A belt of high limestone country between the Christian frontier castles (Catalan Ulldecona; Aragonese Valderrobres, Monroyo, Castellote, Cantavieja, Alcalá de la Selva and Mora) and the Almohad castles of Peñíscola, Morella, Ares, Culla and Rubielos.
Both sides raid flocks and villages; the Christian side is creeping forward castle by castle under Peter II, who gave Mora to Pedro Ladrón in 1198 as the most advanced post. Muslim villages south of the line (the districts of Morella and Culla) are inhabited and farmed; it is the strip between the castle lines that neither side can settle.
Who raids here
Christian: the Teruel militia, the frontier lords (Pedro Ladrón at Mora), the Templars of Castellote and Alfambra (since 1196), the Calatravans of Alcañiz, the Hospitallers who hold the lordship of Ulldecona (the castle back with the Montcada since 1191). Muslim: the garrisons and mountain villages of Morella, Peñíscola, Culla and Rubielos.
Castles
Christian side: Ulldecona, Valderrobres, Monroyo, Castellote, Cantavieja, Alcalá de la Selva, Mora. Almohad side: Peñíscola, Sant Mateu, Morella, Ares, Culla, Vistabella, Rubielos.
Last campaign
Not pinned. The latest dated moves are the grant of Mora in 1198 and the Templar takeover of the Mountjoy castles in 1196; the next is the capture of Rubielos in 1204. The great conquest of the Maestrat comes in 1232-1233.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Castle dates come from local histories; the belt itself is a reconstruction.
On the map: Drawn as a strip between the two castle lines; its width is a guess.
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.