Past and Present
Chapter 19c
Throughout the Loarn’s conquests of the Northern Isles [Author’s note: aren’t I creative coming up with alternate names
], the Scots had faced little resistance. The one place where there had been any kind of trouble had been in Wales. Welsh bowman were repeatedly able to decimate Scottish lines as they advanced, leaving them easy pickings for infantry.
The Scottish generals, completely lacking in ingenuity, had no answer but to mass more and more troops. Wales may have even been unconquerable, but the Loarn’s were able to shove thousands of recently captured Englishmen down the gauntlet, overwhelming the Welsh infantry.
Unlike most of his predecessors, Robert III learned from past mistakes. In planning the bold attack, he had sent a large detachment of Welsh archers to the rear flank of the Muslim forces. When the battle started, the Welsh advanced and fired volley after volley into the unsuspecting Moor army, butchering it. The battle continued for a while, but it was obvious who the victor was.
Robert made an almost fatal error here. He cautiously didn’t follow up with the attack and destroy the remaining Muslims. If the Moors had immediately followed up with a counterattack the next day, they might have still pulled a victory out. As it happened they retreated for a guerrilla campaign.
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The next campaign season went on rather uneventfully. It proceeded much the same as the last year’s, with the key difference being that the Scottish troops were now able to pillage to their heart’s content. It seemed as if it would be yet another Scottish annexation would occur.
However the Iberian army that Robert had let go was busy getting ready for a huge raid. They were gathering men, supplies, and weapons and were planning to retake Toledo from the light Scottish garrison that was stationed there. It was not exactly clear what they hoped to achieve, since the Scottish horde could simple move back and besiege them into submission.
In the end, however, this didn’t happen. Robert made an extremely poor decision. He constantly was pining for his wife and children, and sent for them to come to Iberia. They willingly came and his 32 year old wife, Mary as well as their two children, Robert (15), and Alan (13) were in Northern Spain by September, 1288. They awaited Robert in the city of Pamplona. Robert was planning to greet them, but was delayed by action on the front.
The Moorish guerrillas found out about this, and they quickly switched there plan. On October 29, 1288, they marched for Pamplona. They reached the city by the 18th of November.
A small detachment posed as traders from North Africa and bribed there way past the Scottish guards into the city. In the dead of the night they swung the doors of the city wide open and their companions swarmed in. The surprised regiments that greeted them were quickly overcome, and the city was taken.
All the Scots in the city were shown no mercy. Mary Loarn was herself reportedly raped literally dozens of times before being publicly executed. His sons were blinded and whipped before both were beheaded.
News hastily traveled to Robert. He was infuriated and swore revenge. He immediately marched his troops all the way to Pamplona and forced his way in. he had traveled so swiftly, that the Moors had had no word of his coming, and were completely unprepared. Robert took a bloody vengeance that outdid what the Moor’s themselves had done two weeks prior.
Of course, he did not stop there. He continued systematically going through every Iberian city, town, and hamlet of any note. Some he was content with simply slaughtering the Muslim populace, and destroying any mosques. If he was in a foul mood, the entire city would be razed to the ground.
While many of his generals objected, they were far too fearful to even attempt to stop Robert in his mad dash around Spain. By the time he was done, there was not a single Muslim left in Iberia. In the process he had made his troops wealthy beyond belief with all the plunder, and had killed off a good portion of the non-Muslim population as well. It is estimated that his conquest had decimated the population of Iberia anywhere from 60-85%.
Of course this is just a foreshadowing of what was to come in the coming centuries when calls for Jerusalem’s liberation came about…
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Well there you go.
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