This painting is quite large; unfortunately, I couldn't ascertain its exact dimensions. However, it proudly hangs high above the central courtyard of the Museum in Siguenza. You can view it directly from the second-floor gallery.
It depicts the Battle of Alcoraz, an armed encounter that took place on November 15, 1096, near Huesca, involving Aragonese and Pamplona troops on one side and Muslim troops from Zaragoza supported by Castilian forces on the other.
Context:
Following the death of Sancho III the Elder, king of Pamplona, and the establishment of the young Kingdom of Aragon under Ramiro I (1035-1063), comprised of the former County of Aragon along with the adjacent Pyrenean counties of Sobrarbe and Ribagorza, both Ramiro I and his son Sancho Ramírez sought to solidify the new kingdom around Jaca and assert regional power over the territories of the Marca Superior del Al-Andalus centered in Zaragoza. This expansion began with the occupation of several fortresses along the Gállego and Cinca rivers. After initial advances, "in 1093, Sancho and Pedro had fortified positions that weakened the resistance of Tudela, Zaragoza, Huesca, and Tortosa, as well as strategically important castles for the control of lands including Castellón" (Arguedas, El Castellar, Montearagón, Salou, Culla, Oropesa, Montroig, Miravet, and Castellón).
Huesca held significant strategic importance, and its control solidified prior territorial gains, rendering them nearly irreversible. Therefore, Sancho Ramírez attempted to seize it in 1094, but he died during the siege while inspecting the city walls.
Battle:
The Aragonese army, led by King Pedro I of Aragon and Pamplona, laid siege to the city of Huesca from their encampment established at Montearagón Castle and Pueyo de Sancho, a fortress built temporarily on San Jorge hill, located 3 km west of Huesca along the route to Zaragoza, where Pedro I positioned his squadrons.
The battle reached a stalemate when the Muslim armies of Al-Musta'in II arrived from Zaragoza, supported by Castilian forces under the command of Count García Ordóñez and Gonzalo Núñez de Lara. According to tradition, Saint George appeared on the battlefield in support of the Aragonese, who ultimately emerged victorious. The assistance provided by the Castilians to the Muslim king proved futile.
Consequences:
Following this triumph, the city of Huesca was definitively captured on November 26 of that year, marking the first Muslim city to be incorporated into the Kingdom of Aragon.
