Battle of Raban

Coordinates: 37°42′25″N 37°27′36″E / 37.7069°N 37.4600°E / 37.7069; 37.4600
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Battle of Raban
Part of the
Arab–Byzantine Wars

Map of the Arab-Byzantine frontier zone
DateOctober/November 958
Location
Result Byzantine victory
Belligerents
Byzantine Empire
Emirate of Aleppo
Commanders and leaders
John Tzimiskes
Basil Lekapenos
Sayf al-Dawla

The Battle of Raban was an engagement fought in autumn 958 near the fortress of

Emirate of Aleppo under the famed emir Sayf al-Dawla
(r. 945–967). The battle was a major victory for the Byzantines, and contributed to the demise of Hamdanid military power, which in the early 950s had proven a great challenge to Byzantium.

Background

In the period from 945 to 967, the

Qaliqala (in 949).[5]

His main enemy during the first decade of continuous conflict with the Byzantines was the

John Tzimiskes, resolved on a forward strategy and began raiding deep into Hamdanid territory.[2][4][6][7]

Tzimiskes's raids and the battle of Raban

In spring 956, Sayf al-Dawla pre-empted Tzimiskes from a planned assault on Amida in the Jazira, and invaded Byzantine territory first. Tzimiskes then seized a pass in Sayf al-Dawla's rear, and attacked him during his return. The hard-fought battle, fought amidst torrential rainfall, resulted in a Muslim victory as Tzimiskes lost 4,000 men. At the same time, however, Leo Phokas invaded Syria and defeated and captured Sayf al-Dawla's cousin, whom he had left behind in his stead.[2][6] In 957, Nikephoros took and razed the fortress of Hadath, and in the next spring, Tzimiskes invaded the Jazira.[2][8] There, he captured the fortress of Dara, and scored a crushing victory near Amida over an army led by one of Sayf al-Dawla's favourite lieutenants, the Circassian Nadja. Of Nadja's 10,000 troops, Tzimiskes reportedly killed half and captured more than half of the survivors.[2][9]

Reinforced with more troops under the

Abu Firas is said to have broken two lances in his first charge—but in the end, the Byzantines prevailed and the Muslim army broke and fled. Many of Sayf al-Dawla's court companions and ghilman fell in the pursuit, while over 1,700 of his cavalry were captured and paraded in the streets of Constantinople.[9][7]

Aftermath

The victory at Raban made clear that the Byzantines were gaining the upper hand over the Hamdanids. Their success also enabled them to retain control of Samosata, meaning that they had broken through the fortified frontier zone protecting northern Syria.[9][7] Nevertheless, the Hamdanid ruler was still in control of a potent military and capable of launching raids into Byzantine territory, until he suffered a catastrophic defeat in November 960 at the hands of Leo Phokas. Thereafter, Hamdanid military power was broken, Cilicia was annexed by the Byzantines in 964–965, and even Aleppo itself was captured briefly by the Byzantines in 962.[4][10]

References

  1. ^ Bianquis 1997, pp. 106–107; Kennedy 2004, pp. 276–278.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Bianquis 1997, p. 107.
  3. ^ Kennedy 2004, p. 276.
  4. ^ a b c Kennedy 2004, p. 277.
  5. ^ Treadgold 1997, pp. 479–484, 489.
  6. ^ a b c Treadgold 1997, p. 492.
  7. ^ a b c d Shepard 2010, p. 151.
  8. ^ Treadgold 1997, pp. 492–493.
  9. ^ a b c Treadgold 1997, p. 493.
  10. ^ Bianquis 1997, pp. 107–108; Treadgold 1997, pp. 495–497, 500–501.

Sources

  • .
  • .
  • Shepard, Jonathan (2010). "Raban, Battle of". In Rogers, Clifford (ed.). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Medieval Warfare and Military Technology, Volume 3. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 151–152. .
  • Treadgold, Warren (1997). A History of the Byzantine State and Society. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. .

37°42′25″N 37°27′36″E / 37.7069°N 37.4600°E / 37.7069; 37.4600