Siege of Syracuse (827–828) 827
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate. Wikidata lists more than one location for this battle; the first is shown.
Key facts
| Year | 827 | Wikidata P580 (start time) |
|---|---|---|
| Era | Medieval (500–1499) | derived from year |
| Location | Italy | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Europe | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Muslim conquest of Sicily | Wikidata P361 |
| Coordinates | 37.0692, 15.2875 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The siege of Syracuse in 827–828 marks the first attempt by the Aghlabids to conquer the city of Syracuse in Sicily, then a Byzantine province. The Aghlabid army had only months before landed on Sicily, ostensibly in support of the rebel Byzantine general Euphemius. After defeating local forces and taking the fortress of Mazara, they marched on Syracuse, which was the capital of the island under Roman and Byzantine rule. The siege lasted through the winter of 827–828 and until summer, during which time the besieging forces suffered greatly from lack of food and an outbreak of an epidemic, which claimed the life of their commander, Asad ibn al-Furat. In the face of Byzantine reinforcements, the new Arab leader, Muhammad ibn Abi'l-Jawari, abandoned the siege and withdrew to the southwestern part of the island, which remained in their hands. From there they pursued the slow conquest of Sicily, which led to the fall of Syracuse after another long siege in 877–878, and culminated in the fall of Taormina in 902.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Siege of Syracuse (827–828) (revision 1370745574), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Battle of Syracuse (868) 868 · 0 km
- Siege of Syracuse (877–878) 877 · 0 km
- Siege of Syracuse (397 BC) 397 BC · 0 km
- Siege of Syracuse (278 BC) 278 BC · 0 km
- Siege of Syracuse (343 BC) 343 BC · 0 km
- Siege of Syracuse (311–309 BC) 311 BC · 0 km
Other battles of the Muslim conquest of Sicily
- Siege of Cefalù (837–838) 837
- Siege of Messina (842–843) 842
- Siege of Melite (870) 870
- Siege of Syracuse (877–878) 877
- Battle of Caltavuturo 881
- Siege of Taormina (962) 962
- Siege of Rometta 963
All 8 battles of the Muslim conquest of Sicily →
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