Conquest of Majorca

For the Muslim conquest of the island, see Muslim conquest of Majorca.
Conquest of Sa Pobla
Part of the Reconquista

Assault on Madina Mayurqa
Date1228–1231
Location
Majorca
Result
Belligerents
 Almohad Caliphate territory of Majorca
Commanders and leaders
  • Abu Yahya
  • Abu'l-Ula Idris al-Ma'mun
  • Fat Allah (in Fautil•la)
  • Abu Hafs ibn Sayri
  • Xuiap de Xivert
Units involved
Catalan-Aragonese army
500 knights
15,000 peones
Almogavars
25 ships
12 Galleys
Catalan Navy
18 Taridas (a ship of burden)
100 vessels		 1,000 knights
18,000 Infantry[1]
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Topic
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The conquest of the island of Majorca on behalf of the Roman Catholic kingdoms was carried out by King James I of Aragon between 1229 and 1231. The pact to carry out the invasion, concluded between James I and the ecclesiastical and secular leaders, was ratified in Tarragona on 28 August 1229. It was open and promised conditions of parity for all who wished to participate.[2]

James I reached an agreement regarding the arrival of the Catholic troops with a local chief in the Port de Pollença, but the strong mistral winds forced the king to divert to the southern part of the island. He landed at midnight on 10 September 1229, on the coast where there is now the tourist resort of Santa Ponsa, the population centre of the Calviá municipality.[3] Although the city of Madina Mayurqa (now Palma de Mallorca) fell within the first year of the conquest, the Muslim resistance in the mountains lasted for three years.

After the conquest, James I divided the land among the nobles who accompanied him on the campaign, per the Llibre del Repartiment (Book of Distribution).[4] Later, he also conquered Ibiza, whose campaign ended in 1235, while Menorca had already surrendered to him in 1231.[5] While he occupied the island, James I created the Kingdom of Majorca, which became independent of the Crown of Aragon by the provisions of his will,[6] until its subsequent conquest by the Aragonese Pedro IV during the reign of James II of Majorca.

The first repopulation of Majorca consisted primarily of Catalan settlers, but a second wave, which took place towards the middle of the 13th century, also saw the arrival of Italians, Occitans, Aragonese, and Navarrese, due to a legal statute granting the settlers possession of the property seized during the conquest. Some Mudejar and Jewish residents remained in the area, with the Jewish residents receiving official status protecting their rights and granting them fiscal autonomy.[7]

  1. ^ Vinas, Agnes i Robert: La conquesta de Mallorca (La caiguda de Mayûrqa segons Ibn'Amira al Mahzûmi) (The Conquest of Majorca)
  2. ^ Álvaro Santamaría. "Precisiones sobre la expansión marítima de la Corona de Aragon (Details of the maritime expansion of the Crown of Aragon)" (PDF) (in Spanish). p. 194. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
  3. ^ Consell de Mallorca (2010). "La conquista catalana (The Catalan Conquest)". Retrieved 29 October 2010.
  4. ^ CCRTV. "LLIBRE DEL REPARTIMENT (segle XIII)" (in Catalan). Archived from the original on 5 February 2011. Retrieved 30 October 2010.
  5. ^ "La gran expansión cristiana del siglo XIII (The great Christian expansion of the thirteenth century)". August 2005. Archived from the original on 24 November 2010. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
  6. ^ Álvaro Santamaría. "Creación de la Corona de Mallorca (Creation of the Crown of Majorca)" (in Spanish). p. 143. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
  7. ^ Vicente Ángel Álvarez Palenzuela (November 2002). Historia de España de la Edad Media (History of Spain in the Middle Ages) (in Spanish). Book Print Digital. p. 491. ISBN 9788434466685. Retrieved 13 December 2011.