Battle of Castril

After this success at Huelma, the Castilians marched to Baza. The Castilians were led by Adelantado of Cazorla, Rodrigo de Perea, with a force of 300 knights and 1,000 infantry.^[2][3] The Granadans were alerted by the upcoming invasion and set out to meet them. The Granadans were led by a famous knight called Arraez Aben Cerrax of Abencerrages.^[4] The Granadans had a force of 4,000 crossbowmen and horsemen,^[5] or 2,000 horsemen and 12,000 foot soldiers.^[6] The Granadans marched out and met the Castilians at the fields of Castril, towards a place called Los Tubos..^[7]

Arraez sent a provocation to the Castilians. No sooner after that, the Granandans charged fiercely at the enemy. The Adelantado fell dead at the hands of a Moorish knight, who drove his sharp lance deep into his guts. Although the Christians showed prodigies of valor, they could not withstand the effort of the Granadans; almost all covered the field with their corpses. Arraez displayed great valor during the battle until, wounded by a thrust and an arrow, he bled to death on the field and was carried to his tent on the shoulders of the soldiers and died shortly after. His death was mourned by the Granadans.^[8]

The Castilian force was wiped out; only fifteen or twenty survived the battle and escaped. The battle happened on 28 July 1438.^[9]

• Miguel Lafuente y Alcántara (1904), Historia de Granada, comprendiendo las de sus cuatro provincias Almería, Jaén, Granada y Málaga, desde remotos tiempos hasta nuestros días, Vol I.

• Gonzalo Argote de Molina (1866), Nobleza de Andalucia, que dedicó al rey don Felipe II Gonzalo Argote de Molina.