In 1063, Fernando I of Leon sent his son, the infante Sancho to the aid of his vassal, Ahmad al-Muqtadir, king of the Taifa of Zaragoza when his city of Graus was being besieged by the forces of Ramiro I of Aragon. Consequently, Ramiro, who was Fernando's brother, would be defeated and killed.
In the aftermath of that battle, there ensued a mass slaughter of Christians. To appease public support, Ahmad al-Muqtadir stopped paying his vassaltribute to the Kingdom of León. King Fernando responded in 1065 by launching an expedition into the valley of the Ebro River, devastating the land and defeating al-Muqtadir, once again forcing him into a vassal state.
After besieging the city, Ferdinand I found the city's defenses to be extremely resilient and determined that it would be impossible to take them by an assault. The king therefore decided to call for a general retreat from the city. The Muslim defenders of Valencia exited the city and began to harass the retreat of the Leonese forces. At Paterna, approximately five kilometers from Valencia on the left bank of the Turia, the Leonese troops set an ambush for the pursuing forces.[1] The Valencian attackers were suprised and wiped out almost to a man. It was said that Abd al-Malik only escaped due to the speed of his horse.[2]
The poet Abu Ishaq al-Tarasuní related the occurrences of the battle in the following verses translated from Spanish:
"The Christians were clad in bright armour, but ye were arrayed in silken robes of various colours.
Partana is the spot where your valour and their cowardice became once more manifest."[3]
Se habían puesto las cotas de malla de hierro mientras vosotros vestíais túnicas de seda cada cual más bella,... que feos resultaban ellos y qué hermosos vosotros si no hubiera sido por lo que pasó en Paterna.
Aftermath
After the battle, King Ferdinand I once again resumed the siege of Valencia. Later during the siege, Ferdinand became ill and once again ordered a retreat back to León where he died on December 27 of the same year, 1065.
