Atlas of Battles

battle, landmark, medieval

Battle of Covadonga

Battle of Covadonga was a battle fought in AD 718 at Covadonga, in what is now Spain. It was part of Reconquista, which ran from AD 722 to 1492. The recorded result: Kingdom of Asturias.

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King Pelayo at the Battle of Covadonga
King Pelayo at the Battle of Covadonga. CanBea87, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
FoughtAD 718
WhereCovadonga, Spain43.273N, 4.981W
OutcomeKingdom of Asturias
BelligerentsKingdom of AsturiasagainstUmayyad Caliphate
Part ofReconquistaAD 722 to 1492

Where it sits in Reconquista

Battle of Covadonga, AD 718Battle of Olalíes, AD 722Siege to Pelayo, AD 735Battle of the Burbia River, AD 791Battle of Lutos, AD 794Raid of 794, AD 794Battle of Río Quirós, AD 795Battle of the Nalón River, AD 795Battle of Campo da Matanza, AD 795Capture of Oviedo, AD 795Battle of las Babias, AD 795Battle of Anceo, AD 825Raid of 825, AD 825Battle of Clavijo, AD 844Battle of Albelda, AD 851Battle of Guadalacete, AD 852Raid of 856, AD 856Battle of Monte Laturce, AD 859Raid of 861, AD 861Battle of the Morcuera, AD 865Siege of Coimbra, AD 878Battle of Cellorigo, AD 882First Battle of Cellorigo, AD 882Second Battle of Cellorigo, AD 883Siege of Lérida, AD 884Battle of Bayyana, AD 891Raid of 897 against Barcelona, AD 897Day of Zamora, AD 901Raid of 904 in Pallars and Ribagorza, AD 904Raid of 908, AD 908Raid of 909, AD 909Raid of 910, AD 910Raid of 912, AD 912Battle of San Esteban de Gormaz, AD 917Battle of Valdejunquera, AD 920Battle of Castromoros, AD 920Siege of Toledo, AD 930Siege of Madrid, AD 932Battle of Osma, AD 934Battle of Barcelona, AD 935Siege of Pals, AD 935Siege of Empúries, AD 935Raid of 936, AD 936Battle of Simancas, AD 939Battle of Alhandega, AD 939Battle of Alhandic, AD 939Battle of Estercuel, AD 975Battle of Rueda, AD 981Battle of Torrevicente, AD 981Battle of Rovirans, AD 985Sack of Barcelona, AD 985Santiago de Compostela campaign, AD 997Battle of Cervera, 1000Battle of Calatañazor, 1002Battle of Albesa, 1003Raid of 1005, 1005Battle of Torà, 1006Battle of Cesar, 1035Battle of Graus, 1063Crusade of Barbastro, 1064Battle of Paterna, 1065Siege of Barbastro, 1065Battle of Golpejera, 1072Siege of Toledo, 1081Battle of Morella, 1084Battle of Piedra Pisada, 1084Siege of Zaragoza, 1086Siege of Tudela, 1087Siege of Monzón, 1089Battle of Tevar, 1090Battle of Alcoraz, 1096Battle of Arouca, 1102Battle of Formentera, 1109Battle of Ibiza, 1109Battle of Valtierra, 1110Siege of Morella, 1117Conquest of Zaragoza, 1118Battle of Cutanda, 1120Siege of Lleida, 1122Siege of Lisbon, 1142Conquest of Santarém, 1147Siege of Almería, 1157Battle of Alcácer do Sal, 1161Capture of Juromenha, 1170Siege of Huete, 1172Battle of Ceuta (1182), 1182Siege of Moya, 1183Siege of Jaén, 1225Portuguese raid on Seville, 1225Conquest of Majorca, 1228Siege of Jaén, 1230Battle of Jerez, 1231Siege of Córdoba, 1235Battle of Chio, 1239Siege of Jaén, 1245Siege of Seville, 1248Siege of Faro, 1249Battle of Salé, 1260Battle of Écija, 1275Battle of Martos, 1275Marinid campaign in Andalusia, 1277Siege of Algeciras, 1278Battle of Algeciras, 1278Battle of Moclín, 1280Siege of Jerez, 1285Battle of Arjona, 1297First Siege of Gibraltar, 1309Siege of Algeciras, 1309Siege of Ceuta, 1309Siege of Almería, 1309Battle of the Vega of Granada, 1319Battle of Guadalhorce, 1326Battle of Teba, 1330Razia of 1330, 1330Siege of Guardamar, 1331Siege of Elche, 1332Battle of Ceuta, 1339Battle of Vega de Pagana, 1339Battle of Getares, 1340Battle of Río Salado, 1340Battle of Ceuta, 1341Battle of Sierra Bullones (1342), 1342Battle of Guadalmesí, 1342Battle of Estepona, 1342Siege of Algeciras, 1342Battle of Linuesa, 1361Battle of Guadix, 1362Siege of Algeciras, 1369Raid of 1386, 1386Nasrid raid on Murcia, 1392Battle of Puerto Lope, 1394Battle of Collejares, 1406Battle of Gibraltar, 1407Siege of Setenil de las Bodegas, 1407Siege of Antequera, 1410Battle of La Higueruela, 1431Battle of Archidona, 1434Battle of Castril, 1438Battle of Río Verde, 1448Battle of Hellín, 1448Battle of Los Alporchones, 1452Eighth siege of Gibraltar, 1462AD 7181462Battle of Covadonga, AD 718
142 placed engagements of Reconquista in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

DateAD 718 (year precision)
PlaceCovadonga, Spain
43.273N, 4.981W
KindBattle, medieval
Territorial changeBeginning of the Reconquista
Commanders
  • Pelagius of Asturias
  • Munuza
  • Alqama (8th century)
Battle of CovadongaBattle of CovadongaSiege to PelayoBattle of El MazucuSiege of GijónSiege of GijónBombing of the Strike FactorySiege to PelayoBattle of El MazucuSiege of GijónBombing of the Strike FactoryBurgosLeón100 km43.273N, 4.981W
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Covadonga
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 100 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Covadonga today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2023-06-28. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2023.

The recorded site stands at about 1,097 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 0 to 1,907 m, 1,907 m of relief, mountainous country and today it is 75% grassland, 22% tree cover, 2% shrubland.

grassland: 75%tree cover: 22%shrubland: 2%grassland 75%tree cover 22%shrubland 2%
west to east, 10.0 km0 to 1,604 mnorth to south, 10.0 km337 to 1,749 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in AD 718

Battle of Covadonga is one of 158 engagements of the 8th century in the atlas and one of 1,204 in present-day Spain.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q957186, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Covadonga, revision 1379724709, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.