Almogavars

Almogavars (Spanish: almogávares; Aragonese: almugávares; Catalan: almogàvers; Portuguese: almogávares; originally Andalusian Arabic: المغاور, romanized: al-mughā́wir) is the name of a class of light infantry soldier that originated in the Crown of Aragon and was used in the later phases of the Reconquista, during the 13th and 14th centuries.

Almogavars were lightly clad, quick-moving frontiersmen and foot-soldiers. They hailed from the Kingdom of Aragon, the Principality of Catalonia, the Kingdom of Valencia, the Crown of Castile and the Kingdom of Portugal. In the Crown of Castile, the inner organization was managed by King Alfonso X of Castile in the Siete Partidas. At first, these troops were formed by farmers and shepherds originating from the countryside, woods, and frontier mountain areas. Later, they were employed as mercenaries in Italy, the Frankokratia, and the Levant.

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