Description
Alfonso VIII of Castile fought the Almohad caliphate twice during the Reconquista of Muslim Spain. In 1195, he foolishly engaged without reinforcements, leading to a staggering defeat. Over the next seventeen years, he slowly regained support, culminating in Pope Innocent III’s declaration of a crusade against the Almohads. In 1212, Alfonso again attacked the Almohads at Las Navas de Tolosa, this time with a coalition of Christian kingdoms behind him. After flanking the Almohads by sneaking through a canyon, the Christians triumphed. It marked the beginning of the end for Muslim Spain.–This coin is a silver dirham of the Almohad dynasty, used by both sides during this little-known crusade.
