Battle of Atapuerca

The Battle of Atapuerca was fought in 1 September 1054 at the site of Piedrahita ("standing stone") in the valley of Atapuerca between brothers King García Sánchez III, El de Nájera, of Navarre and King Ferdinand I, the Great, of Castile and León.

The Castilians won and King García was killed in battle. Ferdinand reannexed Navarrese territory he conceded to García 17 years early after his brother's assistance at Pisuerga.

Precedents

After the death of Sancho III of Navarre, his empire was divided with Ferdinand receiving the then County of Castile and García, the Kingdom of Navarre.

In 1037, Vermudo III of Leon died without descendants in the battle of Tamarón against his brother-in-law Ferdinand of Castile.Ferdinand inherited the title of King of Leon, entering the city of León on 1038.He rewarded the help of his brother García with Castilian territories from Oca to the gates of Burgos, from Briviesca to the valley of Urbel, from Castrobarto to Bricia and from the Nervión river to Santander.

Versions

Chronicon Silense

The monk of Silos wrote several decades later that an envious García attacked Ferdinand who was visiting him at Nájera during his illness.Recovered, García visited back Ferdinand to make peace.Ferdinand set him in chains and locked him in a tower in Cea.The Navarrese escaped and declared war, rejecting the Castilian embassies.

García was buried in the nearby village of Agés and his tomb was recently discovered in the church there.

The hosts of Castile and Leon were in Atapuerca, three leagues eastwards from Burgos, already in Navarre.

García had with him Moorish auxiliary troops and maybe his brother king Ramiro I of Aragon.

Annals of Compostela

The annals attribute the death of García to one knight of his, Sancho Fortún, "whom he [the king] , had offended with his wife".Several in the Navarrese retinue preferred death in combat, and also the murderer, lord of Funes, Navarre, died in battle.

Crónica Najerense

The Najerense mentions relatives of Vermudo, who furiously engaged García, disobeying Ferdinand's instructions to take him alive.

The Navarrese kept however their places until night and took the corpse to bury him in Nájera.The proclaimed on the spot the new king, an adolescent Sancho de Peñalén.

Other version

Ferdinand is in this version the reckless brother and covets the "Asturias of Santander", Old Castile, Briviesca and Rioja.Ferdinand visited his ill brother, but suspecting him fled.García visited an ill Ferdinand then, wishing to dispel his suspicions, but was locked in Cea.Upon escaping, he took his troops and some Moors into Castile.In Atapuerca the peace talks failed.Two traitor soldiers (one of them, Sancho Fortún), wounded him lethally.Ferdinand conceded the transport of the corpse to Nájera, took Briviesca, Montes de Oca and part of Rioja.The border of Navarre was set by the Ebro, and the new king Sancho IV of Navarre became Ferdinand's vassail.

El Cid?

Some sources mention El Cid as one of the battlers, but being born on 1043 or 1048 he would be too young.His father Diego Laínez probable was present though.

Later history

In 1940 a commemorative inscription was carved on a 6,000-year-old menhir at the site.

Since 1996, the people of Atapuerca and neighbour towns reenact the battle on the last or previous Sunday of August.

References

*"Año de 1054. Batalla de Atapuerca", leaflet by the "Asociación Amigos de Atapuerca" [http://www.cyl.com/atapuerca]