How did Richard I sail through the strait of Gibraltar?

Question

Here's something that puzzles me. At the start of the third crusade, Richard I sailed to the holy land around Europe, through the strait of Gibraltar and across the Mediterranean.

At the time, the south of the Iberian peninsula was under the control of the Almohad caliphate. I'm sure the 14km of strait was under heavy shipping traffic. And I think Saladin was aware of what was coming.

So did the Almohad empire not try to stop them, or was the strait simply too big to control in that way? Could Richard's whole Armada simply sail through unchallenged? I don't know what the relationship was between the Almohad and the Ayyubid dynasty, but presumably, they'd prefer other Muslims to a bunch of Christians.

Answer 1

The groundwork that allowed the use of the strait by the crusaders began much earlier than 1190, and has as much to do with other political and military developments around the Iberian peninsula than anything else. The Almohadin fleet had been for centuries a dominant force in the region, and has essentially controlled access to the Mediterranean for 400 years¹. These were not by any stretch of the imagination "scrubby Arab lateens". In fact, the Muslim navies were among the first to move from coastal attacks to the open sea and were at the forefront of naval technology of the period. One naval historian writes,

This may have also encouraged the construction of bigger ships that began to appear from the late 9th century onwards. By the 12th century some vessels from Andalus could virtually barge their way through an attempted Norman blockade of an Islamic port.²

He continues to note that these ships likely formed the basis for the later Italian and later Portuguese carracks³, and influenced European naval technology much in a way similar to architectural technology. By contrast, the dominance of the Muslims over the strait had a direct effect on the long term strategy and tactics of the crusades. It was known much earlier in the history of the crusades that controlling coastal access was crucial when fleets were mainly tied to the coast⁴, and this steered long term strategies in the Iberian - including the capture of Silves in 1188 (and a couple decades later the campaign to seize Gibraltar itself). Silves was one of the main nautical centers of the Moors in the Iberian, and its loss had far reaching effects even beyond the crusades, jump-starting Portuguese naval development⁵. It was this groundwork (along with the hard learned recognition of the need for maritime logistical support) that allowed the Richard to consider sending a large fleet through the strait.

The other piece of the puzzle is situation of of the Almohads at the time. As other posters point out, at the time of the third crusade they were basically fighting several wars at the same time. There was the ongoing conflict with the Portuguese and Spanish in Iberia, they were at war with Saladin, and by 1180 they were in enough of a decline that their power over the strait had been severely curtailed.

We must remember that by 1180 the Almohadin, a true medieval naval superpower, were fighting on three fronts: It was not a winnable war. Everyone wanted the Strait. Specifically, the former Taifa Kingdom-City of Silves gave the Crusaders a direct approach to the Atlantic Straits and, in conjunction with the Anglo/Italian-held Tortosa as an exit, and with Sicilian suppression of the Barbary coast from the direction of Tunisia, having Atlantic Silves allowed the Crusaders direct transit not only through the Straits but through the very heart of the Almohad Empire.⁶

So if "Richard was a lot more afraid of storms", it was because control of the strait by the Almohadin had been compromised by 1190. They neither had the inclination nor available military capacity to attempt to stop Richard's fleet.

Note: Just an aside, Richard didn't actually sail with the fleet through the Strait - he marched overland from Vézelay with the intention of meeting them in Marseille. Due to a drunken pillaging of Lisbon that resulted in a 3 week delay, Richard had already left without them on hired ships.⁷

¹Truver, Scott. The Strait of Gibraltar And the Mediterranean, p 162
²Nicolle, David. The Moors: The Islamic West 7th-15th Centuries AD, p 19
³Ibid, p 20
⁴France, John. "The First Crusade as Naval Enterprise", The Mariner's Mirror Nov 1997, p 392
⁵Nicolle, David. The Third Crusade 1191: Richard the Lionheart, Saladin and the Struggle for Jerusalem, p 42
⁶Cushing, Dana. The Qadi of Xelb in the Third Crusade (Silves 1189), p 3
⁷Gillingham, John, Richard I, p 129-30

Answer 2

Saladin was actually at war with the Almohads. The latter were probably pleased to see the crusaders arrive on the scene.

There is a good article on this by A. Baadj in "Al-Qanṭara", 2013, pp. 276-295. A pdf is available on "Google Scholar".

Answer 3

At this point in history the Northern European galleys were much faster and seaworthy than anything the Arabs were building. Also, in arms the Northern Europeans had caught up with the Arabs, and exceeded them by far in the quality of shields and armor. Richard's knights were fully armored in steel while the typical Spanish arab was wearing cloth robes and a wooden shield. By the time of the third crusade (1189-1192), the Spanish Arabs were no match for Richard's fleet, which was large and well equipped. Even one hundred years earlier in the time of El Cid, a half-Christian, half-Moorish warrior Northern European technology was being used to basically kick Arab butt in southern Spain; and Richard was on a whole different level than El Cid. Richard was a lot more afraid of storms than of any scrubby Arab lateens.

When Richard got to Cyprus, he completely destroyed them, and the Cypriot arab forces were much more advanced than anything in the Moorish caliphate. The Cypriots, in fact, managed to bust up a couple of galleys before they got owned, which is way more than the Moors could have done. You have to remember that French galleys in those days were very fast. Just simply catching sight of them would have a challenge for the Moors forget about stopping and engaging them.

11th-century Norman, clinker built galley, with viking rudder and sail, loaded with fully-armored knights ready to kick ass.

Answer 4

Excellent article explaining the timeline, each crusade and the complex relationship between Saladin and the Berberic Empire:

The crusades were a series of holy wars called by popes with the promise of indulgences for those who fought in them and directed against external and internal enemies of Christendom for the recovery of Christian property or in defense of the Church or Christian people.

Where were crusades fought? This is a matter of dispute among historians. “Traditionalists” would limit true crusades to expeditions aimed at recovering or protecting Jerusalem.

When were the crusades? The first crusade was launched by Pope Urban II at the Council of Clermont in 1095. There is controversy over the last crusade. “Traditionalists” would end the crusades in 1291 with the fall of the last crusader castle of the Latin Kingdom, the city of Acre (on the northern coast of present-day Israel

Economic Backdrop

c.950-1300 Period of steady demographic and economic growth in Western Europe. The population of Europe (excluding Russia) more than doubled, growing from about 30 million people in A.D. 1000 to about 70-80 million in 1250

Timeline

1. 753 Pope Stephen II tells the Carolingian ruler of the Franks Pepin the Short that St. Peter will remit sins of those who fight for his Church. This is directed against the Lombards who threatened the pope’s control over Rome and the “Papal State.”
2. 852 A Saracen fleet of 73 ships landed at Ostia, and raided inland, sacking Rome. In doing so, they burnt the churches of St. Peter and St. Paul. The new pope Leo IV (r.847-855) ordered Rome’s walls to be rebuilt and refurbished, and had them extended to protect the Vatican hill. He also formed a naval alliance with the cities of Amalfi, Naples, and Gaeta, which drove off a Saracen fleet in 849. Three years later Pope Leo IV issued a call to the Franks, declaring "Whoever meets death steadfastly in this fight [against Moslem raiders of Italy] the Heavenly Kingdom will not be closed to him." This becomes a much quoted text among canonists of the High Middle Ages.
3. 1095 Council of Clermont. The First Crusade is initiated when Byzantine Emperor Alexius Comnenus requests help in reconquering from the Seljuk Turks the lost territory of Asia Minor. Pope Urban II at the Council of Clermont calls upon the princes of Christendom for an armed “pilgrimage” to recover Jerusalem from the Muslims. Among his goals is the strengthening of the Gregorian papacy by bringing the Greek Orthodox Church under papal authority. The response is dramatic with two waves of “crusaders” answering the Pope’s call. War continues between Pope Urban II and the German Emperor Henry IV, who is forced to flee Italy. (Miniature of Pope Urban II at the Council of Clermont.) 1096 1099: Phases and major events of the First Crusade.
4. 1096: People’s Crusade. About 20,000 lesser nobles and peasants from northern France and Germany, led in part by Peter the Hermit and Walter Sansavoir. Peasants massacred Jews of Rhineland along the way. Many of the crusaders were killed by Hungarians in retaliation for their looting of the countryside.
5. 1096 1099: Princes' Crusade. Force of about 50-60,000 (including noncombatants), of which about 7,000 were knights. Results: Jerusalem taken and Crusader States established. 1099 The crusaders of the First Crusade, numbering now around 20,000, capture Jerusalem, massacring its inhabitants (Muslims, Jews, and Christians alike). The Crusaders divide their new territories into four principalities. Godfrey of Bouillon is named “defender of the Holy Sepulcher” and ruler of Jerusalem.
6. 1101-1102: the Crusade of the Faint-hearted (coda to the First Crusade). Pope Paschal II, taking up where his predecessor Pope Urban II left off, preached another crusade to aid the fledgling Kingdom of Jerusalem.
7. 1146 1174 Nur al Din, Turkish ruler of Mosul and Aleppo, unites Moslem Syria under his rule. Reintroduces idea of Jihad. Coin of Nur al-Din
8. 1147-1148 Second Crusade called by Pope Eugene II,
9. 1169 Kurdish general Saladin (r. 1169-1193) rules Egypt in the name of Nur-al-Din but establishes an independent sultanate. (Portrait of Saladin.)
10. 1170 Almohad dynasty establishes Seville as its capital. Between 1130 and 1170, the Almohads, a Berber family from Morocco who promoted a puritanical and fundamentalist brand of Islam, ousts Almoravid rulers of north Africa and Spain. Out of reforming zeal initially oppress Spanish Jews and Christians who take refuge in Christian Portugal, Aragon, and Castile.
11. In 1195 the Almohads defeated King Alfronso VIII of Castile in the Battle of Alarcos, temporarily halting the Reconquista, but the Christians recover and in 1212 a Christian coalition from Leon/Castile, Navarra, and Aragon defeat the Almohads in the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa. With this, the Almohads were forced back to Africa. Almohads rule in Morocco comes to an end 1269.
12. 1187 The entire army of the kingdom of Jerusalem is wiped out by the sultan of Egypt Saladin (1137-1193) in the battle of Hattin. The king of Jerusalem Guy of Lusignan is taken prisoner and the True Cross is captured. In the months following Hattin, Saladin conquers all the cities of the Kingdom of Jerusalem south of Tyre, including Jerusalem itself. News of the fall of Jerusalem leads to the pope calling for the Third Crusade. The call will be answered by the German Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa, French King Philip Augustus and English King Richard the Lionheart.
13. 1188 Saladin Tithe. Upon hearing of the fall of Jerusalem to Saladin, King Henry II of England and King Philip Augustus of France both took the Cross and vowed to liberate the Holy City. To raise money for the expedition, they devised what might be the first national income tax. The Saladin Tithe was, as its name implies, a tax of a tenth of the value of all moveable properties and revenues upon all those not going on crusade.
14. 1189-1192 Third Crusade: Crusade to recapture Jerusalem from Saladin. 1190 Massacre of the Jews of York. Richard the Lionheart’s preparations for going on crusade entailed demanding money from the Jews, who were officially serfs of the Crown. Jewish moneylenders, in turn, raised the required money by calling in debts. This exacerbated the Christian hostility toward the Jews which had already been stirred up by crusading fervor. In 1189-1190 there were a series of attacks upon Jewish communities across England, including the massacre of thirty Jews who tried to bring gifts to Richard during his coronation at Westminster by a mob responding to a (false) rumor that the new king had ordered the extermination of the Jews. The new king responded by having the ringleaders hanged. The most notorious event was the massacre of the Jewish community of York
15. 1191-1192 Richard the Lionheart leads the Third Crusade.
16. 1203-1204 Fourth Crusade: Innocent III calls for a crusade to liberate Jerusalem. …and there are many more crusades