Editing Almogavars (section)

=== Border of Granada ===
{{Main|Border of Granada}}
[[File:Reino de Granada.svg|thumb|Kingdom of Granada, at whose borders the Almogavars operated]]

Almogavars had a relevant presence at the border of Granada, where their ranks were made up of neighbors of the border localities and adventurers looking for booty in the [[kingdom of Granada]]. Other times, the reason leading them to become Almogavars was revenge. The brutal raids of [[Benimerines]] and Zenetes coming from North Africa, which especially affected the western area of the border, caused the destruction of entire towns and the enslaving of its inhabitants, which led the survivors, without hope and with their lives broken, to join Almogavar groups commanded by Almocadenes, turning their new life into a continuous feeling of revenge. This was the case of many of the neighbors of [[Vejer de la Frontera|Vejer]], [[Alcalá de los Gazules|Alcala de los Gazules]], [[Medina-Sidonia]] and [[Lebrija]], who after an attack in 1293 where the North Africans kidnapped over 200 captives to sell them as slaves, enlisted in the Almogavar ranks.<ref>Rocafort, Guillermo ''Enigmas y misterios de los almogávares'', p. 114.</ref> 

Besides the looting, they were engaged in other activities. When groups of bandits from Granada were detected going into in Christian territory, Almogavars hid by the roads they used or by their water sources, in order to surprise them as they passed by these places. Grateful municipalities across the border, such as [[Murcia]] or [[Orihuela]], rewarded this activity.

When Almogavars deployed throughout the border, it was very difficult for any potential enemy to pass, unless it was a large contingent of troops or someone who knew the area very well and passed through fields at night. In April 1309, when the [[Granada War|war between Castile and Granada]] had already begun and before the Crown of Aragon also declared war on Granada, the roads of the kingdom of Murcia were so full of Almogavars that Pedro López de Ayala, who ruled the kingdom, advised against the move of the ambassadors of the king of Granada returning from the court of [[James II of Aragon|James II]], saying that they would surely be captured, even if they had a guide.

Almogavars also used to work for intelligence services and surveillance, which depended on the municipalities or the royal officers, and were vital to the defense of the border with the Saracens. The surveillance of the border was based on two fixed networks of lookouts in the mountains with good visibility, in the administration of Orihuela and another in Valencia procurement "beyond the [[Júcar]]" on the former border of [[kingdom of Valencia]], i.e., in the area close to the line [[Busot]] – [[Biar]].  The mission of the Almogavar scouts was to observe possible entries of enemies and warn of this fact by smoke signals during the day and fire by night. These signals were transmitted from one scout to another, so that, after a little while the whole country could be warned. Other monitoring points were located on the main roads, where the mission was to stand guard against the numerous robberies of foot traffic. They also guarded mountain passes and river fords, especially the Cañaveral del Segura ford, near [[Cieza, Murcia|Cieza]], where the guerrillas or armies used to cross the river.

Sometimes municipalities required services of Almogavars to track Granadian robbers, that they knew well how to spot because they knew how to be quiet when they entered a Christian land; they used to replace iron horseshoes with [[esparto]] horseshoes, which left some footprints and often unique pieces of this clothing material.

Free activities of Almogavars originated numerous diplomatic conflicts with Granada, because they didn't respect the signed peace. [[Valencian people|Valencian]] Almogavars were also a source of friction with the Crown of Castile, because of frequent Granadian reprisals after a raid of Valencian Almogavars, exercised against [[Murcian people|Murcian]] border populations, because Almogavars from Valencia or Murcia had caused damage to the neighboring territory.