The Battle of Covadonga is the name retrospectively given to a long series of skirmishes and ambushes during the summer of 722 in the Picos de Europa, in Asturias, after which the column sent by the Umayyad Caliphate to subdue Asturias and stop Pelagius’ raids was destroyed and its leader killed.
Despite the small number of forces involved and the absence of a true battle, the strategic, political, and symbolic impact would be immense. Al-Andalus abandoned its efforts to subdue the region, while Pelagius solidified his prestige and was able to establish the Kingdom of Asturias. His successors would turn it into a heroic founding myth embellished with legends. It is from this Asturian victory that the Reconquista is commonly considered to have begun, which would only be completed in 1492, 770 years later.
Note
For decades, historians have debated the details of the battle, with some even questioning the existence of Pelayo (Pelagius of Asturias). While many scholars accept that the confrontation took place, a few doubt it altogether. Interestingly, Muslim chroniclers also reference the event. This uncertainty is common for events in the Early Middle Ages due to the scarcity of reliable sources. A major issue is the lack of independent accounts. Despite these doubts, Covadonga remains significant as a “foundational myth” and has become an important site for religious pilgrimage.
Background
After the fall of the Visigothic kingdom in 711, those resisting the Umayyad forces took refuge in the northern Iberian Peninsula, particularly in the Cantabrian Mountains. Pelagius, son of Favila, the Duke of Cantabria, initially cooperated with the Muslims in Gijón. However, he later refused to pay tribute to the Umayyads and led a resistance movement. As more fighters joined him in Cantabria, he strengthened his army and launched attacks on small Umayyad garrisons in the region.
At first, the Umayyads, whose main seat of power in the peninsula was Córdoba, did not seem overly concerned by this mountain rebellion. The Cantabrian region was remote, with little strategic or economic value, and the Umayyad resources were focused on campaigns against the Frankish Kingdom beyond the Pyrenees.
However, after their defeat at Toulouse in 721, the governor of Al-Andalus, Ambiza, decided to retaliate. In 722, he launched a punitive expedition against the Cantabrians, who were fortified in the natural stronghold of Liébana. Seeing this as an easy victory to boost troop morale, Ambiza tasked Munuza, his subordinate governor in Gijón, with organizing the campaign. Munuza sent General ʿAlqama, accompanied by Oppas—the brother of former Visigothic King Wittiza and Archbishop of Seville. Oppas was responsible for negotiating the surrender of the Cantabrians and persuading them to submit.
When negotiations failed, the better-organized and numerically superior Umayyads pursued Pelagius and his men. According to the Chronicle of Albelda—the oldest and most reliable source—the first confrontation occurred near Mount Auseva in the Picos de Europa. There, the Christians were forced to hide in the “Cave of Ánseba” due to the overwhelming strength of their enemies. The chronicle does not mention a battle at Covadonga, a site later mythologized by the Asturians, which only appears in chronicles revised much later by Alfonso III for political gain.
The Christians managed to escape, with the Umayyads in pursuit over five mountain passes, each ranging from 1,200 to 1,500 meters in altitude. Through a series of skirmishes, the Christians lured the Umayyads deeper into the Picos de Europa mountains. Eventually, they reached Liébana, the Cantabrian stronghold, where they found refuge in a narrow, easily defensible valley, despite their forces being reduced to just 300 men.
Timeline
Pelagius and his guerrilla fighters harass the enemy by attacking from the heights, firing arrows, and throwing rocks from the mountain slopes. They use the caves, which they know well, to hide. Pelagius personally leads his men down to the valley through the Aliva Pass, the western entry to Liébana. The Umayyads, descending toward the Deva River at the valley’s base, become trapped, unable to maneuver in the narrow space. In their chaotic retreat, Al Qama and many of his men are killed, crushed by a collapsing section of the mountain near Cosgaya in Cantabria, possibly provoked by the attackers. Oppa is captured by Pelagius’s forces.
According to chroniclers like Ahmad al-Maqqari, only ten men from Pelagius’s original group survive. However, many Cantabrian villagers join the fight, attacking the remaining Umayyad reinforcements and inflicting heavy losses. The Umayyad retreat becomes long and difficult as they face constant ambushes over 50 kilometers of mountainous terrain. After two days and nights of fighting, Munuza is killed near the village of Saint Eulalia.
Consequences
After the battle, the Umayyads no longer seriously challenged the independence of Asturias, underestimating the strength of the remaining forces and the significance of the conflict. Nonetheless, this kingdom became the starting point of the Reconquista, with the battle symbolically marking its beginning. According to the Chronicle of Alfonso III, which romanticize the event, the Christians attributed their victory to the divine intervention of Mary. This legend credits Pelagius with erecting a sanctuary in her honor within the caves, originally called Cova Dominica, which later became known as Covadonga. Pelagius chose this symbolic location near the County of Liébana, close to Cangas de Onís, to establish the court of his Kingdom of Asturias, now liberated from the occupiers.
Various authors have downplayed the significance of this victory, emphasizing the persistent “rebellious” nature of Cantabria against domination, whether by Romans, Visigoths, or Muslims. Sánchez Albornoz argues that Pelagius relied more on the indigenous Cantabrian population, of Celtic origin, who were accustomed to resisting authority, rather than on the Goths, who had taken refuge in the Cantabrian mountains after the Battle of Guadalete.
At that time, Cantabria extended far beyond its current boundaries (up to the Sella River) and included parts of western Asturias. Because of this legendary feat, Pelagius is often viewed by historians as a mythical figure and the first King of the Asturians over this Cantabrian territory. His son-in-law, Alfonso I—son of Peter of Cantabria—left a historical legacy through his battles, notably the conquests of Galicia in 740 and León in 754. Alfonso I married Ermesinda, the daughter of Pelagius, and was proclaimed King of Asturias, a region that now encompassed the former Duchy of Cantabria.
Muslim View of the Battle
According to the compilation of the chronicler Al Maqqari (Tremecén, 1578-Cairo, 1632):
ʿĪsā ibn Aḥmad al-Rāzī reports that during the time of Anbasa ibn Suhaym al-Kalbi, a wild donkey named Belay [Pelayo] emerged in the lands of Galicia. From that point onward, the Christians in al-Andalus began to defend the territories still under their control against the Muslims, an achievement they had not anticipated. The Muslims, who had been fighting against the polytheists and forcing them to emigrate, had taken over their lands until Ariyula arrived from the land of the Franks, conquering Pamplona in Galicia. All that remained was a rock where a king named Pelayo sought refuge with three hundred men. The soldiers continued to attack until Pelayo’s men perished from hunger, leaving only thirty men and ten women with him. Their only sustenance came from honey left by bees in the crevices of the rock. The situation became difficult for the Muslims, and eventually, they scorned Pelayo and his followers, saying, “Thirty wild donkeys—what harm can they do to us?” In the year 133, Pelayo died, and his son Fábila succeeded him. The reign of Belay lasted nineteen years, and that of his son, two.
Christian View of the Battle
According to the chronicles of Alfonso III, Chronicle of Albelda, dated 881:
Alkama entered Asturias with 187,000 men. Pelayo and his companions were on Mount Auseva when Alkama’s army arrived, setting up countless tents in front of the entrance to a cave. Bishop Oppas climbed a hill opposite the cave and called out to Pelayo: “Pelayo, Pelayo, where are you?” Pelayo appeared at a window and replied, “Here I am.” The bishop then said: “I believe, brother and son, that you are not unaware of how, not long ago, all of Spain was united under the rule of the Goths and shone brighter than other nations in its knowledge and learning. Yet, even the entire Gothic army could not withstand the might of the Ishmaelites. Can you truly defend yourself from the top of this mountain? It seems unlikely to me. Listen to my advice: return to your senses, and you will enjoy many goods and the friendship of the Chaldeans.”
Pelayo then responded, “Have you not read in the Holy Scriptures that the Church of the Lord will become like the mustard seed and grow again through God’s mercy?” The bishop answered, “Indeed, that is written.” […] “We have as our advocate before the Father, our Lord Jesus Christ, who can deliver us from these pagans.” […]
Alkama then ordered the battle to begin, and the soldiers armed themselves. Catapults were raised, slings prepared, swords gleamed, spears were lifted, and arrows flew without pause. But soon, the magnificence of the Lord was revealed: the stones launched from the catapults, upon reaching the house of the Holy Virgin Mary inside the cave, turned back against those who shot them, killing the Chaldeans. And since God does not need spears but grants victory to whom He wills, the Chaldeans fled…
