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siege, major, medieval

Siege of Lisbon

Siege of Lisbon was a siege conducted on 25 October 1147 at al-Lixbûnâ, in what is now Portugal. It was part of the Almoravid conquest of al-Andalus, which ran from 1086 to 1147. The recorded result: Portuguese-Crusader victory. Recorded strength: 20,000; 7,400 Portuguese; 6,400 English and Normans; 5,400 Germans; 2,400 Flemings and French against ~15,000.

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The Siege of Lisbon by D. Afonso Henriques (1840), Oil on Canvas (1070 x 800 mm) by Joaquim Rodrigues Braga (1793-1853)
The Siege of Lisbon by D. Afonso Henriques (1840), Oil on Canvas (1070 x 800 mm) by Joaquim Rodrigues Braga (1793-1853). Joaquim Rodrigues Braga, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought25 October 1147
Whereal-Lixbûnâ, Portugal38.714N, 9.133W
OutcomePortuguese-Crusader victory
Belligerents22px|border Portugal; 20px CrusadersagainstAlmoravid dynasty
Part ofAlmoravid conquest of al-Andalus1086 to 1147

Where it sits in the Almoravid conquest of al-Andalus

Battle of Sagrajas, 1086Siege of Aledo, 1089Siege of Toledo, 1090Battle of Almodóvar del Río, 1091Siege of Valencia, 1092Battle of Quart de Poblet, 1094Capture of Lisbon, 1094Battle of Bairén, 1097Battle of Consuegra, 1097Siege of Valencia, 1101Battle of Mollerussa, 1102Battle of Uclés, 1108Almoravid campaign in Central Iberia, 1109Siege of Lisbon, 1109Battle of Vatalandi, 1110Capture of Santarém, 11111115 Barcelona raid, 1115Siege of Coimbra, 1117Siege of Calatayud, 1120Battle of Corbins, 1126Battle of Arnisol, 1126Battle of the Alcalans, 1129Capture of Aceca, 1130Battle of Valencia, 1130Battle of Alamin, 1131Andalusian Campaign, 1133Battle of Badajoz, 1134Battle of Fraga, 1134Capture of Leiria, 1137Battle of Guadalquivir, 1138Siege of Coria, 1138Siege of Oreja, 1139Battle of Ourique, 1139Battle of Trancoso, 1140Siege of Coria, 1142Battle of Montiel, 1143Capture of Soure, 1144Siege of Lisbon, 1147Siege of Lleida, 114910861149Siege of Lisbon, 1147
39 placed engagements of the Almoravid conquest of al-Andalus in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date25 October 1147
to 25 October 1147
Placeal-Lixbûnâ, Portugal
38.714N, 9.133W
KindSiege, medieval
Strength20,000; 7,400 Portuguese; 6,400 English and Normans; 5,400 Germans; 2,400 Flemings and French~15,000
Commanders
  • Afonso I of Portugal
  • Hervey de Glanvill
  • Arnout IV, Count of Aarschot
  • Christian of Ghistelles
  • Simon of Dover
  • Saher of Archelle
Siege of LisbonSiege of LisbonCapture of LisbonAction of 11 November 1779Siege of LisbonSiege of al-LixbûnâBattle of AlfarrobeiraAction of 11 November 1779Battle of AlfarrobeiraÉvoraLeiriaBejaSantarémPortalegre100 km38.714N, 9.133W
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 Siege of Lisbon
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 25 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Siege of Lisbon today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-09-25. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 101 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from -7 to 218 m, 225 m of relief, hilly country and today it is 45% water, 44% built-up, 7% tree cover.

water: 45%built-up: 44%tree cover: 7%grassland: 3%water 45%built-up 44%tree cover 7%grassland 3%
west to east, 10.0 km0 to 134 mnorth to south, 10.0 km-1 to 106 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

Contested ground: this site was fought over 5 times between AD 844 and 1779.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1147

Siege of Lisbon is one of 459 engagements of the 12th century in the atlas and one of 144 in present-day Portugal.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q815177, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Siege of Lisbon, revision 1382151399, 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.