The Mercenary Mediterranean_ Sovereignty, Religion, and Violence in the Medieval Crown of Aragon - Hussein Fancy

the worst men in the world 135

The Limit of Loyalty

The situation, however, could not hold. After several raids from Muslim

Granada and pressure from the Templars, Jaume was forced to authorize

reprisals, new attacks against Granada.^101 It was in this context that in May

1304 , the Templar knight Berenguer de Cardona issued a report on a five-

day raiding mission that the Christian Templars conducted alongside the

Muslim jenets into the Granadan marchland. Berenguer’s account, which

is preserved among the king’s letters in the Archive of the Crown of Ara-

gon, not only offers a detailed look into raiding but also self- consciously

addresses the issue of the jenets’ loyalty to the Aragonese king.^102 Would

the jenets still fight against Granada?

On Thursday, May 15 , the knights left Lorca, on the Granadan border

of the kingdom of Murcia, in the company of al- ‘Abbās as well as his cav-

alry, totaling in all 1 , 500 foot soldiers and 300 horsemen. They traveled

night and day until they arrived at Zurgena (Sugena), near Almería, along

the Almanzora River (map 5 ). Here, they “pillaged all the fields and did

great damage (e aqui talam tota lorta e fem hi gran dan).” After Zurgena,

the army turned towards Vera, along the coast of Almería. Near the hill of

Nabez they were met by a messenger, who informed them that 350 horse-

men from the cavalry of Vera were approaching. Al- ‘Abbās’ jenets charged

(algareyan) these troops, engaging them close to Vera, killing 13 horse-

men and 30 foot soldiers and sending the rest into retreat within the city

walls. The Templars and jenets consequently laid waste to the surrounding

area, seizing all horses and burning the harvested wheat (cremam tot lo

blat que havien cullit), and finally forced their way through the city gates

of Vera. They turned next to Cuevas de Almanzora (Les Coves), where

again they laid waste to its fields and spent the night. On the following

day, Sunday, they moved on to Purchena (Porxena), burning mills and

fields again. Their raid, however, took a turn for the worse as the soldiers

laid siege to the castle of Huercal. Having surrounded the castle and set

fire beneath its gates such that the men of Huercal could do nothing to

defend themselves save throw stones (haviem mes foch a les portes del

Castell e aportatz los homens del Castell a aço [que] no podien als fer sino

que gitaven pedres orbes), the soldiers received a notice that the cavalry

of the “King of Granada” was approaching. Deciding to abandon their

siege, they gathered their horsemen, pack mules, and soldiers and turned

to face the Granadan jenets (los genetz). Two hundred of al-‘Abb ās’ men

immediately charged (algareyan) and exchanged heavy blows with the