Fifteenth‑century failed Castilian siege of Moorish‑held Gibraltar, ending disastrously.
The 1436 Siege of Gibraltar, also called the Seventh Siege, was a failed Castilian attempt led by Enrique de Guzmán to seize Moorish‑held Gibraltar from the Nasrid Sultanate of Granada. Poorly informed about strengthened defenses, his coastal assault collapsed and Enrique drowned, forcing his son Juan to abandon the siege.
The 1436 Siege of Gibraltar, known as the Seventh Siege of Gibraltar, was an unsuccessful attempt by Castilian noble Enrique de Guzmán to capture the fortress of Gibraltar from the Moors of the Nasrid Sultanate of Granada. Gibraltar had previously returned to Granada’s control after Castile’s 1309–1333 occupation ended with the successful Third Siege of Gibraltar and was briefly held in 1411 by the ruler of Fez or Morocco before Yusuf III of Granada retook it. From Gibraltar, the Moors raided surrounding Castilian lands where Enrique held large estates and disrupted profitable tuna fisheries. Seeking to stop these incursions and win renown by retaking the city first seized by his ancestor Alonso Pérez de Guzmán, Enrique assembled a large force of knights from Córdoba, Écija and Xeres, with ships, supplies and infantry. A two‑pronged attack was planned: a land army from the north and a seaborne landing on the “Red Sands” west of the Rock. Warned in advance, the Moors reinforced their defenses there. Enrique’s landing force found itself trapped on a narrowing beach under a barrage of stones and arrows. Attempting a rescue, Enrique’s overloaded boat capsized and he drowned with forty knights, leading his son Juan de Guzmán to abandon the demoralized siege.
