Siege of Almería (1309)

The siege of Almería was an unsuccessful attempt by Aragon to capture the city of Almería from the Emirate of Granada in 1309. Almería, a Mediterranean port in the southeast of the emirate, was the initial Aragonese target in a joint Aragonese-Castilian campaign aimed at conquering Granada. The Aragonese troops led by their King James II arrived on 11 August, blockading the city and employing siege engines. The city, led by governor Abu Maydan Shuayb and naval commander Abu al-Hasan al-Randahi, prepared for the siege by strengthening its defenses and stockpiling food. Throughout the siege, both sides exchanged shots from siege engines and engaged in fields battles and skirmishes with varying results. James ordered multiple unsuccessful assaults. A Granadan relief column under Uthman ibn Abi al-Ula arrived nearby in September and harassed the besiegers.

The approach of winter and a shortage of supplies in the besiegers' camp led James II to agree to a truce at the end of December. The siege was lifted and the Aragonese began withdrawing from Granadan territories. As James II did not have sufficient ships to transport his troops at once, some men were left behind. Some of them pillaged Granadan territories and some were ambushed while trying to travel home without authorization, resulting in their temporary capture. The siege was viewed as a decisive victory for Granada and ended Aragonese military involvement in the emirate for the rest of James II's reign. Sultan Nasr of Granada made peace with Aragon and Castile in 1310.