Almoravid raid destroys Ucles outpost

1126

Almoravid cavalry struck deep into Christian New Castile, burning villages and carrying off captives. The raid illustrated how permeable the Reconquista frontier still was, and how dependent Castilian defenses remained on the quickly reorganizing military orders of Calatrava and Santiago. The destruction prompted Alfonso VII to fortify the Toledo-Ucles road with new castles and garrison towers, attempting to create a defensible line that the Almoravids could not simply ride around.