History’s Longest Conflict
Measured in eras and centuries rather than years
In the year 1212, King Alfonso VIII of Castile, led by the Hand of God, was taking a risk. He was moving his army through a relatively unknown mountain pass at the behest of a local shepherd boy. The shepherd, Martin Alhaja, marked the fortuitous route through the mountains using cow skulls that he had from his herds of grazing animals.
If the boy was to be believed, the path would take them out of the mountains and in a position behind the enemy camp, giving them a massive advantage in the battle to come.
Alfonso was marching to right the wrongs that had been dealt to him earlier in his tenure as king. He had suffered numerous grievous losses in the preceding years but this time it would be different. This time, God had marked the path and he was marching with his former rivals, Argon and Navarre. The united strength of Christendom would deal a mighty blow against the Muslim forces camped below.
The combined Christian forces swept out of the mountains and took the Almohad army by complete surprise. The result was a devastating rout that led to thousands dead. The enemy Caliph fled his tent, leaving his possessions behind, in the chaos of the battle. The Christians had won the day.
