Siege of Thessalonica (617)
| Siege of Thessalonica | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Thessalonica | |
| Result | Successful defence of Thessalonica |
Sclaveni
Byzantine EmpireThe siege of Thessalonica in 617 or 618 was an unsuccessful siege of the city of
Background
In the last third of the 6th century, the Byzantine Balkans were threatened by large-scale raids of the
After peace had been settled with the Persians in the East in 591, Byzantine emperor
Siege and aftermath
It was not until the 610s, however, that the Avars and the Slavs renewed their offensive; a number of cities seem to have fallen and/or been abandoned at this time, with many refugees streaming south.[10] In 615, a coalition of Slavic tribes under chief Chatzon, apparently independent of the Avars, attacked Thessalonica, but failed.[11][12] Following this failure, the Slavs turned to the Avars, and sent emissaries to the khagan, enticing him with promises of great riches to be found in the city, and the fact that Thessalonica was the ultimate refuge for the Byzantines "from the Danubian regions, Pannonia, Dacia, Dardania and the other provinces and cities" fleeing the Avar and Slavic raids.[13][12]
The Avar attack materialized in 617 (or possibly 618), as they needed time to mobilize their various subject tribes. According to the narrative of the Miracles of Saint Demetrius, the attack was unexpected: the Avars first sent scouts who captured anyone they caught outside the city walls. The khagan with the bulk of his forces, including heavy siege engines, catapults, battering rams, and siege towers, arrived a few days later. Emperor Heraclius, surprised by the Avar attack and heavily committed against the Persians, was unable to send any help; except for a few supply ships that arrived in time, the city was forced to rely on its own forces.[14][15] Although the technical sophistication of the besiegers was unprecedented, they were apparently unable to make full use of it due to inexperience: a siege tower collapsed and killed its crew, while the battering rams proved ineffective against the city walls. The siege was far better organized than the previous attempts, however, and dragged on for 33 days. In the end, the khagan reached a negotiated settlement with the Thessalonians: he departed in exchange for gold, but not before burning the churches of the surrounding countryside. The Slavs, on the other hand, sold their captives to the Thessalonians. For a generation, until the great Slavic siege of ca. 676–678, Thessalonica would remain in peace with its Slavic neighbours.[14][16]
References
- ^ Christophilopoulou (2006), pp. 13–14
- ^ Pohl (1988), pp. 70–89
- ^ cf. Pohl (1988), pp. 94–128
- ^ Christophilopoulou (2006), pp. 15, 22
- ^ Pohl (1988), pp. 101–107
- ^ Christophilopoulou (2006), pp. 14–17
- ^ Pohl (1988), pp. 128–162
- ^ Christophilopoulou (2006), pp. 19, 24–25
- ^ Pohl (1988), pp. 237–241
- ^ Pohl (1988), pp. 241–242
- ^ Christophilopoulou (2006), p. 25
- ^ a b Pohl (1988), p. 241
- ^ Christophilopoulou (2006), pp. 25–26
- ^ a b Christophilopoulou (2006), p. 26
- ^ Pohl (1988), p. 242
- ^ Pohl (1988), pp. 242–243
Sources
- Christophilopoulou, Aikaterini (2006). "Βυζαντινή Μακεδονία. Σχεδίασμα για την εποχή από τα τέλη του Στ' μέχρι τα μέσα του Θ' αιώνος". Βυζαντινή Αυτοκρατορία, Νεώτερος Ελληνισμός, Τόμος Γ' (in Greek). Athens: Herodotos. pp. 9–68. ISBN 960-8256-55-0.
- Pohl, Walter (1988). Die Awaren. Ein Steppenvolk in Mitteleuropa 567–822 n. Chr (in German). Munich: Verlag C.H. Beck. ISBN 3-406-33330-3.