Battle of Marash (953)
| Battle of Marash | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Marash 37°35′00″N 36°56′00″E / 37.5833°N 36.9333°E | |
| Result | Hamdanid victory |
Emirate of Aleppo
The Battle of Marash was fought in 953 near Marash (modern
Emir of Aleppo, Sayf al-Dawla, the Byzantines' most intrepid enemy during the mid-10th century. Despite being outnumbered, the Arabs defeated the Byzantines who broke and fled. Bardas Phokas himself barely escaped through the intervention of his attendants, and suffered a serious wound on his face, while his youngest son and governor of Seleucia, Constantine Phokas, was captured and held a prisoner in Aleppo until his death of an illness some time later. This debacle, coupled with defeats in 954 and again in 955, led to Bardas Phokas' dismissal as Domestic of the Schools, and his replacement by his eldest son, Nikephoros Phokas
(later emperor in 963–969).
Background
In the period from 945 to 967, the
Qaliqala (in 949).[4]
Sayf al-Dawla's main opponent during the first decade of continuous conflict with the Byzantines was the
Phokades commented on Bardas that although a good general under someone else's command, he was unable to adequately fulfil the role of commander-in-chief.[6] Sayf al-Dawla, on the other hand, has come down to us—mainly through the work of his court poets—as the archetype of Arab chivalry and a great warrior, but he was greatly hampered by lack of men and money, by rebellions in his domains, and by lack of support from the rest of the Muslim world.[7]
Campaign of 953
In early 953, Sayf al-Dawla launched what was perhaps his most memorable campaign. From Aleppo he marched to
Samosata and arrived once more at Duluk, where he received news that the Byzantines were already on their march home.[9]
According to the reports of his panegyrists, Sayf al-Dawla only had 600 riders to face the much larger Byzantine army. The Arabs caught up with the Byzantines at Gayhan near
patrikios Leo Maleinos. Bardas Phokas himself was wounded and was forced to hide in a basement to escape capture, while Constantine Phokas was taken captive with several other unnamed Byzantine leaders to Aleppo. Sayf al-Dawla also recovered the booty taken by the Byzantines and liberated their Muslim prisoners.[10] Constantine was held captive at Aleppo for some time, but died in captivity as a result of an illness, although various authors, both Arabs and Byzantines, have suggested that he was poisoned. In retaliation, Bardas Phokas is said to have ordered the execution of many Muslim prisoners, including some of Sayf al-Dawla's relatives.[11]
References
- ^ Kennedy 2004, pp. 276–278; Whittow 1996, p. 320.
- ^ Kennedy 2004, pp. 276–277.
- ^ Kennedy 2004, p. 277.
- ^ Treadgold 1997, pp. 479–484, 489; Whittow 1996, pp. 317–322.
- ^ Treadgold 1997, p. 492; Whittow 1996, p. 322.
- ^ Whittow 1996, pp. 322–323.
- ^ Kennedy 2004, pp. 265, 277; Whittow 1996, p. 334.
- ^ Vasiliev 1968, pp. 348–349.
- ^ Vasiliev 1968, pp. 349–350.
- ^ Vasiliev 1968, pp. 350–351.
- ^ Vasiliev 1968, pp. 351–352.
Sources
- ISBN 0-582-40525-4.
- Treadgold, Warren (1997). A History of the Byzantine State and Society. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-2630-2.
- Vasiliev, A.A. (1968). Byzance et les Arabes, Tome II, 1ére partie: Les relations politiques de Byzance et des Arabes à L'époque de la dynastie macédonienne (867–959) (in French). French ed.: Henri Grégoire, Marius Canard. Brussels: Éditions de l'Institut de Philologie et d'Histoire Orientales.
- Whittow, Mark (1996). The Making of Byzantium, 600–1025. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-20496-6.