Viking raid on Seville

The Viking raid on Išbīliya, then part of the Umayyad Emirate of Córdoba, took place in 844. After raiding the coasts of what are now Spain and Portugal, a Viking fleet arrived in Išbīliya (now Seville) through the Guadalquivir on 25 September and took the city on 1 or 3 October. The Vikings pillaged the city and the surrounding areas. Emir Abd ar-Rahman II of Córdoba mobilized and sent a large force against the Vikings under the command of the hajib (chief-minister) Isa ibn Shuhayd. After a series of indecisive engagements, the Muslim army defeated the Vikings on either 11 or 17 November. Seville was retaken and the remnants of the Vikings fled Spain. After the raid, the Muslims raised new troops and built more ships and other military equipment to protect the coast. The quick military response in 844 and the subsequent defensive improvements discouraged further attacks by the Vikings.

Viking raid on Išbīliya
Part of the Viking expansion
Date25 September – 11 or 17 November 844
Location
Išbīliya (today Seville) and the surrounding area, Emirate of Cordoba, Iberian Peninsula
Result Emirate of Córdoba victory
Belligerents
Vikings of Noirmoutier, Francia Emirate of Cordoba
Banu Qasi
Commanders and leaders
Unknown Isa ibn Shuhayd
Musa ibn Musa al-Qasi
Abd al-Wāḥid ben Yazīd al-Iskandarānī
Strength
Early Muslim accounts:
16,000 men
80 ships
Unknown
Casualties and losses
Early Muslim accounts:
500–1,000 killed
30 ships destroyed
Unknown

Historians such as Hugh N. Kennedy and Neil Price contrast the rapid Muslim response during the 844 raids, as well as the organization of long-term defenses, with the weak responses by the Carolingian dynasty and Anglo-Saxons against Viking aggression.

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