RIO SALADO, BATTLE OF

(Oct. 30, 1340), battle fought by the allied Castilian and Portuguese Christian forces against the Muslim Marinids of North Africa in a final attempt by the latter to invade the Iberian Peninsula. The battle, which interrupted a series of disputes between the Castilian and Portuguese over throne and territorial rights, represented the final alliance of the two to repulse the Moorish invaders. The Marinids had gathered a vast army and destroyed the Castilian fleet in the Strait of Gibraltar. They proceeded inland to the Salado River near Seville, where they met the allies, led by Alfonso XI of Castile and Afonso IV of Portugal. The Marinids experienced a disastrous defeat and retreated to Africa.