The third vicious and rapacious Mahometan assault on Spain occurred in the mid 12^th century.  The second Muslim Jihad, perpetrated largely by Black Muslims named Almoravids, had originated in 1089 and by 1147 had been comprehensively defeated by the Christian kingdoms in the north of Spain.  The borders of Christianity had expanded, the Muslim occupied ‘south’, in which wide-spread persecution, and destruction of Christians and their property and lives had been barbarically implemented, was now contracting its failures blamed on impiety, and a lack of Jihadic fanaticism.  Concerned Muslims and those wishing the eradication of the Christian north, asked the Almohads, fanatical Mahometans who believed in the ‘oneness of the Al Lah’, or more plainly rejected and persecuted anyone, but especially Christians who professed a ‘joining to Al Lah’ including Christ and the Holy Spirit.  The Trinity in the Qu’ran is loathed and hated (3-367, 4-448 and elsewhere).  There is no compassion or tolerance for the Trinity believers for orthodox Mahometans.

The Almohad cult, dedicated to the completeness and unity of the Al-Lah (the moon deity of Mecca and Muhammad’s family idol whose shrine they were the caretakers of), was formed by one Ibn Tumart in the early 12^th century in Morocco.  It is thus a Berber cult and again, for the racialists today so devoted to white-racism, a non-white cult.  The Berbers are not ‘white’.  Again as with the Almoravids, we have a non-white invasion of once Romano-Visigothic and entirely white Christian territory.  But nary a dissenting voice, word, or blog in the modern world about this Muslim imperialism and attendant slaughter and rapine of white Christian territory.

For some reason Tumart presented himself not just as a divinely inspired leader, but the reincarnation of Muhammad.  Given that Muhammad was a criminal war leader, paedophile, brigand, thief and murderer who performed no miracles, an imitation was unlikely to prove difficult to realise and even offer benefits to its claimant.  Why anyone would believe Tumart is left to the imagination but plunder, booty and power are reasons which come to mind and fit in with the Muslim cult’s ‘ethos’.  In 1123 Tumart raised a vast force, with the intention of reconquering and reimposing strict Sharia on first Almoravid North Africa, and then Spain.  He exhorted his followers by declaring that the weak and failing Almoravids were perverts of Mahometism and they must be reconciled to the one Mahdi (or final Imam of Muhammad’s cult), namely himself.  The Almohads invaded North Africa and attacked far and wide, killing, plundering and destroying the ‘impious’ Muslims and Almoravids.  By 1145 the Almohads and destroyed the Almoravids in North Africa and were imposing totalitarian Sharia on the conquered subjects.  In 1146 Tumart led his hordes into Spain and directly attacked the Christian states in the north.  The Christian advances were stopped the borders once again solidified and the remaining Christians in the Muslim south were again persecuted, imprisoned, killed, or exiled. By 1064 no Christians were left in the kingdom of Granada for example.

The latest Jihad prompted the north Christian states to build monkish military orders to defend the borders and build forts and castles at key points. These warrior monks proved the ablest and most courageous of the Christian defenders and were essential in an era where there was Christian disunity, with the various kingdoms at odds over land, trade and borders and often making separate peace treaties or deals with the Almohads. 

By the late 12^th century Christian disorganisation was partially ended by King Alfonso VIII of Castile, who was able to assemble a crusade from the bickering Christian states.  However, Alfonso’s army was inferior in size and might to that of the Almohads and it lacked the cohesion and unity of the Almohad forces.  On July 18 1195 the Musulmans defeated Alfonso’s men at the battle of Alarcos just south of Toledo which is not that far from Madrid.  It was a colossal defeat for the Christians, one of the worst ever suffered at the hands of the Musulmans.  The Muslim emir and general Abu Yusuf could not follow up this signal victory due to rebellions in North Africa.  This was fortunate for the Christians and bought them time to regroup.

A new Caliph, one al Nasir, arrived in Spain from North Africa in 1211 resolved to utterly annihilate Alfonso VIII and follow up the victory at Alarcos.  Pope Innocent III proclaimed a Crusade in Spain, adjuring the Christian states within Spain to focus on the Muslim Jihad and put aside their temporal and material complaints.  Innocent reiterated the public declarations by al Nasir that his intent was to extirpate all Christianity and Christians in Spain.  The time for unity and a new Crusade was necessary.  The Muslims referred to the Christians as white swine, and the Christians re-joined with cries to evict the black dogs from across the sea.

In mid May 1212 thousands of Christian warriors gathered in Toledo, with many more thousands of pilgrims and penitents making barefoot processions around the basilica and offering up prayers for salvation and protection from the Mahometan menace.  This vast army under Alfonso VIII left on June 20 1212 to attack Musulman fortifications along the border.  They took many strongholds and were led by a mysterious shepherd through a hidden pass some 100 miles south of Toledo onto the plain of Las Navas de Tolosa, which is where the Caliph al-Nasir was encamped.  Al-Nasir’s army was a mix of black slaves, Berbers, Arabs, Turks and Mujahidin mercenaries.  The 20.000 or so Christian host was heavily armoured with the latest technology and weaponry.  Much of al Nasir’s African force were half-naked fighting on smaller horses using speed and alacrity as their main offensive tactics.

Alfonso VIII humiliated at Alarcos 20 years previously and suffering ignominy and minor defeats since, initiated the battle on July 16 1212.  The Christian heavy infantry and horse crashed into the Musulman front lines and were met with stout resistance and fanatical energy.  The terrain favoured the Almohads who fought on an incline facing down to the Christian attack.  Archers were of limited use in the close hand to hand combat.  The Christians cut down many lines of Musulmans but the Muslim host, some 40.000 men, was twice that of the Christian and the lines were replaced.

Somehow miraculously, inspired by the Holy Cross carried aloft, the Christians under the giant King Sancho of Navarre and his heavy calvary broke through the Almohad centre and carrying the cross it appeared to the rest of the Christian forces, some of whom had started to flee certain that the large Muslim host was going to be victorious, that the Holy Cross was behind enemy lines indicating a Christian victory.  When defeat seemed certain, this minor miracle reversed the affair, and the entire Christian army plunged back into the fray, slicing and killing their way through the Muslim lines to the Caliph’s tent, itself protected by chained black slaves.  Al Nasir fled on a horse, but his army was not so fortunate.  Most of it was pursued and ruthlessly slaughtered.  The Muslims suffered their worst defeat in ages, an entire Almohad army put to the sword and the way now open for the Christians to reconquer the Muslim south.

Las Navas de Tolosa was the beginning of the end for any Musulman rule in Spain.  The Almohads quickly declined.  The military power and prestige of the Mahometans forever effaced.  One by one the Muslim territories and statelets were conquered by the Christians.  The great victory by Alfonso at Tolosa would be followed up by one of the great Christian leaders and Crusaders no one has much heard of – St. Ferdinand III of Aragon and Castile.