In Sicily the usual
skirmishes
went on, and it was only
in South Italy that the Byzantine troops began to gain victories, more
especially after the arrival of Nicephorus Phocas?
in South Italy that the Byzantine troops began to gain victories, more
especially after the arrival of Nicephorus Phocas?
Cambridge Medieval History - v4 - Eastern Roman Empire
On the other hand a Roman fleet
pillaged Seleucia in Syria (839). Abū-Sa'īd, having fortified Seleucia, in
841 made another invasion and carried off captives, but the Romans
pursued him into Cilicia and recovered them. In a second inroad he
fared no better, and the Romans took Adata and Germanicea and occupied
part of the territory of Melitene. Theophilus now again sent presents and
asked for an exchange of prisoners; Mu'taşim, while refusing a formal
exchange, sent richer presents in return, and promised, if the prisoners
· See supra, p. 125, n. 2.
## p. 131 (#173) ############################################
Disintegration of the Caliphate
131
were released, to release double the number. On these terms a truce was
made.
In January 842 both sovereigns died; the Empire passed to a woman
and a child, and the Caliphate to a man of pleasure; and for some
time few serious operations were undertaken, though in 842 a fleet under
Abū-Dīnār sailed for the Aegean, but it was shattered by a storm off
Chelidonia in Lycia, and few ships returned. The Cretan pirates were,
however, a constant menace; in 841 they were ravaging the Asiatic coast
when a party which had landed near Ephesus was annihilated by the
Thracesian strategus Constantine Contomytes. In 843 Theodora's chief
minister Theoctistus, who knew nothing of war, sailed with a large fleet
to expel them from Crete (March), and by force of numbers was on
the point of succeeding, when on a report that Theodora had proclaimed
a new Emperor he returned, and his men, left without a leader, were cut
to pieces. In 844 Omar of Melitene made an inroad as far as Malagina;
Theoctistus, who again took command, was defeated on the Mauropota-
mus', and many of his men deserted to the enemy. An exchange of prison-
ers was then effected on the river Lamus (16 September 845). After the
truce had expired (26 October) Aḥmad, Emir of Tarsus, made an invasion
by the Cilician Gates; but heavy snow and rain came on; many men died
from exposure, some were drowned in the Podandus, others captured, and
Aḥmad retreated before the enemy; whereupon his officers forced him
to leave the province, and the Caliph Wathiq appointed Nașr to succeed
him (17 January 846). After this we hear of no invasions till 851; and
the raids on the Cilician frontier were henceforth of small account. The
disuse of the suburban fire-signals (ascribed to Michael III's fear of
their spoiling the circus-games) was therefore of little importance. In
851 an Armenian revolt enabled the Romans to recover Camacha.
Theodosiopolis and Arsamosata they failed to take, but with Armenian
help defeated and killed Yusuf, Emir of Armenia, in Taron (March
852), retreating, however, on the arrival of reinforcements sent by the
Caliph Mutawakkil.
After Mu'taşim's death the disintegration of the Caliphate, which had
already begun, rapidly advanced. Owing to the hatred in Baghdad for
the large Turkish guard instituted by Mu'taşim, that Caliph removed
(836) to the petty town of Sāmarrā, where his Turks were free from all
restraint. He was strong enough to control them; but his feeble suc-
cessors became the puppets of these mercenaries, who cared little for
imperial interests, while the Emirs paid small respect to a government
directed by Turks. Hence the central authority grew continually weaker,
and the local governors became semi-independent rulers, each looking
after the affairs of his own province with little interference from the
central power. Moreover a system had been introduced of breaking up
the great provinces and placing the frontier-districts under separate
1 Probably the Bithynian Melas (Vasil'ev, 1. p. 55, n. 2).
CH. v.
9--2
## p. 132 (#174) ############################################
132
Expeditions to Damietta
governors. Besides that of al-Awāşim, Cilicia, perhaps for a time attached
to it, was, probably in 808, made a province under the name of Thughūr-
ash-Shām (frontiers of Syria) with its capital at Tarsus, and before 820
we find a province of Thughūr al-Jazīra (frontiers of Mesopotamia), ex-
tending from Kaisum and Germanicea to the northern Euphrates, with
its capital at Melitene. These two provinces contained fifteen fortresses
occupied by military colonies, of which that of Tarsus amounted to 5000
men, and those . of Adata and Melitene to 4000 each; and behind these
in case of necessity lay the six fortresses of al-'Awāşim. This system,
probably founded on the Roman themes and clisurae, was intended to
provide a special frontier force under commanders whose sole business
was to carry on the war against the Empire and to defend the frontier;
but in consequence of the weakening of the central power the result was
that they had to do this almost entirely out of their local resources.
Mu'tasim indeed on his return from the campaign of 838 gave the com-
mand to Abū-Saʻīd by special commission; but under his successors the
frontier governors were left to themselves, and enjoyed so much inde-
pendence that Omar of Melitene held office at least twenty-eight years
and 'Ali of Tarsus at least eleven. Moreover, Omar spent much time
and weakened his forces by fighting with a neighbour or rival. Thus
the Romans had only petty disunited chiefs with whom to contend, and
henceforward the war went more and more in their favour.
In 853 they sailed to Danietta, probably in order to prevent the
sending of supplies to Crete, burned the town, killed the men, carried the
women, Muslim and Christian, into captivity, and seized a store of arms
intended for Crete (22 May). Simultaneously two other squadrons attacked
Syrian ports; and it was perhaps in connexion with these operations that
the Anatolic strategus Photinus was transferred to Crete, where he effected
a landing, but, though reinforced from Constantinople, was finally defeated
and with difficulty escaped. This event caused Mutawakkil to re-create an
Egyptian fleet and fortify Damietta; it was probably in order to hinder
these operations that in 854 the Romans came again to Damietta, where
they remained plundering for a month. The new fleet was, however, of
small account, and Egyptian warships really play little part in history till
the Fāțimite period. In 855 a Roman army destroyed Anazarbus, which
had been lately re-fortified, and carried off the gipsies who had been settled
there in 835. Theodora then asked for an exchange of prisoners, and
the Caliph, after sending (December) Nașr the Shi'ite to discover how
many Muslim prisoners there were, agreed, and the exchange took place
on the Lamus (21 February 856).
In the summer of 856 the Romans marched from Camacha by
Arsamosata to the neighbourhood of Amida and returned by way of
Tephrice, the new stronghold of the Paulicians, who, when persecuted by
Leo V, had sought the protection of the Emir of Melitene and had been
settled in Argaus. They had increased in numbers during the persecu-
## p. 133 (#175) ############################################
Battle of Chonarium
133
tion of Theodora, and were now useful auxiliaries to the Arabs. Omar of
Melitene and the Paulician Carbeas pursued the invaders on their retreat,
but without success. After this Omar was for some years detained by
dissensions at home; but in 858 Bugha marched from Damascus in July
and took Semaluos.
The Empire was now under the rule of the capable and energetic
Bardas, who had ousted Theodora from power in 856. He realised that
under the new conditions a vigorous effort might rid Asia Minor of the
standing scourge of the raids. In 859 therefore, while a fleet attacked
Pelusium (June), a large army under Michael in person, accompanied by
Bardas, besieged Arsamosata? ; but on the third day, a Sunday, when the
Emperor was at the Eucharist, a sortie was made by the garrison, and the
besiegers retreated in confusion; they abandoned the imperial tents, but
were able to return with captives from the country-side.
On 31 May Constantine Triphyllius had reached Sāmarrā with 77
prisoners and a request for a general exchange, and after the retreat Nașr
was sent to Constantinople to discuss the matter ; but the negotiations
were delayed by an event at Lulum, where the garrison, not having re-
ceived their pay, excluded their commandant from the town and, when
Michael sent to offer them 1000 denarii apiece to surrender the fortress,
sent two hostages to Constantinople with an expression of willingness to
accept Christianity (November). On receiving the arrears, however, they
handed over the envoy to 'Ali's lieutenant, who sent him to the Caliph
(March 860). He was ordered to accept Islām on pain of death, and the
result of Michael's offer of 1000 Muslims for him is unknown. On the
news reaching Constantinople negotiations were resumed, and the general
exchange took place at the end of April.
In 860 a still more formidable force, which included the Thracian
and Macedonian as well as the Asiatic themes, set out under the Emperor
himself to meet Omar and Carbeas, who had reached Sinope; but Michael
was recalled by the news that a Russian fleet had come to the mouth of
the Mauropotamus on its way to Constantinople. After the retreat of
the Russians (June) he rejoined the army and overtook the enemy at
Chonarium near Dazimon, but was defeated and was glad even to secure
a safe retreat. The same year a fleet under Faďl took Attalia. In 863
Omar with a large force sacked the flourishing city of Amisus, and Bardas,
who was himself no general, placed his brother Petronas at the head of
a vast army which comprised the Asiatic and European themes and the
household troops. Omar marched south, intending to return by way of
i Genesius says 'Samosata’; but he states that the invasion was made to stop
Omar's raids, and Omar had nothing to do with Samosata, which was in neither of
the frontier provinces. Also to reach it they would have had to pass many strong
places. The MSS. of Țabari have 'Arsamosata,''Samosata' being an emendation
from Ibn al-Athir and Abū’l Maḥāsin.
2 This must be the meaning of the Greek (Th. Mel. , p. 158). The name Mauro-
potamus (supra, p. 131, n. 1) perhaps covers the lower course of the Sangarius.
CH, V.
## p. 134 (#176) ############################################
134"
Battle of Poson
Arabissus; but at Poson near the right bank of the Halys, probably not
far from Nyssa, the Arabs found the surrounding hills occupied and were
almost annihilated (3 September). Here the old Emir fell fighting,
while his son with 100 men escaped over the Halys, but was captured
by the clisurarch of Charsianum. The Romans then advanced into
Mesopotamia, where 'Ali, who had been transferred to Armenia in 862,
came from Martyropolis (Mayyāfarīqīn) to meet them, but he also was
defeated and killed. After this, insignificant raids continued to be
made from Tarsus, and some more serious inroads by the Paulicians;
but the Emir of Melitene could only defend the frontier, and in the
next reign the Roman boundary began to advance, and with the ex-
ception of a short interval under the weak rule of Leo VI the process
continued without serious check till under Nicephorus II North Syria
and West Mesopotamia were restored to the obedience of the Emperor.
Having thus crushed the raiders from Melitene, Bardas set himself to crush
those from Crete, who had extended their ravages to Proconnesus, and in
866 he and Michael marched to the mouth of the Maeander to cross to
the island; but he was foully assassinated (21 April) and the expedition
abandoned. Crete therefore remained a pirates' nest fòr nearly 100 years
longer.
Meanwhile another struggle had been for many years going on in
Sicily. Since an attack upon Sicily did not involve immediate danger to
the heart of the Empire, its affairs were treated as of secondary importance;
and, as no fleet was stationed there, it was always open to attack from
the African Arabs, and in such cases the Emperor could only either send
a special force, if eastern affairs allowed him to do so, or beg the help of
the Italian republics which still retained a nominal allegiance to the
Empire. In 752 the Arabs had raided Sicily and forced Sardinia to pay
tribute, and the attack was repeated in 763. In 805 Ibrāhīm ibn al-
Aghlab (since 800 practically independent Emir of Africa) made a ten
years' truce with the patrician Constantine ; but nevertheless in 812 the
Arabs attacked some islands off Sicily. To meet these enemies, Gregory was
sent with a fleet by Michael I and obtained help from Gaeta and Amalfi.
Seven of his ships were captured off Lampedusa and the crews massacred,
but with the rest he lay in wait for the enemy and destroyed their whole
fleet. The Arabs then apologised for the breach of peace, and another
ten years' truce was made (813); but this was as little regarded as the
previous one, for in 819 the Emir Ziyādatallāh sent his cousin Mahomet
to raid Sicily; after which the peace was again renewed.
In consequence of the distance of Sicily from the seat of government,
and the little attention paid to its affairs by the Emperors, it was easy
for a usurper to start up there; and such a usurper could always, like
Elpidius, in case of necessity find a refuge with the Arabs. About 825
the turmarch Euphemius rose against the patrician Gregoras, defeated
and killed him, and made himself master of Sicily; and in 826 Constantine
## p. 135 (#177) ############################################
Invasion of Sicily
135
was sent as patrician with fresh forces, but he too after a defeat at Catania
was taken and put to death. A successful resistance was however offered by
an Armenian whom the Arabs call Balāta', and Euphemius fled to Africa
to ask not merely a refuge but the help of the Emir. Then, charges having
been made against the Romans of detaining Muslim prisoners, the treaty
was declared to have been broken and an expedition resolved upon, at
the head of which was placed the judge Asad, the chief advocate of war.
On 15 June 827 the Arabs landed at Mazzara and defeated Balāta, who
fled to Enna (Castrogiovanni) and thence to Calabria, where he soon
afterwards died. After the invaders had seized some forts, the Sicilians sent
envoys and paid tribute; but, hearing that they were preparing for an at-
tack, Asad continued his march, and, when reinforced by ships from Africa
and Spain, besieged Syracuse. A relieving force from Palermo was defeated
(828); but the Arabs suffered severely both from famine, which caused
discontent in the army, and from plague, which carried off Asad himself
(July), to succeed whom they chose Mahomet ibn Abi' l-Jawārī. Theo-
dotus now came with a fleet as patrician, and the Venetians, at the Emperor's
request, sent ships. The Emir being occupied with a Frankish invasion,
the Arabs were forced to raise the siege, and, unable in face of the hostile
fleet to return to Africa, burned their ships and retreated.
Marching north-west, they forced Mineo to surrender after three
days; and then the army divided, one detachment occupying Girgenti
while the other besieged the strong fortress of Enna. During this siege
Euphemius, who had accompanied the invaders, was assassinated by some
citizens who obtained access to him on pretence of saluting him as
emperor. Theodotus came from Syracuse to relieve Enna and entered
the town, but he was defeated in a sortie, while a Venetian fleet sent to
attack Mazzara returned unsuccessful. Soon afterwards Mahomet died,
and under his successor Zuhair fortune turned against the Arabs. After
a foraging party had been defeated, Zuhair next day attacked in force,
but was routed and besieged in his camp, and soon afterwards, while
trying a night surprise, was caught in an ambush and again routed. He
then retired to Mineo, where the Arabs were besieged, and, being reduced
to great straits by hunger, at last surrendered? The garrison of Girgenti
on hearing the news destroyed the town and retired to Mazzara.
The invaders were, however, relieved by the arrival of some adventurers
from Spain, who in 830 began to ravage Sicily, but agreed to work with
the Africans on condition that their leader Asbagh had the command.
The combined force marched into the interior. Mineo was taken and
destroyed (August), and Theodotus soon afterwards defeated and killed;
but the plague again broke out and caused the death of Aşbagh, after
which the Arabs retreated, suffering much from the attacks of the Romans
i Perhaps kovpor alárns.
? This I infer from the facts that the Cambridge Chronicle places the Arab cap-
ture of Mineo in 830/1, and that we hear no more of Zuhair.
CH. V.
## p. 136 (#178) ############################################
136
Fall of Palermo
on the way. Most of the Spanish Arabs then returned; but on account
of the eastern war Theophilus could not send reinforcements, and, when
early in 831 the Emir's cousin Mahomet arrived with new forces to take
command, the Arabs were able to besiege Palermo, which, reduced to ex-
tremities, surrendered on condition that the commandant with his family
and property, the bishop-elect, and a few others were allowed to retire by
sea (September). Palermo was henceforth the Arab capital.
Dissensions between African and Spanish Arabs for a time prevented
an advance; but early in 834 the Arabs attacked Enna, and in 835
Mahomet himself assaulted the town and captured the commandant's
wife and son; but on his return to Palermo he was murdered by some
conspirators, who fled to the Romans. His successor, Fadl ibn Ya'qub,
raided the district of Syracuse, and another force, finding its road blocked
by the patrician, won a victory, in which the Roman commander was
wounded and with difficulty rescued. On 12 September, however, Mahomet's
brother Abū’l-Aghlab arrived with a fleet as governor, after some of his
ships had been wrecked and others captured; he immediately sent out a
squadron which took some Roman vessels and another which captured a
fire-ship at Pantellaria. The crews of these were all beheaded. In 836
Faņl raided the Aeolian islands, took some forts on the north coast, and
captured eleven ships. On the other hand, an Arab land-force was defeated
and its commander made prisoner, but afterwards ransomed, and another
suffered a reverse before Enna. Early in 837, however, on a winter night
the Arabs entered Enna, but, unable to take the citadel, accepted a
ransom and returned with spoil. The same year they besieged Cefalù ;
but a stubborn resistance was made, and in 838 reinforcements from the
East under the Caesar Alexius, whom Theophilus had sent with a fleet to
command in Sicily, forced them to retreat, pursued by the Romans, who
inflicted several defeats on them. In 839, however, the birth of an heir
caused the Emperor to recall and degrade his son-in-law.
The death of the Emir Ziyādatallāh (10 June 838) and consequent un-
certainty as to affairs in Sicily caused operations to be suspended for some
months; but in 839 his successor Aghlab sent ships which raided the
Roman districts, and in 840 Caltabellotta, Platani, Corleone, and Sutera
were forced to pay tribute. Theophilus, unable to withdraw forces from the
East, had in 839 asked help of the Venetians and even of the Franks
and of the Emir of Spain; and in 840 sixty Venetian ships attacked the
Arab fleet, then at Taranto, but these were nearly all taken and the crews
massacred. In 841 the Arabs sacked Caltagirone; in 843 a fleet under
Fadl ibn Jaʼfar, assisted by the Neapolitans, who for protection against
the Duke of Benevento had allied themselves with the Arabs, attacked
Messina, and after a long resistance took it by an unexpected attack
from the land side; and in 845 Modica and other fortresses in the south-
east were taken.
During the armistice in the East the troops of the Charsianite
## p. 137 (#179) ############################################
Fall of Enna
137
of
clisura were sent to Sicily; but towards the end of 845 ‘Abbās ibn al-
Faờl ibn Ya'qub defeated them with heavy loss, and in 847 Faļl ibn
Ja'far besieged Leontini, and after inducing the garrison by a trick to
make a sortie caught them in an ambush, whereupon the citizens sur-
rendered on condition that their lives and property were spared. In 848
the Roman ships landed a force eight miles from Palermo ; but the men
missed their way and returned, and seven of the ships were lost in a
storm. The same year Ragusa near Modica surrendered and was destroyed
(August).
On 17 January 851 Abū’l-Aghlab died after a government of fifteen
years, during which (probably on account of dissensions such as those
which had caused his predecessor's death) he had never left Palermo. His
successor, ‘Abbās ibn al-Fadl, was a man very
different character. As
soon as his appointment was confirmed by the Emir Mahomet, he himself
took the field, sending his uncle Rabbāh in advance to Caltavuturo,
which submitted to pay tribute', while the prisoners were put to death
by ‘Abbās, who himself ravaged the territory of Enna but failed to draw
the garrison out to battle. He repeated the raid in 852 and defeated a
hostile force, sending the heads of the slain to Palermo. Then in 853 he
made a great expedition by way of Enna to the east coast, where he raided
Catania, Syracuse, Noto, and Ragusa (this had been re-occupied by the
Romans), and after a siege of five months forced Butera to capitulate on
condition that 5000 persons were handed over as slaves. In 856 he took
five fortresses, and in 857 harried Taormina and Syracuse and compelled
another place to surrender after two months' siege on the terms that
200 of the chief men were allowed to go free; the rest he sold as slaves,
and he destroyed the fort. The same year Cefalù capitulated and was
destroyed; but, as being on the coast it was more easily defended, he
was obliged to allow all the inhabitants their freedom. In 858 he again
raided Enna and Syracuse and took Gagliano, returning in the winter to
Enna; here he took a prisoner of note, who to save his life showed him
a way into the fortress, which after a resistance of 30 years fell (26 Jan-
uary 859). All fighting men were put to death and a mosque built.
.
This event led Bardas to take vigorous measures; and in the autumn,
while negotiations were proceeding with the Caliph, he sent his connexion
by marriage, Constantine Contomytes, to Sicily with large reinforcements.
'Abbās met them with an army and fleet, defeated them near Syracuse,
drove them back to their ships, some of which were taken, and returned
to Palermo for the winter. They had, however, suffered little; and,
when in 860 Platani, Sutera, Caltabellotta, Caltavuturo, and other towns
revolted, an army came to support them. 'Abbās defeated the Romans
and besieged Platani and another fort, but was compelled to return
northward by the news that another army was marching towards Palermo.
1 This seems to follow from its revolt in 860.
CH. V.
## p. 138 (#180) ############################################
138
Expeditions of Khafāja
Having met these new enemies near Cefalù, he forced them to retreat in
disorder to Syracuse; the revolted towns, without hope of succour, sub-
mitted; and the governor gave orders to re-fortify and garrison Enna, so
that the road to the west might no longer be open to the enemy. In 861
he raided Syracuse, but on his return fell ill and died (15 August). The
Romans with mean revenge afterwards dug up and burned his body. He
was the real conqueror of Sicily.
The Aghlabid Emirs, probably from fear of an independent power
arising in Sicily, had been in the habit of appointing princes of their house
to the governorship. To this ‘Abbās had been a notable exception, having
been chosen by the officers in Sicily; and, if a similar appointment had
been made after his death, the conquest would have been soon completed.
But the Emir Aḥmad reverted to the earlier practice; instead of confirming
two temporary governors who had been appointed locally, he sent his
kinsman Khafāja (July 862). The new governor was for a time detained
by troubles among the Saracens; but in February 864 Noto was betrayed
to him, and soon afterwards he took Scicli. In 865 he marched by Enna,
ravaging the country, to Syracuse, where a fleet joined him, but on four
ships being captured he despaired of taking the city and returned; and his
son, whom he sent with a small force to harass the enemy, lost 1000 men in
an ambush and retreated. In 866 he again came to Syracuse, and thence
to the district of Mt Etna, where he accepted an offer of tribute from
Taormina. He then marched against Ragusa, which submitted on con-
dition that the inhabitants were allowed to go free with their goods and
animals; but these he nevertheless seized. After more successes he fell ill
and returned. Meanwhile Taormina revolted.
Thus the Muslim conquest was complete but for Taormina and Syra-
cuse and a few other places on the east coast, which still owned allegiance
to the Byzantine Empire. Syracuse only fell in 878, Taormina not till
902 ; nevertheless Sicily may now already be called a Muslim outpost.
(B)
THE STRUGGLE WITH THE SARACENS (867–1057).
The struggle with the Saracens constituted the chief problem with
which the foreign policy of Basil I had to deal. The circumstances were
as favourable as they could possibly be, because during his reign the Empire
lived in peaceful relations with its other neighbours: in the east with
Armenia, in the north with young Russia and Bulgaria, and in the west
with Venice and Germany.
## p. 139 (#181) ############################################
Basil I
139
The favourable conditions in which Basil I was placed in his relation
with the Eastern and Western Saracens become clearer when we bear in
mind the following considerations.
1. Owing to the rapidly increasing influence of the Turks at the
Caliph's court, internal dissensions were continually breaking out in the
Eastern Caliphate.
2. Egypt became independent in 868, owing to the fact that a new
dynasty, that of the Tūlūnids, had been founded there.
3. Civil war had broken out among the North African Saracens.
4. The relations of the Spanish Umayyads with the local Christian
population were beset with difficulties.
Basil I was occupied during the first four years of his reign with
military operations against the Western Saracens, for during this time
peace was not violated on the eastern frontier. The help which the
Byzantine fleet in 868 gave to Ragusa, which at that time was being
besieged by the Saracens, forced the latter to withdraw and was thus the
means of strengthening the Byzantine influences on the shores of the
Adriatic.
The troubles in South Italy compelled the intervention of the Western
Emperor Louis II, who, having concluded an alliance with Basil I and
with the Pope, took Bari on 2 February 871. Of the important places in
South Italy only Taranto now remained in the hands of the Saracens.
The position of Byzantium was not improved during these four years in
Sicily, where only Taormina and Syracuse remained in her power; the
occupation of the island of Malta by the Saracens in August 870 com-
pletely surrounded Sicily with Saracen possessions, for all the other islands
in that region already belonged to them.
In the east Basil I, wishing to re-establish peace and union with the
Paulicians, who had been severely persecuted by the Empress Theodora,
sent to them in 869-870 Peter the Sicilian as his ambassador, but his
mission was not successful, and the extravagant demands of Chrysochir,
the leader of the Paulicians, led to war.
The campaigns of 871 and 872 gave Tephrice, the chief town of the
Paulicians, into the power of Basil, and also a whole chain of other
fortified places. In one of the battles Chrysochir himself was slain. The
fugitive Paulicians found a ready welcome from the Saracens.
This war with the Paulicians extended the Byzantine frontier as far
as the Saracen Melitene (Malațīyah), and set Basil free to advance against
the Eastern Saracens. In 873 war was declared, and Basil captured Zapetra
(Sozopetra) and Samosata, but in the end he was totally defeated near
Malațīyah.
From 874 to 877 was a period of calm. In the east and in Sicily, we
do not hear of any military operations. In Italy, after the death of the
Emperor Louis II, the Byzantine troops occupied the town of Bari at
the request of the inhabitants, and apparently at this time, in the years
сн. у.
## p. 140 (#182) ############################################
140
Loss of Syracuse
874-877, the Byzantine fleet captured Cyprus; but it remained in the
possession of the Greeks only for seven years.
The year 878 was disastrous to the military policy of Byzantium :
on 21 May the Saracens took Syracuse by assault after a siege of nine
months. Thus the only town in Sicily remaining in the hands of the
Greeks was Taormina. The loss of Syracuse was the turning-point in the
history of Basil's foreign relations. His foreign policy proved a complete
failure, and the last eight years of his reign were occupied in casual and
comparatively small encounters. In the east there were frequent conflicts,
but of an undecided character; success alternated sometimes in favour
of one side and sometimes of the other, but in no case to the glory of the
Byzantine arms.
From 886 Basil was in friendly relations with the Armenian King,
Ashot I, the Bagratid, whose State formed a useful buffer against the
Eastern Saracens.
In Sicily the usual skirmishes went on, and it was only
in South Italy that the Byzantine troops began to gain victories, more
especially after the arrival of Nicephorus Phocas? in command. But in this
year Basil died (29 August 886).
During his reign the Empire had lost much in the west, but in Asia
Minor, notwithstanding some failures, the frontier was considerably ad-
vanced eastwards, and thus the Byzantine influence, which had been some-
what weakened, was to a great extent restored.
If Basil I lived in peace with his neighbours, with the exception of the
Saracens, it was very different with his successor Leo VI the Wise (886–
912). Immediately after his accession to the throne, military operations
began in Bulgaria, and this war, which terminated with the peace of 893,
brought much humiliation upon the Empire. The peace lasted about
twenty years. In connexion with the Bulgarian war, for the first time the
Hungarians enter into the history of Byzantium, and towards the end of
the reign of Leo the Russians appeared before Constantinople. Armenia,
which was in alliance with Byzantium, during the whole of Leo's reign was
subjected to Arabian invasions, and the Emperor of Byzantium had not
the strength to help the Armenian King Sempad (Smbat); it was only at
the end of his reign that Leo went to the aid of Armenia, but he died
during the campaign. The question about the fourth marriage of the
Emperor caused great division in the Empire. It was thus evident that
the conditions of the struggle between the Byzantine Empire and the
Saracens were becoming more difficult.
During the first fourteen years of the reign of Leo VI, from 886
to 900, the Greeks suffered frequent defeats in the east, at the Cilician
Gates and in the west of Cilicia, where the Saracens successfully advanced
along the coast as well as into the interior of the country. The failures
1 The grandfather of the future Emperor of the same name. See supra, Chapter
III, p. 69.
## p. 141 (#183) ############################################
Disasters under Leo VI
141
on land and the naval defeat of Rāghib in 898 off the coast of Asia Minor
compelled the Byzantine government to recall the energetic Nicephorus
Phocas from Italy, and about 900 he arrived in Asia Minor. Affairs in
Sicily grew worse and worse with every year. In 888 the imperial fleet
suffered a severe defeat at Mylae (now Milazzo); but the Byzantines were
somewhat helped by the fact that the Saracens were at that time occupied
with their own internal dissensions and in conflicts with the African
Aghlabids. Some successes gained by the Byzantine arms in Italy had no
influence on the general conditions of the struggle between Leo VI and
the Saracens. In the east, Nicephorus Phocas by his victory at Adana in
900 justified the hopes that had been placed in him; but the success of
the Byzantines came with this nearly to a standstill.
The first years of the tenth century were signalised by a whole series
of misfortunes for the Byzantine Empire, in the west as well as in the east.
In the west, the Saracen chief Abū’l-'Abbās took possession of Reggio in
Calabria on 10 June 901, and the Aghlabid Emir Ibrāhīm captured
on 1 August 902 Taormina, the last fortified place of the Greeks in
Sicily.
With the fall of Taormina, Sicily was entirely in the power of the
Saracens. It is true that several unimportant points, as for instance
Demona, still remained in the hands of the Greeks, but this had no im-
portance whatever for the future history of Byzantium. From 902 onwards
Sicilian events do not exercise any influence on the course of Byzantine
political affairs. In the second half of Leo's reign, the eastern policy of the
Empire is quite independent of his relations with the Sicilian Saracens.
The first years of the tenth century were also signalised by important
events on sea. At the end of the ninth century the Saracens of Crete
had already begun their devastating attacks on the coast of the Pelopon-
nesus ; indeed, they held in their power the whole of the Aegean Sea.
We
possess information about their attacks on the islands of Naxos,
Patmos, Paros, Aegina, and Samos. But it was during the first years
of the tenth century that these maritime invasions of the Saracens became
especially threatening. Their two strong fleets—the Syrian and the Cretan
–frequently acted together. In 902 the Saracen fleet laid waste the islands
of the Aegean Sea, and destroyed the rich and populous town of Deme-
trias on the coast of Thessaly. In the summer of 904, another Saracen
fleet, under the command of the Greek renegade, Leo of Tripolis, made
an attack on the south coast of Asia Minor, and, in the month of July
of the same year, took possession of the important town of Attalia.
Leo then had the intention of going towards Constantinople, the town
“preserved by God. ” But having entered the Hellespont and captured
Abydos, the chief custom-house port for ships going to Byzantium, he
suddenly departed, and then, coasting round the peninsula of Chalcidice,
approached Thessalonica. Himerius, who was sent against him, did not
dare to engage the Saracen fleet in battle.
CH. V.
## p. 142 (#184) ############################################
142
Naval disasters
The Saracen ships approached Thessalonica on 29 July 904, and made
an unexpected assault upon it. The story of the siege, which lasted from
29 to 31 July, is well known to us from a work of John Cameniates.
Thessalonica passed into the power of the Saracens on 31 July 904, but
they shortly afterwards departed for Syria with many prisoners and rich
booty. It was only after this misfortune that the Byzantine government
began to fortify Attalia and Thessalonica.
The naval failures of 902–904 induced the Emperor Leo to give
greater attention to the fleet, which was so quickly and greatly im-
proved that in 906 Himerius was enabled to gain a brilliant victory over
the Saracens, and in the summer of 910 he was therefore placed at the
head of a large naval expedition, directed against the allied Eastern and
Cretan Arabs. Detailed accounts of the composition of this expedition
are preserved in the Ceremonies of Constantine Porphyrogenitus.
However, the result of the expedition did not correspond to all
these great preparations, for after some success at Cyprus Himerius
suffered a severe defeat near the isle of Samos in October 911 and lost
the greater part of his fleet. On the death of Leo VI, Himerius returned
to Constantinople, and was shut up in a monastery by the Emperor
Alexander.
In the east, on land, from 900, the usual military operations were
carried on with varying success.
Byzantine policy, in its relation to the Saracens, proved a complete
failure under Leo VI: in the west, Sicily was definitely lost; in the south
of Italy, after Nicephorus Phocas had been recalled, the success of the
Byzantine arms was brought to a close; on the eastern frontier, the
Saracens were still steadily, if slowly, advancing, especially in Cilicia ; on
sea, Byzantium met with a whole series of most ruinous disasters.
The reign of Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus is divided into three
periods: 1. From 913 to 919—the government of his mother Zoë, who
acted as regent during his minority. 2. From 919 to 944—the government
of Romanus Lecapenus. 3. From 945 to 959—the absolute government
of Constantine himself.
The period down to 927 was occupied with the obstinate and unhappy
war with the Bulgarian King Simeon, during which Byzantium was obliged
to concentrate all its efforts against this terrible enemy. At this time
it was impossible even to think of any regular organised action against the
Saracens. It was a happy circumstance for Byzantium that the Caliphate
itself was passing at the same time through the epoch of its dissolution,
which was caused by internal dissensions and the rise of separate inde-
pendent dynasties. Consequently, down to 927 the encounters with the
Saracens were of the usual harassing and monotonous character, and
generally resulted to the advantage of the Saracen arms. It was only in
921 or 922 that the Byzantine fleet gained a great naval victory near
## p. 143 (#185) ############################################
Constantine VII: the decline of the Caliphate
143
the island of Lemnos over the renowned hero of 904, Leo of Tripolis. In
927 Byzantium concluded peace with the Bulgarian King Peter, who had
succeeded Simeon, and was thus free to turn her attention towards the
Saracens.
In the time of Romanus Lecapenus, eminent leaders arose in the armies
of both adversaries; in that of the Greeks, the Domestic John Curcuas,
who, after some defeats in Saracen Armenia, fought with success in the
frontier province of Mesopotamia, and in 934 captured Melitene (Mala-
tīyah). The new Saracen leader was Saif-ad-Daulah, sovereign of Aleppo
and chief of the independent dynasty of the Hamdānids. He strengthened
himself at the expense of the Caliph of Baghdad, and began successful mili-
tary operations in the regions of the Upper Euphrates. This induced the
Emperor to enter into friendly negotiations with the Caliph of Baghdad
and with the Egyptian sovereigns, the Ikhshīdids. But disturbances in
the Eastern Caliphate and other difficulties drew the attention of Saif-
ad-Daulah away from the Byzantine frontier, and this explains why John
Curcuas, in the fourth decade, gained a series of easy victories in Armenia
and Upper Mesopotamia, and in 942–3 captured the towns of Mayyā-
farīqīn (Martyropolis), Dara, and Nisibis. In 944 Edessa, after a severe
siege, succumbed to the Greeks, and was obliged to deliver up her
precious relic, the miraculous image of the Saviour (T) uavdíniov, or
pavonacov), which was with great solemnity transferred to Constantinople.
In 945 Constantine Porphyrogenitus became absolute ruler of the
Byzantine Empire. Down to the very year of his death (959) military
operations did not cease in the east, where hischief adversary was the already
famous Saif-ad-Daulah, who, having settled in 947 his difficulties with
the Egyptian Ikhshīdids, turned against Byzantium. In the beginning the
advantage was with the Greeks. In 949 they seized Marʻash (Germanicea);
in 950 they totally defeated Saif-ad-Daulah in the narrow passage near the
town of Hadath; and in 952 they crossed the Euphrates and took the
Mesopotamian town of Sarūj. But in 952 and 953 Saif-ad-Daulah defeated
the Greeks not far from Marash and took the son of the Domestic prisoner.
In 954 Saif-ad-Daulah gained a fresh victory over the Domestic Bardas
Phocas near Hadath, and in 956 the future Emperor John Tzimisces was
defeated by him in the province of the Upper Euphrates near the fortress
of Tall-Baţrīq. Only in 957 did success turn to the side of the Greeks.
In this year Hadath surrendered to them. In 958 John Tzimisces defeated
the Arabs in Northern Mesopotamia and took Samosata. During the life
of Constantine Porphyrogenitus, Saif-ad-Daulah was unable to avenge
himself upon the Greeks for these last failures.
If the fighting on the eastern frontier was difficult for Byzantium and
was far from being always successful, the maritime operations of the
Byzantine fleet ended in total disaster. In 949 a great naval expedition
was undertaken against the Cretan Arabs, who, as was always the case,
were greatly feared, and were desolating the coast of Greece and the
CH. V.
## p. 144 (#186) ############################################
144
War on the Euphrates
islands of the Aegean Sea. To further the success of the enterprise, the
Emperor entered into friendly relations with their enemies the Spanish
Saracens. The Emperor has left in his Ceremonies a detailed account of
the composition and equipment of this expedition'. The incompetent
patrician Constantine Gongylas, who had been given the chief command
of the Byzantine fleet, landed troops at Crete, but suffered a terrible
defeat and lost the greater part of his vessels.
The monotonous conflicts of the Greeks with the Saracens in the
west, in Italy and in Sicily, did not have any influence on the general
course of events.
It is true that the military operations in the east, during the reign of
Constantine, were not always successful for the Byzantine Empire ; but
the advance of the last years in removing the frontier beyond the Euphrates
laid the foundation for the brilliant triumphs of his successors.
The reign of the weak Emperor Romanus II is distinguished by great
victories of the Byzantine arms over the Saracens, thanks to the talents
and energy of Nicephorus Phocas, the future Emperor.
This great general captured the island of Crete in March 961, and thus
destroyed the nest of pirates who had struck terror into the inhabitants
of the islands and of the always open shores of the Mediterranean Sea.
After having enjoyed a triumph in Constantinople, Nicephorus Phocas
was removed to the eastern frontier and he began there also a successful
war with Saif-ad-Daulah. At the end of 961 or in the beginning of 962
he seized Anazarbus; in 962 he captured Maríash, Ra'bān, and Dulūk
(Doliche); in the vicinity of Manbij he took prisoner the famous poet Abú-
Firās, the governor of the town; and, at last, in December of the same
year, he took possession of Aleppo, the capital of the Hamdānid Emirs,
after a difficult siege. All these places, however, did not remain in the
hands of the Greeks, for Nicephorus Phocas retired to the Byzantine
territory.
Less successful were the military operations of the Byzantine troops
in the west, and especially in Sicily. Taormina, as it is well known, was
taken by the Saracens in 902, but was again lost by them. And now, on
24 December 962, after a siege of seven months, the Saracens captured it
once more; and there remained in the hands of the Greeks only the inac-
cessible Rametta, situated in the eastern part of the island.
The reigns of Nicephorus Phocas, John Tzimisces, and Basil II
Bulgaroctonus, the three next successors of Romanus II, when viewed
from the side of the military successes of the Empire in its fight with the
Saracens, form the most glorious and successful period of Byzantine history.
After the death of Romanus, 15 March 963, his brilliant general
| De Ceremoniis, 11. 45, pp. 664-678.
## p. 145 (#187) ############################################
Advance under Nicephorus Phocas
145
Nicephorus Phocas, who was adored by his troops, was proclaimed Emperor
by them on 2 July of that year, at Caesarea in Cappadocia. Upon arriving
at Constantinople he quickly overthrew Joseph Bringas, who had been
all-powerful at court, and was then crowned on 16 August. To consolidate
his power he married Theophano, the late Emperor's widow, who had
been regent of the Empire.
The new Emperor turned his chief attention to the east, although he
was drawn away at times by his hostile relations with the Bulgarians.
His policy towards Bulgaria brought about the intervention of the
Russian Prince Svyatoslav, and caused conflicts in Italy with the Western
Emperor Otto the Great.
In the summer of 964 Nicephorus Phocas arrived in Cilicia, and since
Adana had been abandoned by its inhabitants, he concentrated his energies
upon Mamistra (Mopsuestia) and Tarsus. While his armies were besieging
these towns, the lighter detachments devastated the north and south of
Cilicia, took Anazarbus, and even advanced to the boundaries of Syria,
where they took possession of the seaport town of Rhosus. In the mean-
time the sieges of Mamistra and Tarsus were so unsuccessful that the Em-
peror returned to Cappadocia for the winter, leaving a detachment of
sufficient strength to watch the besieged towns. At the renewal of military
operations in 965,Mamistra and Tarsus were so greatly exhausted by famine
and disease that they were incapable of holding out any longer; on
13 June 965 Mamistra was taken, and on 16 August Tarsus surrendered.
In this year, 965, in connexion with the campaign on land, we may
mention the conquest of Cyprus by the patrician Nicetas Chalcutzes,
about which only very meagre accounts have been preserved. The Egyp-
tian fleet, which was ordered to convey provisions to the besieged Tarsus
and to recover Cyprus from the Greeks, appeared in August 965 off
the southern coast of Asia Minor and suffered defeat. The conquest of
Cyprus gave into the hands of Byzantium dominion over the north-eastern
shore of the Mediterranean Sea, and the general results of the cainpaign
of 965 were such that the possession of Cilicia and the island of Cyprus
opened for Nicephorus the road to Syria.
On 23 June 966, near Samosata on the Euphrates, an exchange of
prisoners took place, and the Arab poet Abū-Firās, already known to
us, obtained his freedom. Fighting, however, was renewed in the autumn,
when Nicephorus Phocas appeared in the east and invaded the districts
surrounding Amida and Dara, and besieged Manbij (Hierapolis) in north-
east Syria, from whose inhabitants he demanded and received one of
the Christian relics belonging to the town, a brick on which the image of
the Saviour was impressed. Advancing far over the borders of Syria, he
drew near to the accomplishment of his chief design, the conquest of
Antioch. He began to besiege the city in October 966, but it was so well
fortified that Nicephorus Phocas could not at this time capture it, and so,
raising the siege, he returned to Constantinople by way of Tarsus.
C. VED, H. VOL. IV. CH, V.
10
## p. 146 (#188) ############################################
146
Capture of Antioch and Aleppo
In January 967 the chief antagonist of Nicephorus Phocas in the
east, Saif-ad-Daulah, died after a prolonged illness, and was succeeded by
his son Sa'd-ad-Daulah. The war with Bulgaria and disturbances inside
the Empire did not allow Nicephorus to profit by the difficulties arising
from the succession to the throne of the Hamdānids, and consequently
the year 967 is only marked by insignificant conflicts with the Saracens,
which did not always end to the advantage of the Byzantine troops. Only
in the latter half of 968 was the Emperor free to depart again to the
east. The chief aim of this campaign was the conquest of the two most
important towns of Syria, Antioch and Aleppo. Before beginning a
regular siege of these towns, he made devastating incursions into Syria;
towns one after another succumbed to his attacks. Emesa, Tripolis, Arca,
Țarațūs (Tortosa), Marāqīyah, Jiblah (Byblus), Laodicea also, suffered
much from the Byzantine troops.
Nicephorus began now to besiege Antioch in earnest, but was again
unsuccessful. Leaving Peter Phocas, the stratopedarch, with the army at
Antioch, the Emperor returned to the capital. During his stay there
important events were happening near Antioch. Dissensions and dis-
turbances broke out there, and profiting by these quarrels Peter Phocas
and Michael Burtzes, the commander of the garrison of the fortress of
Baghras, took possession of Antioch on 28 October 969. The chief object
was now obtained; the city was in the hands of the Byzantine Emperor.
An enormous booty fell to the share of the conquerors. Soon after this
the Byzantine troops advanced against the Syrian town of Aleppo, which,
at the end of 969 or in the beginning of January 970, after a siege of
twenty-seven days, also passed into their hands.
The curious text of the treaty concluded by Peter Phocas with
Qarghūyah, who was at that time in possession of Aleppo, is still preserved.
By this treaty the boundaries in Syria were accurately fixed and a list of
localities was drawn up, some of which passed into the possession of the
Greek Emperor and others into feudal dependence. Antioch, the most
important of the conquered towns, was annexed to the Empire; but
Aleppo only became a vassal. The population was subjected to taxation
for the benefit of Byzantium; the Christians living under Muslim rule
were, however, freed from all imposts. The Emir of Aleppo was obliged
to assist the Emperor in case of war with the non-Musulman inhabitants
of these provinces. The restoration of the destroyed churches was guaran-
teed to the Christians. The Emir of Aleppo was also obliged to give pro-
tection to the Byzantine commercial caravans when entering his territory.
It was agreed that, after the deaths of the ruler of Aleppo, Qarghūyah, and
his successor Bakjūr, the new governor of Aleppo could only be appointed
by the Emperor from the nobility of Aleppo. Rules were even prescribed
about the surrender of run-away slaves, and so on. This treaty was only
ratified after the death of Nicephorus Phocas, who fell by the hands of
assassins on the night of 10–11 December 969. We can say that never
## p. 147 (#189) ############################################
John Tzimisces in Syria
147
before were the Saracens subjected to such humiliation as during the reign
of Nicephorus Phocas. Cilicia and a part of Syria were taken away from
them, and a great part of their territory acknowledged itself as being in
vassal dependence upon the Empire.
The military operations of the troops of Nicephorus in Sicily did not
correspond with his successes in the east. In Sicily, as we have said, only
one town, Rametta, remained in the hands of the Greeks, and this was
besieged by the Saracens in 964. To help the besieged town, a great fleet
was despatched under the command of Manuel. But the troops which
had been landed were defeated, and in 965 Rametta was taken by assault.
The whole of Sicily thus passed into the hands of the Saracens. In 967 a
durable peace was concluded between Nicephorus Phocas and the Fāțimite
Caliph Mu'izz, to whom Sicily was in subjection.
During the first years of his reign, John Tzimisces was unable personally
to take part in the military operations on the eastern frontier. The wars
with the Russian Prince Svyatoslav and with Bulgaria, and the revolt of
Bardas Phocas, required his unremitting attention. But the wars finished
successfully and the revolt of Bardas Phocas was crushed. The dissensions
which had broken out in Italy found a happy solution in the marriage of
the Byzantine Princess Theophano with the heir to the German throne,
the future Emperor Otto II. It was only when these questions had been
settled that John Tzimisces was able to turn to the east.
In the meantime, a difficult problem arose there, namely, how to retain
all the new acquisitions which Nicephorus Phocas had won in Cilicia and
Syria. In 971 the Egyptian Fāțimite Mu'izz despatched one of his com-
manders into Syria for the purpose of conquering Antioch. The city was
subjected to a severe siege, and was only saved by an unexpected attack
by the Carmathians on the Egyptian troops, who were compelled to raise
the siege and to retire hurriedly to the south. At the news Tzimisces,
who was at that time in Bulgaria, immediately sent Michael Burtzes to
the assistance of Antioch; and he at once rebuilt the town-wall, which had
suffered much. In 973 Mleh (Melchi) an Armenian, who commanded
the Greek troops, invaded the north of Mesopotamia, devastated the
provinces of Nisibis, Mayyāfarīqin, and Edessa, and captured Malațīyah,
but he suffered a severe defeat near Amida and died in captivity.
These successes of the Greeks angered the Saracens to such an extent
that a revolution broke out in Baghdad, and the people demanded an
immediate declaration of a holy war (jihād) against the victorious Em-
pire. So far as we can judge from the fragmentary and confused accounts
of the sources, in 974 John Tzimisces himself set out to the east. He
there concluded an alliance with Armenia and victoriously passed along
the route of the campaign of 973, i. e. through Amida, Mayyāfariqin, and
Nisibis. Special significance attached to his campaign in the east in 975,
concerning which a very valuable document in the form of a letter by the
ca. V.
1042
## p. 148 (#190) ############################################
148
Basil II
Emperor to his ally, the Armenian King Ashot III, has been preserved
by the Armenian historian, Matthew of Edessa. The plan of this campaign
is striking owing to its very audacity: the Emperor aimed at freeing
Jerusalem from the power of the Saracens, and thus he undertook an
actual crusade.
On leaving Antioch, the Emperor passed Emesa and turned to Baalbek,
which was taken after a vain resistance. Damascus also voluntarily sur-
rendered, and promised to pay tribute and to fight for the Byzantines.
Turning to the south, the Emperor entered north Palestine, and the
towns of Tiberias and Nazareth as well as Caesarea on the coast voluntarily
surrendered to him ; from Jerusalem itself came a petition to be spared
a sack. But apparently he was not in sufficient strength to advance
further, and he directed his march along the sea-coast to the north,
capturing a whole series of towns: Beyrout (Berytus), Sidon, Jiblah
(Byblus), Balanea, Gabala, Barzūyah (Borzo); but at Tripolis the troops
of the Emperor were defeated. “To-day all Phoenicia, Palestine, and
Syria,” says the Emperor with some exaggeration in his letter to Ashot,
“are freed from the Saracen yoke and acknowledge the dominion of the
Romans, and in addition the great mountain of Lebanon has become
subject to our authority. ” In September 975 the imperial troops retired
to Antioch, and the Emperor himself returned to his capital, where he
died on 10 January 976.
לל
After the death of John Tzimisces, the two young sons of Romanus II,
Basil and Constantine, succeeded. Basil became the head of the govern-
ment. The first three years of their reign were occupied with quelling
the rebellion of Bardas Sclerus on the eastern frontier, among whose troops
were not a few Saracens. This revolt was suppressed by the Greek com-
mander Bardas Phocas in 979, but only with much difficulty. Bardas
Sclerus escaped to the Caliph of Baghdad, who welcomed a useful prisoner.
Bardas Phocas remained in the east and fought the Saracens, especially
the weakened Hamdānids, with alternating success, and he endeavoured
to counteract the rapidly increasing influence of the Egyptian Fățimites
in Syria.
In 986 began the famous Bulgarian war, which lasted for more than
thirty years and ended in 1019 with the destruction of the Bulgarian
kingdom of Samuel. Such an arduous and prolonged war might naturally
have turned the attention of Basil II completely away from the eastern
frontier of the Empire, but in fact he was compelled to intervene, through
serious complications which were taking place there. Bardas Phocas, the
victor over Bardas Sclerus, having fallen into disgrace at court, was
proclaimed Emperor by his troops in 987, and Bardas Sclerus, having
escaped from captivity in Baghdad, also appeared in Asia Minor. Bardas
Phocas, however, captured him by a stratagem, and then crossed Asia
Minor to the Hellespont. The condition of Byzantium was at this time
## p. 149 (#191) ############################################
War with the Faţimites
149
very difficult: from the east the troops of Bardas Phocas were advancing
to the capital, and from the north the Bulgarians were pressing on. To
this time we must refer the negotiations of Basil II with the Russian
Prince Vladímir and the consequent appearance at Byzantium of a Russian
contingent of 6000 men. Basil II did not lose his presence of mind. With
fresh forces he fought Bardas Phocas in 989, and in this battle the latter
was slain. The Empire was thus freed from one of its dangers. In the
same year a new insurrection of Bardas Sclerus was crushed.
During this time Syria was subjected to attacks by the troops of the
Egyptian Fāțimites, who several times assaulted Aleppo. Aleppo begged
the Greeks for help and the Emperor sent Michael Burtzes, the governor
of Antioch, to its assistance; but he suffered a severe defeat on the river
Orontes in 994.
pillaged Seleucia in Syria (839). Abū-Sa'īd, having fortified Seleucia, in
841 made another invasion and carried off captives, but the Romans
pursued him into Cilicia and recovered them. In a second inroad he
fared no better, and the Romans took Adata and Germanicea and occupied
part of the territory of Melitene. Theophilus now again sent presents and
asked for an exchange of prisoners; Mu'taşim, while refusing a formal
exchange, sent richer presents in return, and promised, if the prisoners
· See supra, p. 125, n. 2.
## p. 131 (#173) ############################################
Disintegration of the Caliphate
131
were released, to release double the number. On these terms a truce was
made.
In January 842 both sovereigns died; the Empire passed to a woman
and a child, and the Caliphate to a man of pleasure; and for some
time few serious operations were undertaken, though in 842 a fleet under
Abū-Dīnār sailed for the Aegean, but it was shattered by a storm off
Chelidonia in Lycia, and few ships returned. The Cretan pirates were,
however, a constant menace; in 841 they were ravaging the Asiatic coast
when a party which had landed near Ephesus was annihilated by the
Thracesian strategus Constantine Contomytes. In 843 Theodora's chief
minister Theoctistus, who knew nothing of war, sailed with a large fleet
to expel them from Crete (March), and by force of numbers was on
the point of succeeding, when on a report that Theodora had proclaimed
a new Emperor he returned, and his men, left without a leader, were cut
to pieces. In 844 Omar of Melitene made an inroad as far as Malagina;
Theoctistus, who again took command, was defeated on the Mauropota-
mus', and many of his men deserted to the enemy. An exchange of prison-
ers was then effected on the river Lamus (16 September 845). After the
truce had expired (26 October) Aḥmad, Emir of Tarsus, made an invasion
by the Cilician Gates; but heavy snow and rain came on; many men died
from exposure, some were drowned in the Podandus, others captured, and
Aḥmad retreated before the enemy; whereupon his officers forced him
to leave the province, and the Caliph Wathiq appointed Nașr to succeed
him (17 January 846). After this we hear of no invasions till 851; and
the raids on the Cilician frontier were henceforth of small account. The
disuse of the suburban fire-signals (ascribed to Michael III's fear of
their spoiling the circus-games) was therefore of little importance. In
851 an Armenian revolt enabled the Romans to recover Camacha.
Theodosiopolis and Arsamosata they failed to take, but with Armenian
help defeated and killed Yusuf, Emir of Armenia, in Taron (March
852), retreating, however, on the arrival of reinforcements sent by the
Caliph Mutawakkil.
After Mu'taşim's death the disintegration of the Caliphate, which had
already begun, rapidly advanced. Owing to the hatred in Baghdad for
the large Turkish guard instituted by Mu'taşim, that Caliph removed
(836) to the petty town of Sāmarrā, where his Turks were free from all
restraint. He was strong enough to control them; but his feeble suc-
cessors became the puppets of these mercenaries, who cared little for
imperial interests, while the Emirs paid small respect to a government
directed by Turks. Hence the central authority grew continually weaker,
and the local governors became semi-independent rulers, each looking
after the affairs of his own province with little interference from the
central power. Moreover a system had been introduced of breaking up
the great provinces and placing the frontier-districts under separate
1 Probably the Bithynian Melas (Vasil'ev, 1. p. 55, n. 2).
CH. v.
9--2
## p. 132 (#174) ############################################
132
Expeditions to Damietta
governors. Besides that of al-Awāşim, Cilicia, perhaps for a time attached
to it, was, probably in 808, made a province under the name of Thughūr-
ash-Shām (frontiers of Syria) with its capital at Tarsus, and before 820
we find a province of Thughūr al-Jazīra (frontiers of Mesopotamia), ex-
tending from Kaisum and Germanicea to the northern Euphrates, with
its capital at Melitene. These two provinces contained fifteen fortresses
occupied by military colonies, of which that of Tarsus amounted to 5000
men, and those . of Adata and Melitene to 4000 each; and behind these
in case of necessity lay the six fortresses of al-'Awāşim. This system,
probably founded on the Roman themes and clisurae, was intended to
provide a special frontier force under commanders whose sole business
was to carry on the war against the Empire and to defend the frontier;
but in consequence of the weakening of the central power the result was
that they had to do this almost entirely out of their local resources.
Mu'tasim indeed on his return from the campaign of 838 gave the com-
mand to Abū-Saʻīd by special commission; but under his successors the
frontier governors were left to themselves, and enjoyed so much inde-
pendence that Omar of Melitene held office at least twenty-eight years
and 'Ali of Tarsus at least eleven. Moreover, Omar spent much time
and weakened his forces by fighting with a neighbour or rival. Thus
the Romans had only petty disunited chiefs with whom to contend, and
henceforward the war went more and more in their favour.
In 853 they sailed to Danietta, probably in order to prevent the
sending of supplies to Crete, burned the town, killed the men, carried the
women, Muslim and Christian, into captivity, and seized a store of arms
intended for Crete (22 May). Simultaneously two other squadrons attacked
Syrian ports; and it was perhaps in connexion with these operations that
the Anatolic strategus Photinus was transferred to Crete, where he effected
a landing, but, though reinforced from Constantinople, was finally defeated
and with difficulty escaped. This event caused Mutawakkil to re-create an
Egyptian fleet and fortify Damietta; it was probably in order to hinder
these operations that in 854 the Romans came again to Damietta, where
they remained plundering for a month. The new fleet was, however, of
small account, and Egyptian warships really play little part in history till
the Fāțimite period. In 855 a Roman army destroyed Anazarbus, which
had been lately re-fortified, and carried off the gipsies who had been settled
there in 835. Theodora then asked for an exchange of prisoners, and
the Caliph, after sending (December) Nașr the Shi'ite to discover how
many Muslim prisoners there were, agreed, and the exchange took place
on the Lamus (21 February 856).
In the summer of 856 the Romans marched from Camacha by
Arsamosata to the neighbourhood of Amida and returned by way of
Tephrice, the new stronghold of the Paulicians, who, when persecuted by
Leo V, had sought the protection of the Emir of Melitene and had been
settled in Argaus. They had increased in numbers during the persecu-
## p. 133 (#175) ############################################
Battle of Chonarium
133
tion of Theodora, and were now useful auxiliaries to the Arabs. Omar of
Melitene and the Paulician Carbeas pursued the invaders on their retreat,
but without success. After this Omar was for some years detained by
dissensions at home; but in 858 Bugha marched from Damascus in July
and took Semaluos.
The Empire was now under the rule of the capable and energetic
Bardas, who had ousted Theodora from power in 856. He realised that
under the new conditions a vigorous effort might rid Asia Minor of the
standing scourge of the raids. In 859 therefore, while a fleet attacked
Pelusium (June), a large army under Michael in person, accompanied by
Bardas, besieged Arsamosata? ; but on the third day, a Sunday, when the
Emperor was at the Eucharist, a sortie was made by the garrison, and the
besiegers retreated in confusion; they abandoned the imperial tents, but
were able to return with captives from the country-side.
On 31 May Constantine Triphyllius had reached Sāmarrā with 77
prisoners and a request for a general exchange, and after the retreat Nașr
was sent to Constantinople to discuss the matter ; but the negotiations
were delayed by an event at Lulum, where the garrison, not having re-
ceived their pay, excluded their commandant from the town and, when
Michael sent to offer them 1000 denarii apiece to surrender the fortress,
sent two hostages to Constantinople with an expression of willingness to
accept Christianity (November). On receiving the arrears, however, they
handed over the envoy to 'Ali's lieutenant, who sent him to the Caliph
(March 860). He was ordered to accept Islām on pain of death, and the
result of Michael's offer of 1000 Muslims for him is unknown. On the
news reaching Constantinople negotiations were resumed, and the general
exchange took place at the end of April.
In 860 a still more formidable force, which included the Thracian
and Macedonian as well as the Asiatic themes, set out under the Emperor
himself to meet Omar and Carbeas, who had reached Sinope; but Michael
was recalled by the news that a Russian fleet had come to the mouth of
the Mauropotamus on its way to Constantinople. After the retreat of
the Russians (June) he rejoined the army and overtook the enemy at
Chonarium near Dazimon, but was defeated and was glad even to secure
a safe retreat. The same year a fleet under Faďl took Attalia. In 863
Omar with a large force sacked the flourishing city of Amisus, and Bardas,
who was himself no general, placed his brother Petronas at the head of
a vast army which comprised the Asiatic and European themes and the
household troops. Omar marched south, intending to return by way of
i Genesius says 'Samosata’; but he states that the invasion was made to stop
Omar's raids, and Omar had nothing to do with Samosata, which was in neither of
the frontier provinces. Also to reach it they would have had to pass many strong
places. The MSS. of Țabari have 'Arsamosata,''Samosata' being an emendation
from Ibn al-Athir and Abū’l Maḥāsin.
2 This must be the meaning of the Greek (Th. Mel. , p. 158). The name Mauro-
potamus (supra, p. 131, n. 1) perhaps covers the lower course of the Sangarius.
CH, V.
## p. 134 (#176) ############################################
134"
Battle of Poson
Arabissus; but at Poson near the right bank of the Halys, probably not
far from Nyssa, the Arabs found the surrounding hills occupied and were
almost annihilated (3 September). Here the old Emir fell fighting,
while his son with 100 men escaped over the Halys, but was captured
by the clisurarch of Charsianum. The Romans then advanced into
Mesopotamia, where 'Ali, who had been transferred to Armenia in 862,
came from Martyropolis (Mayyāfarīqīn) to meet them, but he also was
defeated and killed. After this, insignificant raids continued to be
made from Tarsus, and some more serious inroads by the Paulicians;
but the Emir of Melitene could only defend the frontier, and in the
next reign the Roman boundary began to advance, and with the ex-
ception of a short interval under the weak rule of Leo VI the process
continued without serious check till under Nicephorus II North Syria
and West Mesopotamia were restored to the obedience of the Emperor.
Having thus crushed the raiders from Melitene, Bardas set himself to crush
those from Crete, who had extended their ravages to Proconnesus, and in
866 he and Michael marched to the mouth of the Maeander to cross to
the island; but he was foully assassinated (21 April) and the expedition
abandoned. Crete therefore remained a pirates' nest fòr nearly 100 years
longer.
Meanwhile another struggle had been for many years going on in
Sicily. Since an attack upon Sicily did not involve immediate danger to
the heart of the Empire, its affairs were treated as of secondary importance;
and, as no fleet was stationed there, it was always open to attack from
the African Arabs, and in such cases the Emperor could only either send
a special force, if eastern affairs allowed him to do so, or beg the help of
the Italian republics which still retained a nominal allegiance to the
Empire. In 752 the Arabs had raided Sicily and forced Sardinia to pay
tribute, and the attack was repeated in 763. In 805 Ibrāhīm ibn al-
Aghlab (since 800 practically independent Emir of Africa) made a ten
years' truce with the patrician Constantine ; but nevertheless in 812 the
Arabs attacked some islands off Sicily. To meet these enemies, Gregory was
sent with a fleet by Michael I and obtained help from Gaeta and Amalfi.
Seven of his ships were captured off Lampedusa and the crews massacred,
but with the rest he lay in wait for the enemy and destroyed their whole
fleet. The Arabs then apologised for the breach of peace, and another
ten years' truce was made (813); but this was as little regarded as the
previous one, for in 819 the Emir Ziyādatallāh sent his cousin Mahomet
to raid Sicily; after which the peace was again renewed.
In consequence of the distance of Sicily from the seat of government,
and the little attention paid to its affairs by the Emperors, it was easy
for a usurper to start up there; and such a usurper could always, like
Elpidius, in case of necessity find a refuge with the Arabs. About 825
the turmarch Euphemius rose against the patrician Gregoras, defeated
and killed him, and made himself master of Sicily; and in 826 Constantine
## p. 135 (#177) ############################################
Invasion of Sicily
135
was sent as patrician with fresh forces, but he too after a defeat at Catania
was taken and put to death. A successful resistance was however offered by
an Armenian whom the Arabs call Balāta', and Euphemius fled to Africa
to ask not merely a refuge but the help of the Emir. Then, charges having
been made against the Romans of detaining Muslim prisoners, the treaty
was declared to have been broken and an expedition resolved upon, at
the head of which was placed the judge Asad, the chief advocate of war.
On 15 June 827 the Arabs landed at Mazzara and defeated Balāta, who
fled to Enna (Castrogiovanni) and thence to Calabria, where he soon
afterwards died. After the invaders had seized some forts, the Sicilians sent
envoys and paid tribute; but, hearing that they were preparing for an at-
tack, Asad continued his march, and, when reinforced by ships from Africa
and Spain, besieged Syracuse. A relieving force from Palermo was defeated
(828); but the Arabs suffered severely both from famine, which caused
discontent in the army, and from plague, which carried off Asad himself
(July), to succeed whom they chose Mahomet ibn Abi' l-Jawārī. Theo-
dotus now came with a fleet as patrician, and the Venetians, at the Emperor's
request, sent ships. The Emir being occupied with a Frankish invasion,
the Arabs were forced to raise the siege, and, unable in face of the hostile
fleet to return to Africa, burned their ships and retreated.
Marching north-west, they forced Mineo to surrender after three
days; and then the army divided, one detachment occupying Girgenti
while the other besieged the strong fortress of Enna. During this siege
Euphemius, who had accompanied the invaders, was assassinated by some
citizens who obtained access to him on pretence of saluting him as
emperor. Theodotus came from Syracuse to relieve Enna and entered
the town, but he was defeated in a sortie, while a Venetian fleet sent to
attack Mazzara returned unsuccessful. Soon afterwards Mahomet died,
and under his successor Zuhair fortune turned against the Arabs. After
a foraging party had been defeated, Zuhair next day attacked in force,
but was routed and besieged in his camp, and soon afterwards, while
trying a night surprise, was caught in an ambush and again routed. He
then retired to Mineo, where the Arabs were besieged, and, being reduced
to great straits by hunger, at last surrendered? The garrison of Girgenti
on hearing the news destroyed the town and retired to Mazzara.
The invaders were, however, relieved by the arrival of some adventurers
from Spain, who in 830 began to ravage Sicily, but agreed to work with
the Africans on condition that their leader Asbagh had the command.
The combined force marched into the interior. Mineo was taken and
destroyed (August), and Theodotus soon afterwards defeated and killed;
but the plague again broke out and caused the death of Aşbagh, after
which the Arabs retreated, suffering much from the attacks of the Romans
i Perhaps kovpor alárns.
? This I infer from the facts that the Cambridge Chronicle places the Arab cap-
ture of Mineo in 830/1, and that we hear no more of Zuhair.
CH. V.
## p. 136 (#178) ############################################
136
Fall of Palermo
on the way. Most of the Spanish Arabs then returned; but on account
of the eastern war Theophilus could not send reinforcements, and, when
early in 831 the Emir's cousin Mahomet arrived with new forces to take
command, the Arabs were able to besiege Palermo, which, reduced to ex-
tremities, surrendered on condition that the commandant with his family
and property, the bishop-elect, and a few others were allowed to retire by
sea (September). Palermo was henceforth the Arab capital.
Dissensions between African and Spanish Arabs for a time prevented
an advance; but early in 834 the Arabs attacked Enna, and in 835
Mahomet himself assaulted the town and captured the commandant's
wife and son; but on his return to Palermo he was murdered by some
conspirators, who fled to the Romans. His successor, Fadl ibn Ya'qub,
raided the district of Syracuse, and another force, finding its road blocked
by the patrician, won a victory, in which the Roman commander was
wounded and with difficulty rescued. On 12 September, however, Mahomet's
brother Abū’l-Aghlab arrived with a fleet as governor, after some of his
ships had been wrecked and others captured; he immediately sent out a
squadron which took some Roman vessels and another which captured a
fire-ship at Pantellaria. The crews of these were all beheaded. In 836
Faņl raided the Aeolian islands, took some forts on the north coast, and
captured eleven ships. On the other hand, an Arab land-force was defeated
and its commander made prisoner, but afterwards ransomed, and another
suffered a reverse before Enna. Early in 837, however, on a winter night
the Arabs entered Enna, but, unable to take the citadel, accepted a
ransom and returned with spoil. The same year they besieged Cefalù ;
but a stubborn resistance was made, and in 838 reinforcements from the
East under the Caesar Alexius, whom Theophilus had sent with a fleet to
command in Sicily, forced them to retreat, pursued by the Romans, who
inflicted several defeats on them. In 839, however, the birth of an heir
caused the Emperor to recall and degrade his son-in-law.
The death of the Emir Ziyādatallāh (10 June 838) and consequent un-
certainty as to affairs in Sicily caused operations to be suspended for some
months; but in 839 his successor Aghlab sent ships which raided the
Roman districts, and in 840 Caltabellotta, Platani, Corleone, and Sutera
were forced to pay tribute. Theophilus, unable to withdraw forces from the
East, had in 839 asked help of the Venetians and even of the Franks
and of the Emir of Spain; and in 840 sixty Venetian ships attacked the
Arab fleet, then at Taranto, but these were nearly all taken and the crews
massacred. In 841 the Arabs sacked Caltagirone; in 843 a fleet under
Fadl ibn Jaʼfar, assisted by the Neapolitans, who for protection against
the Duke of Benevento had allied themselves with the Arabs, attacked
Messina, and after a long resistance took it by an unexpected attack
from the land side; and in 845 Modica and other fortresses in the south-
east were taken.
During the armistice in the East the troops of the Charsianite
## p. 137 (#179) ############################################
Fall of Enna
137
of
clisura were sent to Sicily; but towards the end of 845 ‘Abbās ibn al-
Faờl ibn Ya'qub defeated them with heavy loss, and in 847 Faļl ibn
Ja'far besieged Leontini, and after inducing the garrison by a trick to
make a sortie caught them in an ambush, whereupon the citizens sur-
rendered on condition that their lives and property were spared. In 848
the Roman ships landed a force eight miles from Palermo ; but the men
missed their way and returned, and seven of the ships were lost in a
storm. The same year Ragusa near Modica surrendered and was destroyed
(August).
On 17 January 851 Abū’l-Aghlab died after a government of fifteen
years, during which (probably on account of dissensions such as those
which had caused his predecessor's death) he had never left Palermo. His
successor, ‘Abbās ibn al-Fadl, was a man very
different character. As
soon as his appointment was confirmed by the Emir Mahomet, he himself
took the field, sending his uncle Rabbāh in advance to Caltavuturo,
which submitted to pay tribute', while the prisoners were put to death
by ‘Abbās, who himself ravaged the territory of Enna but failed to draw
the garrison out to battle. He repeated the raid in 852 and defeated a
hostile force, sending the heads of the slain to Palermo. Then in 853 he
made a great expedition by way of Enna to the east coast, where he raided
Catania, Syracuse, Noto, and Ragusa (this had been re-occupied by the
Romans), and after a siege of five months forced Butera to capitulate on
condition that 5000 persons were handed over as slaves. In 856 he took
five fortresses, and in 857 harried Taormina and Syracuse and compelled
another place to surrender after two months' siege on the terms that
200 of the chief men were allowed to go free; the rest he sold as slaves,
and he destroyed the fort. The same year Cefalù capitulated and was
destroyed; but, as being on the coast it was more easily defended, he
was obliged to allow all the inhabitants their freedom. In 858 he again
raided Enna and Syracuse and took Gagliano, returning in the winter to
Enna; here he took a prisoner of note, who to save his life showed him
a way into the fortress, which after a resistance of 30 years fell (26 Jan-
uary 859). All fighting men were put to death and a mosque built.
.
This event led Bardas to take vigorous measures; and in the autumn,
while negotiations were proceeding with the Caliph, he sent his connexion
by marriage, Constantine Contomytes, to Sicily with large reinforcements.
'Abbās met them with an army and fleet, defeated them near Syracuse,
drove them back to their ships, some of which were taken, and returned
to Palermo for the winter. They had, however, suffered little; and,
when in 860 Platani, Sutera, Caltabellotta, Caltavuturo, and other towns
revolted, an army came to support them. 'Abbās defeated the Romans
and besieged Platani and another fort, but was compelled to return
northward by the news that another army was marching towards Palermo.
1 This seems to follow from its revolt in 860.
CH. V.
## p. 138 (#180) ############################################
138
Expeditions of Khafāja
Having met these new enemies near Cefalù, he forced them to retreat in
disorder to Syracuse; the revolted towns, without hope of succour, sub-
mitted; and the governor gave orders to re-fortify and garrison Enna, so
that the road to the west might no longer be open to the enemy. In 861
he raided Syracuse, but on his return fell ill and died (15 August). The
Romans with mean revenge afterwards dug up and burned his body. He
was the real conqueror of Sicily.
The Aghlabid Emirs, probably from fear of an independent power
arising in Sicily, had been in the habit of appointing princes of their house
to the governorship. To this ‘Abbās had been a notable exception, having
been chosen by the officers in Sicily; and, if a similar appointment had
been made after his death, the conquest would have been soon completed.
But the Emir Aḥmad reverted to the earlier practice; instead of confirming
two temporary governors who had been appointed locally, he sent his
kinsman Khafāja (July 862). The new governor was for a time detained
by troubles among the Saracens; but in February 864 Noto was betrayed
to him, and soon afterwards he took Scicli. In 865 he marched by Enna,
ravaging the country, to Syracuse, where a fleet joined him, but on four
ships being captured he despaired of taking the city and returned; and his
son, whom he sent with a small force to harass the enemy, lost 1000 men in
an ambush and retreated. In 866 he again came to Syracuse, and thence
to the district of Mt Etna, where he accepted an offer of tribute from
Taormina. He then marched against Ragusa, which submitted on con-
dition that the inhabitants were allowed to go free with their goods and
animals; but these he nevertheless seized. After more successes he fell ill
and returned. Meanwhile Taormina revolted.
Thus the Muslim conquest was complete but for Taormina and Syra-
cuse and a few other places on the east coast, which still owned allegiance
to the Byzantine Empire. Syracuse only fell in 878, Taormina not till
902 ; nevertheless Sicily may now already be called a Muslim outpost.
(B)
THE STRUGGLE WITH THE SARACENS (867–1057).
The struggle with the Saracens constituted the chief problem with
which the foreign policy of Basil I had to deal. The circumstances were
as favourable as they could possibly be, because during his reign the Empire
lived in peaceful relations with its other neighbours: in the east with
Armenia, in the north with young Russia and Bulgaria, and in the west
with Venice and Germany.
## p. 139 (#181) ############################################
Basil I
139
The favourable conditions in which Basil I was placed in his relation
with the Eastern and Western Saracens become clearer when we bear in
mind the following considerations.
1. Owing to the rapidly increasing influence of the Turks at the
Caliph's court, internal dissensions were continually breaking out in the
Eastern Caliphate.
2. Egypt became independent in 868, owing to the fact that a new
dynasty, that of the Tūlūnids, had been founded there.
3. Civil war had broken out among the North African Saracens.
4. The relations of the Spanish Umayyads with the local Christian
population were beset with difficulties.
Basil I was occupied during the first four years of his reign with
military operations against the Western Saracens, for during this time
peace was not violated on the eastern frontier. The help which the
Byzantine fleet in 868 gave to Ragusa, which at that time was being
besieged by the Saracens, forced the latter to withdraw and was thus the
means of strengthening the Byzantine influences on the shores of the
Adriatic.
The troubles in South Italy compelled the intervention of the Western
Emperor Louis II, who, having concluded an alliance with Basil I and
with the Pope, took Bari on 2 February 871. Of the important places in
South Italy only Taranto now remained in the hands of the Saracens.
The position of Byzantium was not improved during these four years in
Sicily, where only Taormina and Syracuse remained in her power; the
occupation of the island of Malta by the Saracens in August 870 com-
pletely surrounded Sicily with Saracen possessions, for all the other islands
in that region already belonged to them.
In the east Basil I, wishing to re-establish peace and union with the
Paulicians, who had been severely persecuted by the Empress Theodora,
sent to them in 869-870 Peter the Sicilian as his ambassador, but his
mission was not successful, and the extravagant demands of Chrysochir,
the leader of the Paulicians, led to war.
The campaigns of 871 and 872 gave Tephrice, the chief town of the
Paulicians, into the power of Basil, and also a whole chain of other
fortified places. In one of the battles Chrysochir himself was slain. The
fugitive Paulicians found a ready welcome from the Saracens.
This war with the Paulicians extended the Byzantine frontier as far
as the Saracen Melitene (Malațīyah), and set Basil free to advance against
the Eastern Saracens. In 873 war was declared, and Basil captured Zapetra
(Sozopetra) and Samosata, but in the end he was totally defeated near
Malațīyah.
From 874 to 877 was a period of calm. In the east and in Sicily, we
do not hear of any military operations. In Italy, after the death of the
Emperor Louis II, the Byzantine troops occupied the town of Bari at
the request of the inhabitants, and apparently at this time, in the years
сн. у.
## p. 140 (#182) ############################################
140
Loss of Syracuse
874-877, the Byzantine fleet captured Cyprus; but it remained in the
possession of the Greeks only for seven years.
The year 878 was disastrous to the military policy of Byzantium :
on 21 May the Saracens took Syracuse by assault after a siege of nine
months. Thus the only town in Sicily remaining in the hands of the
Greeks was Taormina. The loss of Syracuse was the turning-point in the
history of Basil's foreign relations. His foreign policy proved a complete
failure, and the last eight years of his reign were occupied in casual and
comparatively small encounters. In the east there were frequent conflicts,
but of an undecided character; success alternated sometimes in favour
of one side and sometimes of the other, but in no case to the glory of the
Byzantine arms.
From 886 Basil was in friendly relations with the Armenian King,
Ashot I, the Bagratid, whose State formed a useful buffer against the
Eastern Saracens.
In Sicily the usual skirmishes went on, and it was only
in South Italy that the Byzantine troops began to gain victories, more
especially after the arrival of Nicephorus Phocas? in command. But in this
year Basil died (29 August 886).
During his reign the Empire had lost much in the west, but in Asia
Minor, notwithstanding some failures, the frontier was considerably ad-
vanced eastwards, and thus the Byzantine influence, which had been some-
what weakened, was to a great extent restored.
If Basil I lived in peace with his neighbours, with the exception of the
Saracens, it was very different with his successor Leo VI the Wise (886–
912). Immediately after his accession to the throne, military operations
began in Bulgaria, and this war, which terminated with the peace of 893,
brought much humiliation upon the Empire. The peace lasted about
twenty years. In connexion with the Bulgarian war, for the first time the
Hungarians enter into the history of Byzantium, and towards the end of
the reign of Leo the Russians appeared before Constantinople. Armenia,
which was in alliance with Byzantium, during the whole of Leo's reign was
subjected to Arabian invasions, and the Emperor of Byzantium had not
the strength to help the Armenian King Sempad (Smbat); it was only at
the end of his reign that Leo went to the aid of Armenia, but he died
during the campaign. The question about the fourth marriage of the
Emperor caused great division in the Empire. It was thus evident that
the conditions of the struggle between the Byzantine Empire and the
Saracens were becoming more difficult.
During the first fourteen years of the reign of Leo VI, from 886
to 900, the Greeks suffered frequent defeats in the east, at the Cilician
Gates and in the west of Cilicia, where the Saracens successfully advanced
along the coast as well as into the interior of the country. The failures
1 The grandfather of the future Emperor of the same name. See supra, Chapter
III, p. 69.
## p. 141 (#183) ############################################
Disasters under Leo VI
141
on land and the naval defeat of Rāghib in 898 off the coast of Asia Minor
compelled the Byzantine government to recall the energetic Nicephorus
Phocas from Italy, and about 900 he arrived in Asia Minor. Affairs in
Sicily grew worse and worse with every year. In 888 the imperial fleet
suffered a severe defeat at Mylae (now Milazzo); but the Byzantines were
somewhat helped by the fact that the Saracens were at that time occupied
with their own internal dissensions and in conflicts with the African
Aghlabids. Some successes gained by the Byzantine arms in Italy had no
influence on the general conditions of the struggle between Leo VI and
the Saracens. In the east, Nicephorus Phocas by his victory at Adana in
900 justified the hopes that had been placed in him; but the success of
the Byzantines came with this nearly to a standstill.
The first years of the tenth century were signalised by a whole series
of misfortunes for the Byzantine Empire, in the west as well as in the east.
In the west, the Saracen chief Abū’l-'Abbās took possession of Reggio in
Calabria on 10 June 901, and the Aghlabid Emir Ibrāhīm captured
on 1 August 902 Taormina, the last fortified place of the Greeks in
Sicily.
With the fall of Taormina, Sicily was entirely in the power of the
Saracens. It is true that several unimportant points, as for instance
Demona, still remained in the hands of the Greeks, but this had no im-
portance whatever for the future history of Byzantium. From 902 onwards
Sicilian events do not exercise any influence on the course of Byzantine
political affairs. In the second half of Leo's reign, the eastern policy of the
Empire is quite independent of his relations with the Sicilian Saracens.
The first years of the tenth century were also signalised by important
events on sea. At the end of the ninth century the Saracens of Crete
had already begun their devastating attacks on the coast of the Pelopon-
nesus ; indeed, they held in their power the whole of the Aegean Sea.
We
possess information about their attacks on the islands of Naxos,
Patmos, Paros, Aegina, and Samos. But it was during the first years
of the tenth century that these maritime invasions of the Saracens became
especially threatening. Their two strong fleets—the Syrian and the Cretan
–frequently acted together. In 902 the Saracen fleet laid waste the islands
of the Aegean Sea, and destroyed the rich and populous town of Deme-
trias on the coast of Thessaly. In the summer of 904, another Saracen
fleet, under the command of the Greek renegade, Leo of Tripolis, made
an attack on the south coast of Asia Minor, and, in the month of July
of the same year, took possession of the important town of Attalia.
Leo then had the intention of going towards Constantinople, the town
“preserved by God. ” But having entered the Hellespont and captured
Abydos, the chief custom-house port for ships going to Byzantium, he
suddenly departed, and then, coasting round the peninsula of Chalcidice,
approached Thessalonica. Himerius, who was sent against him, did not
dare to engage the Saracen fleet in battle.
CH. V.
## p. 142 (#184) ############################################
142
Naval disasters
The Saracen ships approached Thessalonica on 29 July 904, and made
an unexpected assault upon it. The story of the siege, which lasted from
29 to 31 July, is well known to us from a work of John Cameniates.
Thessalonica passed into the power of the Saracens on 31 July 904, but
they shortly afterwards departed for Syria with many prisoners and rich
booty. It was only after this misfortune that the Byzantine government
began to fortify Attalia and Thessalonica.
The naval failures of 902–904 induced the Emperor Leo to give
greater attention to the fleet, which was so quickly and greatly im-
proved that in 906 Himerius was enabled to gain a brilliant victory over
the Saracens, and in the summer of 910 he was therefore placed at the
head of a large naval expedition, directed against the allied Eastern and
Cretan Arabs. Detailed accounts of the composition of this expedition
are preserved in the Ceremonies of Constantine Porphyrogenitus.
However, the result of the expedition did not correspond to all
these great preparations, for after some success at Cyprus Himerius
suffered a severe defeat near the isle of Samos in October 911 and lost
the greater part of his fleet. On the death of Leo VI, Himerius returned
to Constantinople, and was shut up in a monastery by the Emperor
Alexander.
In the east, on land, from 900, the usual military operations were
carried on with varying success.
Byzantine policy, in its relation to the Saracens, proved a complete
failure under Leo VI: in the west, Sicily was definitely lost; in the south
of Italy, after Nicephorus Phocas had been recalled, the success of the
Byzantine arms was brought to a close; on the eastern frontier, the
Saracens were still steadily, if slowly, advancing, especially in Cilicia ; on
sea, Byzantium met with a whole series of most ruinous disasters.
The reign of Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus is divided into three
periods: 1. From 913 to 919—the government of his mother Zoë, who
acted as regent during his minority. 2. From 919 to 944—the government
of Romanus Lecapenus. 3. From 945 to 959—the absolute government
of Constantine himself.
The period down to 927 was occupied with the obstinate and unhappy
war with the Bulgarian King Simeon, during which Byzantium was obliged
to concentrate all its efforts against this terrible enemy. At this time
it was impossible even to think of any regular organised action against the
Saracens. It was a happy circumstance for Byzantium that the Caliphate
itself was passing at the same time through the epoch of its dissolution,
which was caused by internal dissensions and the rise of separate inde-
pendent dynasties. Consequently, down to 927 the encounters with the
Saracens were of the usual harassing and monotonous character, and
generally resulted to the advantage of the Saracen arms. It was only in
921 or 922 that the Byzantine fleet gained a great naval victory near
## p. 143 (#185) ############################################
Constantine VII: the decline of the Caliphate
143
the island of Lemnos over the renowned hero of 904, Leo of Tripolis. In
927 Byzantium concluded peace with the Bulgarian King Peter, who had
succeeded Simeon, and was thus free to turn her attention towards the
Saracens.
In the time of Romanus Lecapenus, eminent leaders arose in the armies
of both adversaries; in that of the Greeks, the Domestic John Curcuas,
who, after some defeats in Saracen Armenia, fought with success in the
frontier province of Mesopotamia, and in 934 captured Melitene (Mala-
tīyah). The new Saracen leader was Saif-ad-Daulah, sovereign of Aleppo
and chief of the independent dynasty of the Hamdānids. He strengthened
himself at the expense of the Caliph of Baghdad, and began successful mili-
tary operations in the regions of the Upper Euphrates. This induced the
Emperor to enter into friendly negotiations with the Caliph of Baghdad
and with the Egyptian sovereigns, the Ikhshīdids. But disturbances in
the Eastern Caliphate and other difficulties drew the attention of Saif-
ad-Daulah away from the Byzantine frontier, and this explains why John
Curcuas, in the fourth decade, gained a series of easy victories in Armenia
and Upper Mesopotamia, and in 942–3 captured the towns of Mayyā-
farīqīn (Martyropolis), Dara, and Nisibis. In 944 Edessa, after a severe
siege, succumbed to the Greeks, and was obliged to deliver up her
precious relic, the miraculous image of the Saviour (T) uavdíniov, or
pavonacov), which was with great solemnity transferred to Constantinople.
In 945 Constantine Porphyrogenitus became absolute ruler of the
Byzantine Empire. Down to the very year of his death (959) military
operations did not cease in the east, where hischief adversary was the already
famous Saif-ad-Daulah, who, having settled in 947 his difficulties with
the Egyptian Ikhshīdids, turned against Byzantium. In the beginning the
advantage was with the Greeks. In 949 they seized Marʻash (Germanicea);
in 950 they totally defeated Saif-ad-Daulah in the narrow passage near the
town of Hadath; and in 952 they crossed the Euphrates and took the
Mesopotamian town of Sarūj. But in 952 and 953 Saif-ad-Daulah defeated
the Greeks not far from Marash and took the son of the Domestic prisoner.
In 954 Saif-ad-Daulah gained a fresh victory over the Domestic Bardas
Phocas near Hadath, and in 956 the future Emperor John Tzimisces was
defeated by him in the province of the Upper Euphrates near the fortress
of Tall-Baţrīq. Only in 957 did success turn to the side of the Greeks.
In this year Hadath surrendered to them. In 958 John Tzimisces defeated
the Arabs in Northern Mesopotamia and took Samosata. During the life
of Constantine Porphyrogenitus, Saif-ad-Daulah was unable to avenge
himself upon the Greeks for these last failures.
If the fighting on the eastern frontier was difficult for Byzantium and
was far from being always successful, the maritime operations of the
Byzantine fleet ended in total disaster. In 949 a great naval expedition
was undertaken against the Cretan Arabs, who, as was always the case,
were greatly feared, and were desolating the coast of Greece and the
CH. V.
## p. 144 (#186) ############################################
144
War on the Euphrates
islands of the Aegean Sea. To further the success of the enterprise, the
Emperor entered into friendly relations with their enemies the Spanish
Saracens. The Emperor has left in his Ceremonies a detailed account of
the composition and equipment of this expedition'. The incompetent
patrician Constantine Gongylas, who had been given the chief command
of the Byzantine fleet, landed troops at Crete, but suffered a terrible
defeat and lost the greater part of his vessels.
The monotonous conflicts of the Greeks with the Saracens in the
west, in Italy and in Sicily, did not have any influence on the general
course of events.
It is true that the military operations in the east, during the reign of
Constantine, were not always successful for the Byzantine Empire ; but
the advance of the last years in removing the frontier beyond the Euphrates
laid the foundation for the brilliant triumphs of his successors.
The reign of the weak Emperor Romanus II is distinguished by great
victories of the Byzantine arms over the Saracens, thanks to the talents
and energy of Nicephorus Phocas, the future Emperor.
This great general captured the island of Crete in March 961, and thus
destroyed the nest of pirates who had struck terror into the inhabitants
of the islands and of the always open shores of the Mediterranean Sea.
After having enjoyed a triumph in Constantinople, Nicephorus Phocas
was removed to the eastern frontier and he began there also a successful
war with Saif-ad-Daulah. At the end of 961 or in the beginning of 962
he seized Anazarbus; in 962 he captured Maríash, Ra'bān, and Dulūk
(Doliche); in the vicinity of Manbij he took prisoner the famous poet Abú-
Firās, the governor of the town; and, at last, in December of the same
year, he took possession of Aleppo, the capital of the Hamdānid Emirs,
after a difficult siege. All these places, however, did not remain in the
hands of the Greeks, for Nicephorus Phocas retired to the Byzantine
territory.
Less successful were the military operations of the Byzantine troops
in the west, and especially in Sicily. Taormina, as it is well known, was
taken by the Saracens in 902, but was again lost by them. And now, on
24 December 962, after a siege of seven months, the Saracens captured it
once more; and there remained in the hands of the Greeks only the inac-
cessible Rametta, situated in the eastern part of the island.
The reigns of Nicephorus Phocas, John Tzimisces, and Basil II
Bulgaroctonus, the three next successors of Romanus II, when viewed
from the side of the military successes of the Empire in its fight with the
Saracens, form the most glorious and successful period of Byzantine history.
After the death of Romanus, 15 March 963, his brilliant general
| De Ceremoniis, 11. 45, pp. 664-678.
## p. 145 (#187) ############################################
Advance under Nicephorus Phocas
145
Nicephorus Phocas, who was adored by his troops, was proclaimed Emperor
by them on 2 July of that year, at Caesarea in Cappadocia. Upon arriving
at Constantinople he quickly overthrew Joseph Bringas, who had been
all-powerful at court, and was then crowned on 16 August. To consolidate
his power he married Theophano, the late Emperor's widow, who had
been regent of the Empire.
The new Emperor turned his chief attention to the east, although he
was drawn away at times by his hostile relations with the Bulgarians.
His policy towards Bulgaria brought about the intervention of the
Russian Prince Svyatoslav, and caused conflicts in Italy with the Western
Emperor Otto the Great.
In the summer of 964 Nicephorus Phocas arrived in Cilicia, and since
Adana had been abandoned by its inhabitants, he concentrated his energies
upon Mamistra (Mopsuestia) and Tarsus. While his armies were besieging
these towns, the lighter detachments devastated the north and south of
Cilicia, took Anazarbus, and even advanced to the boundaries of Syria,
where they took possession of the seaport town of Rhosus. In the mean-
time the sieges of Mamistra and Tarsus were so unsuccessful that the Em-
peror returned to Cappadocia for the winter, leaving a detachment of
sufficient strength to watch the besieged towns. At the renewal of military
operations in 965,Mamistra and Tarsus were so greatly exhausted by famine
and disease that they were incapable of holding out any longer; on
13 June 965 Mamistra was taken, and on 16 August Tarsus surrendered.
In this year, 965, in connexion with the campaign on land, we may
mention the conquest of Cyprus by the patrician Nicetas Chalcutzes,
about which only very meagre accounts have been preserved. The Egyp-
tian fleet, which was ordered to convey provisions to the besieged Tarsus
and to recover Cyprus from the Greeks, appeared in August 965 off
the southern coast of Asia Minor and suffered defeat. The conquest of
Cyprus gave into the hands of Byzantium dominion over the north-eastern
shore of the Mediterranean Sea, and the general results of the cainpaign
of 965 were such that the possession of Cilicia and the island of Cyprus
opened for Nicephorus the road to Syria.
On 23 June 966, near Samosata on the Euphrates, an exchange of
prisoners took place, and the Arab poet Abū-Firās, already known to
us, obtained his freedom. Fighting, however, was renewed in the autumn,
when Nicephorus Phocas appeared in the east and invaded the districts
surrounding Amida and Dara, and besieged Manbij (Hierapolis) in north-
east Syria, from whose inhabitants he demanded and received one of
the Christian relics belonging to the town, a brick on which the image of
the Saviour was impressed. Advancing far over the borders of Syria, he
drew near to the accomplishment of his chief design, the conquest of
Antioch. He began to besiege the city in October 966, but it was so well
fortified that Nicephorus Phocas could not at this time capture it, and so,
raising the siege, he returned to Constantinople by way of Tarsus.
C. VED, H. VOL. IV. CH, V.
10
## p. 146 (#188) ############################################
146
Capture of Antioch and Aleppo
In January 967 the chief antagonist of Nicephorus Phocas in the
east, Saif-ad-Daulah, died after a prolonged illness, and was succeeded by
his son Sa'd-ad-Daulah. The war with Bulgaria and disturbances inside
the Empire did not allow Nicephorus to profit by the difficulties arising
from the succession to the throne of the Hamdānids, and consequently
the year 967 is only marked by insignificant conflicts with the Saracens,
which did not always end to the advantage of the Byzantine troops. Only
in the latter half of 968 was the Emperor free to depart again to the
east. The chief aim of this campaign was the conquest of the two most
important towns of Syria, Antioch and Aleppo. Before beginning a
regular siege of these towns, he made devastating incursions into Syria;
towns one after another succumbed to his attacks. Emesa, Tripolis, Arca,
Țarațūs (Tortosa), Marāqīyah, Jiblah (Byblus), Laodicea also, suffered
much from the Byzantine troops.
Nicephorus began now to besiege Antioch in earnest, but was again
unsuccessful. Leaving Peter Phocas, the stratopedarch, with the army at
Antioch, the Emperor returned to the capital. During his stay there
important events were happening near Antioch. Dissensions and dis-
turbances broke out there, and profiting by these quarrels Peter Phocas
and Michael Burtzes, the commander of the garrison of the fortress of
Baghras, took possession of Antioch on 28 October 969. The chief object
was now obtained; the city was in the hands of the Byzantine Emperor.
An enormous booty fell to the share of the conquerors. Soon after this
the Byzantine troops advanced against the Syrian town of Aleppo, which,
at the end of 969 or in the beginning of January 970, after a siege of
twenty-seven days, also passed into their hands.
The curious text of the treaty concluded by Peter Phocas with
Qarghūyah, who was at that time in possession of Aleppo, is still preserved.
By this treaty the boundaries in Syria were accurately fixed and a list of
localities was drawn up, some of which passed into the possession of the
Greek Emperor and others into feudal dependence. Antioch, the most
important of the conquered towns, was annexed to the Empire; but
Aleppo only became a vassal. The population was subjected to taxation
for the benefit of Byzantium; the Christians living under Muslim rule
were, however, freed from all imposts. The Emir of Aleppo was obliged
to assist the Emperor in case of war with the non-Musulman inhabitants
of these provinces. The restoration of the destroyed churches was guaran-
teed to the Christians. The Emir of Aleppo was also obliged to give pro-
tection to the Byzantine commercial caravans when entering his territory.
It was agreed that, after the deaths of the ruler of Aleppo, Qarghūyah, and
his successor Bakjūr, the new governor of Aleppo could only be appointed
by the Emperor from the nobility of Aleppo. Rules were even prescribed
about the surrender of run-away slaves, and so on. This treaty was only
ratified after the death of Nicephorus Phocas, who fell by the hands of
assassins on the night of 10–11 December 969. We can say that never
## p. 147 (#189) ############################################
John Tzimisces in Syria
147
before were the Saracens subjected to such humiliation as during the reign
of Nicephorus Phocas. Cilicia and a part of Syria were taken away from
them, and a great part of their territory acknowledged itself as being in
vassal dependence upon the Empire.
The military operations of the troops of Nicephorus in Sicily did not
correspond with his successes in the east. In Sicily, as we have said, only
one town, Rametta, remained in the hands of the Greeks, and this was
besieged by the Saracens in 964. To help the besieged town, a great fleet
was despatched under the command of Manuel. But the troops which
had been landed were defeated, and in 965 Rametta was taken by assault.
The whole of Sicily thus passed into the hands of the Saracens. In 967 a
durable peace was concluded between Nicephorus Phocas and the Fāțimite
Caliph Mu'izz, to whom Sicily was in subjection.
During the first years of his reign, John Tzimisces was unable personally
to take part in the military operations on the eastern frontier. The wars
with the Russian Prince Svyatoslav and with Bulgaria, and the revolt of
Bardas Phocas, required his unremitting attention. But the wars finished
successfully and the revolt of Bardas Phocas was crushed. The dissensions
which had broken out in Italy found a happy solution in the marriage of
the Byzantine Princess Theophano with the heir to the German throne,
the future Emperor Otto II. It was only when these questions had been
settled that John Tzimisces was able to turn to the east.
In the meantime, a difficult problem arose there, namely, how to retain
all the new acquisitions which Nicephorus Phocas had won in Cilicia and
Syria. In 971 the Egyptian Fāțimite Mu'izz despatched one of his com-
manders into Syria for the purpose of conquering Antioch. The city was
subjected to a severe siege, and was only saved by an unexpected attack
by the Carmathians on the Egyptian troops, who were compelled to raise
the siege and to retire hurriedly to the south. At the news Tzimisces,
who was at that time in Bulgaria, immediately sent Michael Burtzes to
the assistance of Antioch; and he at once rebuilt the town-wall, which had
suffered much. In 973 Mleh (Melchi) an Armenian, who commanded
the Greek troops, invaded the north of Mesopotamia, devastated the
provinces of Nisibis, Mayyāfarīqin, and Edessa, and captured Malațīyah,
but he suffered a severe defeat near Amida and died in captivity.
These successes of the Greeks angered the Saracens to such an extent
that a revolution broke out in Baghdad, and the people demanded an
immediate declaration of a holy war (jihād) against the victorious Em-
pire. So far as we can judge from the fragmentary and confused accounts
of the sources, in 974 John Tzimisces himself set out to the east. He
there concluded an alliance with Armenia and victoriously passed along
the route of the campaign of 973, i. e. through Amida, Mayyāfariqin, and
Nisibis. Special significance attached to his campaign in the east in 975,
concerning which a very valuable document in the form of a letter by the
ca. V.
1042
## p. 148 (#190) ############################################
148
Basil II
Emperor to his ally, the Armenian King Ashot III, has been preserved
by the Armenian historian, Matthew of Edessa. The plan of this campaign
is striking owing to its very audacity: the Emperor aimed at freeing
Jerusalem from the power of the Saracens, and thus he undertook an
actual crusade.
On leaving Antioch, the Emperor passed Emesa and turned to Baalbek,
which was taken after a vain resistance. Damascus also voluntarily sur-
rendered, and promised to pay tribute and to fight for the Byzantines.
Turning to the south, the Emperor entered north Palestine, and the
towns of Tiberias and Nazareth as well as Caesarea on the coast voluntarily
surrendered to him ; from Jerusalem itself came a petition to be spared
a sack. But apparently he was not in sufficient strength to advance
further, and he directed his march along the sea-coast to the north,
capturing a whole series of towns: Beyrout (Berytus), Sidon, Jiblah
(Byblus), Balanea, Gabala, Barzūyah (Borzo); but at Tripolis the troops
of the Emperor were defeated. “To-day all Phoenicia, Palestine, and
Syria,” says the Emperor with some exaggeration in his letter to Ashot,
“are freed from the Saracen yoke and acknowledge the dominion of the
Romans, and in addition the great mountain of Lebanon has become
subject to our authority. ” In September 975 the imperial troops retired
to Antioch, and the Emperor himself returned to his capital, where he
died on 10 January 976.
לל
After the death of John Tzimisces, the two young sons of Romanus II,
Basil and Constantine, succeeded. Basil became the head of the govern-
ment. The first three years of their reign were occupied with quelling
the rebellion of Bardas Sclerus on the eastern frontier, among whose troops
were not a few Saracens. This revolt was suppressed by the Greek com-
mander Bardas Phocas in 979, but only with much difficulty. Bardas
Sclerus escaped to the Caliph of Baghdad, who welcomed a useful prisoner.
Bardas Phocas remained in the east and fought the Saracens, especially
the weakened Hamdānids, with alternating success, and he endeavoured
to counteract the rapidly increasing influence of the Egyptian Fățimites
in Syria.
In 986 began the famous Bulgarian war, which lasted for more than
thirty years and ended in 1019 with the destruction of the Bulgarian
kingdom of Samuel. Such an arduous and prolonged war might naturally
have turned the attention of Basil II completely away from the eastern
frontier of the Empire, but in fact he was compelled to intervene, through
serious complications which were taking place there. Bardas Phocas, the
victor over Bardas Sclerus, having fallen into disgrace at court, was
proclaimed Emperor by his troops in 987, and Bardas Sclerus, having
escaped from captivity in Baghdad, also appeared in Asia Minor. Bardas
Phocas, however, captured him by a stratagem, and then crossed Asia
Minor to the Hellespont. The condition of Byzantium was at this time
## p. 149 (#191) ############################################
War with the Faţimites
149
very difficult: from the east the troops of Bardas Phocas were advancing
to the capital, and from the north the Bulgarians were pressing on. To
this time we must refer the negotiations of Basil II with the Russian
Prince Vladímir and the consequent appearance at Byzantium of a Russian
contingent of 6000 men. Basil II did not lose his presence of mind. With
fresh forces he fought Bardas Phocas in 989, and in this battle the latter
was slain. The Empire was thus freed from one of its dangers. In the
same year a new insurrection of Bardas Sclerus was crushed.
During this time Syria was subjected to attacks by the troops of the
Egyptian Fāțimites, who several times assaulted Aleppo. Aleppo begged
the Greeks for help and the Emperor sent Michael Burtzes, the governor
of Antioch, to its assistance; but he suffered a severe defeat on the river
Orontes in 994.
