebastian replied by launching a cavalry attack of his own.

 As the Portuguese infantry parted to allow the mounted knights to pass through, the King led his nobles and their retinues, as well as the cavalry contingent of the deposed Sultan Abdallah Mohammed, directly towards al-Malik's banner, knowing that if he could strike the Sultan down the battle would be won!

 Sebastian smashed into al-Malik's contingent!

 The ferocious charge allowed the King's retinue to cut their way through to within a few meters of the Sultan, who used the last ounce of his strength to draw his sword and join the fighting.

 Blows were traded back and forth, and for a few moments the fate of Morocco hung in the balance, as one by one the Islamic standards fell around the Sultan.

 But the steadfast bodyguards held their ground and managed to rally around their leader!

 Sebastian's audacious attack was broken.

 Over the next several hours, regiments of al-Malik's dragoons came in wave after wave, firing their arquebuses at the Portuguese square.

 They were trained to gallop towards the enemy and just before hitting the pikes their horses would pirouette, enabling their riders to shoot at point-blank range before riding back out of harm’s way to reload and renew the attack.

 The Portuguese put up a valiant fight, as the pikemen held their ground and arquebusiers shot deadly volleys at the incoming enemy, cutting down nearly 7,000 Moroccan troops.

 But as the hours passed their numbers dwindled and their ammunition dried up.

 Sebastian was seen fighting in person, and despite being wounded he carried on inspiring his men to hold their ground.

 It is said that three horses were slain from under him and that his bodyguards were reduced to but a few men.

 At some point in the battle, the King too fell while fighting.

 By dusk, 8000 Christian troops lay dead on the field, and 15,000 were captured, with less than a hundred managing to escape the carnage, including the former Sultan Mohammed, who either died during the battle or drowned in the river whilst trying to flee.

 With blood on his white garments, Adb al-Malik stood victoriously, looking every bit the leader his people needed.

 Yet he was close to collapsing.

 His robes were hiding the fact that he was strapped to his saddle, as he would otherwise not have been able to ride his horse in battle.

 With the disease that was about to kill him it was miraculous that he found the strength to take active part in the fighting.

 Moments later, with the battle still ongoing, Sultan Abd al-Malik closed his eyes, drew his last breath, before gently slumping forward in his saddle…

 Three kings fell on that August 4th 1578.

 As the few survivors trickled in, the news of the defeat paralyzed the kingdom of Portugal and would have disastrous consequences.

 The country was deeply in debt and unable to pay for crippling financial reparations demanded by the Morocco venture.

 Almost every noble family suffered a slain family member, while some families were entirely extinguished as a result of the battle.

 To make matters worse, after King Sebastian’s death the House of Aviz, which had ruled Portugal for 200 years, was overthrown by a Castilian military invasion.

 The dethroned sultan Mohammed II was reportedly thrown in the river from his horse while he was trying to flee the battle, although it is possible that he was killed in the fighting.

 Meanwhile, Sultan Abd al-Malik was succeeded by his brother Ahmad al-Mansour, who went on to rule Morocco for the next 25 years, becoming the most famous of all Saadi rulers.

 Ahmad was a highly influential figure in both Europe and Africa in the 16th century.

 The powerful army he had built up and Morocco’s key strategic position made him an important power player during the late Renaissance period.

 He was described by his contemporaries as a man of profound Islamic learning, a true love of books, calligraphy and mathematics, and he was known as a connoisseur of mystical texts, as well an avid participant in scholarly discussions.

 In many ways, his reign ushered a golden period in the history of Morocco.