The Triumph of the Holy Cross in Spain

King Alfonso, infla Le roi don Alphonse King of Castile, principal instigator of the victory against the Moors. med by the glory of God and the desire to propagate His worship, irritated by the insolence of the Moors which was increased by their numerous victories, and resolved to avenge the continual insults that these furious men inflicted upon the Christian name, consulted the prelates and the nobles of his kingdom. After receiving their advice and consent, and counting on the Divine Goodness always favorable to those who invoke Him with faith, as well as on the help of neighboring kings and other Christian princes his allies, he formed the generous design of making a final and supreme effort against the power of the Crescent. Therefore, he sent first to Rome, then to France and Germany, the Archbishop of Toledo, Rodrigo Jiménez, a very learned man of great authority, to beg Pope Innocent III to grant the military cross to all who would take up arms, and to allow them to enjoy the same indulgences and privileges as for the Crusades to the Holy Land, which he did willingly.

Through the efforts of the Archbishop, the news of this expedition spread rapidly throughout Christendom. It became known that the King of Morocco was threatening once again to bring ruin and death to the empire of the Cross. People flocked from all sides to take part in the crusade, and the number of the soldiers of Christ was so great that they could not be ho ville de Tolède City of origin of Casilda and seat of her father's kingdom. used in the city of Toledo and were forced to camp in tents along the banks of the Tagus. They came from France and Italy, among whom were many notable prelates and princes who had dedicated themselves to this holy war. Never had Spain seen such a powerful army on its plains.

The troops departed from Toledo in the month of May in the year 1212. At first, great difficulties had to be overcome, because the Moorish king had taken care to fortify all the mountain passes and to cut the roads with wide ditches that barred the way to the cavalry; but, aided by the help of God, the army overcame all these obstacles. Some towns were even taken, among which was Calatrava. Unfortunately, division arose in the Christian camp: there were regrettable quarrels, following which the foreign troops left the army to return to their own countries.

Although deprived of these auxiliaries, King Don Alfonso nonetheless continued his march and joined his forces with those of Don Peter, King of Aragon, and Don Sancho, King of Navarre. All together they came before the enemy as far as Moradalo, where King Mohamed awaited them in the midst of a formida ble army. H roi Mohamed Commander of the Moorish (Almohad) armies during the battle. e had fortified himself, resolved to defend the passage, but without wishing to engage in a decisive battle. He was still unaware of the departure of the foreign troops; but, when he had learned from his spies of the defection of the auxiliaries, he gathered his troops and placed himself in a very steep mountain gorge, sending at the same time some companies toward Baeza to ravage the fields of the Christians.

The road that the crusader army was following was so difficult that the horses could barely keep their footing. Before them was an innumerable crowd of enemies, and it seemed almost impossible to force the passage. The return was no less dangerous. In this critical circumstance, King Don Alfonso encouraged his men to place their trust in Providence and in divine Goodness. God indeed came to their aid; a shepherd, who knew all these mountains perfectly (they looked upon him as an angel sent by God), indicated to them a passage that was not guarded, and through which he led them into the plain, under the eyes of the Moors, who trembled with rage at seeing their prey escape them. Mohamed immediately set out in pursuit of them in the hope of engaging in combat; but Don Alfonso, considering that his troops were exhausted with fatigue, resolved to avoid battle until his army had had time to recover a little, and he had reconnoitered the enemy's forces. The barbarians, attributing this prudence to fear, swelled with pride, and Mohamed boasted that he would tighten a circle around the three kings so narrow that he would capture them within three days.

The very next day, he unfurled his banners, drew up his troops in battle array, and marched to combat as if to a certain victory; but the Christians did not leave their camp, awaiting a favorable opportunity. Don Alfonso, as a skillful general, wished to choose the time and place of the combat. In the night of Sunday, the Christian army prepared itself through a general confession and communion. Mass was sung in the camp, after which the bishops published the plenary indulgence that the Pope had granted. Everyone then took their post, with hands and eyes raised toward heaven, from whom they expected victory. The soldiers appeared joyful and inflamed with the desire to die for Jesus Christ; they advanced rapidly, invoking with great cries the holy Name of God, beseeching Him to avenge them of these barbarians who came to destroy the Christian religion and ruin the glory of the Cross.

The Moorish army was innumerable; in its midst could be seen King Mohamed, dressed with great magnificence and covered in the black mantle of the first of the Almohads. He had the sword and the book of the Alcoran carried before him. The combat began immediately with equal ardor; but, as the Moors greatly surpassed the Christians, victory seemed at first to side with them, so much so that King Alfonso said to the Archbishop of Toledo: "We must die l'archevêque de Tolède Archbishop of Toledo, diplomat, and chronicler of the battle. here, Lord Archbishop, we and our men." — "No, no, Sire," replied the courageous prelate; "but, with the help of God, we shall triumph over our enemies."

Heavenly aid did not, in fact, take long to appear, and victory returned to the ranks of the Christians. The Cross that was accustomed to being carried be fore the La Croix Standard carried into battle, considered the instrument of the miracle. Archbishop of Toledo, and which was supported by Dominic Paschase, a canon of tha t Church, passed t Dominique Paschase Canon of Toledo who carried the cross during the battle. hrough the entire Saracen army; it remained on the other side of the ranks as if to serve as a signal to the Christians, without the one who carried it being struck down. There was also, among the royal standards, an image of the most holy Virgin, Patroness of Toledo and of the kingdoms of Spain. At the sight of it, the Moors, who were fighting with great courage and who had resisted all the attacks of the Christians, were visibly troubled; they began to waver and take flight, and were pursued with swords, lances, and arrows. Thus it was that the Christians won the victory, recognizing that it came more from heaven than from the strength of their arms, and that it was the work of the God of hosts.

King Mohamed barely had time to flee on his dromedaries: two hundred thousand of his men perished in the combat, where the Christians lost few men. The latter, for several days, were occupied only with gathering the spoils, and, although they used the wood of the bows, lances, and arrows to make fire, they could not consume them all, so considerable was their number.

Such a complete defeat entirely crushed the pride of the Moors, while at the same time it lifted the hearts of the Christians and strengthened their confidence in God, who had so visibly aided them. Moreover, they had merited this divine assistance by undertaking this war, not out of a love for plunder or to extend their territory, but for the glory of God, the exaltation and propagation of the true religion: which is what kings should always propose to themselves solely when they fight against infidels, heretics, and other enemies of God.

Let us note furthermore that they had recourse to the supreme Head of the Church to obtain indulgences and prayers. Pope Innocent III had, in fact, ordered pape Innocent III Pope who commissioned Pierre de Castelnau against the Albigensians. general prayers throughout Christendom; he had indicated a day of rigorous fasting on bread and water in Rome, and instituted a solemn procession, which he followed himself barefoot, imploring Our Lord to have pity on His children and to grant victory to the Christians over the barbarians.

A perfect concord had not ceased to reign between the kings of Castile, Aragon, and Navarre. Finally, the entire army, besides its material weapons, had armed itself with divine weapons through the sacraments of Penance and the Eucharist. From the beginning of the war, King Don Alfonso had forbidden his soldiers to wear magnificent clothing and luxury weapons, not wishing to irritate the divine Majesty with vanity, and insisting that everyone be content with the weapons necessary for combat. The army submitted perfectly to these orders and seconded in every way the pious intentions of its king.

Let us also include among the causes of this great triumph the selflessness with which leaders and soldiers first disdained the spoils of the enemy, in order to finish annihilating him in his flight. The day before, the Archbishop of Toledo, Rodrigo Ximénez, had expressly forbidden the looting of anything before the total defeat of the Moors, if God granted the victory: he had threatened looters with anathema, and his orders were respected. They fought until nightfall; it was only after a fierce pursuit that the Christian army began to share the spoils.

Such were, with divine protection, the causes of this memorable victory: it ruined the entire domination of the Arabs and marvelously increased the power and glory of the Christian name; it filled all of Christendom with joy. It was desired that the memory of such a beautiful day be preserved for posterity, and Pope Gregor y XIII permitted t pape Grégoire XIII Pope who confirmed the Congregation of the Oratory in 1575. he kingdoms of Spain to celebrate the feast under the name of the Triumph of the Cross. This name suited it for a double reason: both because the Cross had indeed triumphed that day over its most implacable enemies, and because it had been the first to penetrate the dense ranks of the barbarians, showing the Christians the path to victory.

It is read in the General Chronicle of Spain that at the beginning of the battle a red cross was seen in the air, the sight of which animated the Christians and terrified the Moors; from this would have come the title of Triumph of the Cross. It is even added that a prince of the kingdom of Leon had pointed it out to the king, who, in reward, had permitted him to bear it in his coat of arms, his family indeed having as a coat of arms a red cross on a white background. But Archbishop Rodrigo does not speak of this apparition, nor does King Don Alfonso mention it in his letter to the Pope; now, it is hardly credible that both would have passed over such a memorable circumstance in silence.

Ribadeneira: Life of the Saints, completed by Abbé Daras, Vivès ed.