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Greetings {{first name | Producer}},
Welcome to the Weekly Herald for the week of 12 July 2026.
Each week, we return to the chronicles of the Middle Ages, marking anniversaries, revisiting battles, and tracing the enduring consequences of medieval history.
This week in the Middle Ages, the Christian kingdoms of Iberia achieve a decisive victory at the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa, a turning point in the Reconquista that shifted the balance of power on the Iberian Peninsula.
In the Holy Land, two defining moments of the Crusades unfold. The First Crusade reaches its bloody climax with the capture of Jerusalem, while nearly a century later the surrender of Acre gives the Third Crusade a vital foothold on the Mediterranean coast.
Farther north, the allied armies of Poland and Lithuania defeat the Teutonic Order at the Battle of Grunwald, ending the Order's military supremacy in the Baltic and reshaping the political landscape of Eastern Europe.
Meanwhile, in England, King Edward I issues the Edict of Expulsion, ordering the kingdom's Jewish population into exile and bringing centuries of medieval Jewish life in England to an abrupt end.
Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa, (Francisco de Paula Van Halen/Public Domain)
Las Navas de Tolosa: The Battle That Changed Medieval Spain (1212)
16 July 1212
On 16 July 1212, the armies of four Christian kingdoms met the forces of the Almohad Caliphate on the plains of Las Navas de Tolosa in southern Spain. The battle would become one of the defining military engagements of the Middle Ages, marking a decisive shift in the centuries-long Reconquista and altering the balance of power on the Iberian Peninsula.
For much of the twelfth century, the Almohad Caliphate dominated Muslim Spain. Originating in North Africa, the Almohads had defeated rival Muslim dynasties and established control over much of al-Andalus.
In response to the growing Almohad threat, Pope Innocent III called for a crusade in Iberia. While the campaign was part of the broader Crusading movement, its objective was to halt Almohad expansion and strengthen the Christian kingdoms of Spain.
King Alfonso VIII of Castile answered the call, joined by King Sancho VII of Navarre and King Peter II of Aragon.
The two armies met near the Sierra Morena mountain range. The Almohads occupied a strong defensive position, making a direct assault difficult.
After fierce fighting throughout the day, the Christian coalition broke through the Almohad lines. According to tradition, Navarrese troops led by Sancho VII attacked the caliph's guarded encampment, helping to trigger the collapse of the Almohad army.
The victory did not immediately end Muslim rule in Iberia, but it fundamentally changed the course of the Reconquista. In the decades that followed, the Christian kingdoms captured many of the peninsula's most important cities, including Córdoba in 1236 and Seville in 1248.
Las Navas de Tolosa stands as one of medieval Europe's most significant battles. It marked the decline of Almohad influence in Spain, strengthened the position of the Christian kingdoms, and accelerated a political transformation that would shape the history of the Iberian Peninsula for centuries.
📚 Explore the Reconquista:
– Defenders of the West: The Christian Heroes Who Stood Against Islam by Raymond Ibrahim
– A History of Medieval Spain by Joseph F. O'Callaghan
THIS WEEK IN THE MIDDLE AGES
18 July 1290 - Edward I Expels England's Jews
King Edward I issued the Edict of Expulsion, ordering all Jews to leave England. Roughly 16,000 people were forced into exile, ending centuries of Jewish life in medieval England. The expulsion remained in effect for more than 350 years, until Jews were officially readmitted under Oliver Cromwell in 1656.
12 July 1191 - The Siege of Acre Ends
After nearly two years of fighting, Saladin's garrison surrendered the city of Acre to the crusading forces led by Conrad of Montferrat. The victory gave the Third Crusade a crucial Mediterranean foothold and set the stage for the famous campaign between Richard the Lionheart and Saladin.
15 July 1099 - Crusaders Capture Jerusalem
After a grueling siege, soldiers of the First Crusade captured Jerusalem and secured the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The victory established the Kingdom of Jerusalem but was followed by one of the bloodiest massacres of the Crusades.
15 July 1410 The Battle of Grunwald
One of medieval Europe's largest battles saw the combined forces of Poland and Lithuania decisively defeat the Teutonic Order. The loss ended the Order's military dominance in the Baltic and shifted the balance of power in Eastern Europe for generations.
THE ILLUMINATION
Bayeux Tapestry, Scene 41 (Public Domain)
41 - HIC EST WADARD
(41 - Here is Wadard)
THE HERALD'S LEXICON
Word of the Week: SHILLING
A common money unit in medieval accounting and coinage.
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FROM THE ARCHIVES
The Medieval Papacy series continues to cover the popes of the Middle Ages. If you missed any articles you can find them on the Medieval Papacy Page.
On the battlefront, the Medieval Warfare series is covering all the famous (and forgotten) battles of the Middle Ages. View the archives and learn more about the battles.
PODCAST OF THE WEEK
The Saga of Erik the Red is one of the two important 13th century accounts of the Norse explorations of Greenland and North America, along with The Saga of the Greenlanders.
The Royal Question of the Week
Who remains the only English sovereign in history to be officially granted the epithet "the Great"?
- Answer
“Love is my meaning.”
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