April 23, 1491

Granada War

Ferdinand's army establishes its siege camp before Granada

The king came in sight of Granada on a Saturday. The queen stayed behind with their children, keeping the supplies moving.

Saturday, 23 April 1491

On Saturday 23 April 1491, Ferdinand's field army came within sight of Granada after entering the Vega, beginning the conventional chronology of the city's final siege. He set his first camp at a village rendered 'Guetar' in the early English translation of Juan de Mariana's history, about a league and a half from the city.

Mariana specifies 23 April. An Arabic-derived chronology places Ferdinand's movement into the Vega around 22 April, and some modern military chronologies give 23 or 26 April for the arrival — so 'the siege began on 23 April' compresses a developing operation into a single date.

The first moves

Ferdinand sent the Marquis of Villena with 3,000 horse, in Mariana's account, to range through the neighbouring mountains, promising support if they were attacked.

Isabella was not beside him at the forward camp. She remained at Alcalá la Real with their children, organising supplies, and joined later.

Muhammad XII had repudiated an earlier agreement to surrender the city, which is why the monarchs mounted a decisive spring campaign.

A camp that turned into a town

By nightfall the royal army had a camp within sight of Granada and cavalry operating against the surrounding approaches. The temporary encampment became a sustained investment lasting about eight months.

After a later fire, the besiegers built the permanent-looking camp-town of Santa Fe, to demonstrate that they would not withdraw.

Granada did not fall that April: capitulation followed in November, and Muhammad XII surrendered the Alhambra on 2 January 1492.

Sources

Researched 23 Aug 2026 6 sources not yet audited Traditional date

How this was checked

Researched from the web into a fact sheet and rewritten from that sheet. This article has not yet had an independent model audit. How the pipeline works →

Traditional date. This date is the conventional one, not one fixed by a contemporary record.

What the sources leave uncertain

The date is best understood as the conventional date Ferdinand's army appeared before Granada and established its camp, not necessarily the first hostile act of the wider campaign.
Mariana's history specifies 23 April; an Arabic-derived chronology places Ferdinand's movement into the Vega around 22 April, while some modern military chronologies give 23 or 26 April for arrival. ‘Siege began on 23 April’ therefore compresses a developing operation into one date.
The date is Julian, the calendar used in Castile and Aragon before their 1582 Gregorian adoption.