Siege of Chandax 960
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Year | 960 | Wikidata P580 (start time) |
|---|---|---|
| Era | Medieval (500–1499) | derived from year |
| Location | Greece | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Europe | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Byzantine reconquest of Crete | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | Byzantine Empire, Emirate of Crete | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 35.3386, 25.1331 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The siege of Chandax in 960–961 was the centerpiece of the Byzantine Empire's campaign to recover the island of Crete which since the 820s had been ruled by Muslim Arabs. The campaign followed a series of failed attempts to reclaim the island from the Muslims stretching as far back as 827, only a few years after the initial conquest of the island by the Arabs, and was led by the general and future emperor Nikephoros Phokas. It lasted from autumn 960 until spring 961, when the main Muslim fortress and capital of the island, Chandax (modern Heraklion) was captured. The reconquest of Crete was a major achievement for the Byzantines, as it restored Byzantine control over the Aegean littoral and diminished the threat of Saracen pirates, for which Crete had provided a base of operations.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Siege of Chandax (revision 1377665310), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
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Browse more: battles in Greece · Europe · Medieval battles