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Capture of Palermo |
year: 830-83112 Sep 831 |
| The Arabs captured Palermo and other towns in western Sicily | ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ |
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enemy: Arabs & Berbers
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location: Palermo, Sicily
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accuracy:
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battle type: City Capture |
war: Muslim conquest of Sicily |
modern country:
Italy |
| ▼ The Byzantines(emperor: Theophilos) | ▼ The Enemies | |
| Commander: | Unknown | Unknown |
| Forces: | Unknown | Unknown |
| Losses: |
| Background story: |
| The conquest of Byzantine Sicily by the Arabs lasted 75 years. It began in June 827, when the first Muslim army landed in Mazara, and ended in 902, when Taormina fell. During all this time the Arabs were gaining ground slowly and with difficulty, in contrast to their earlier successes against Byzantium (Crete, Egypt, etc.) when their victories were very fast. Constantinople tried to help and send reinforcements from time to time, but this was not always easy, given the many threats and huge problems at that time on other fronts (mainly with Arabs and Bulgarians). The invaders in Sicily were Aghlavid Arabs from Ifrikiya, the emirate in modern Tunisia, the capital of which was Kairouan. |
The Battle: |
 The Spanish Muslims defeated the Byzantine commander Theodotus in July and August of that year, but a plague once again forced them to return to Mazara and then to Africa. The African Berber units which had been sent to besiege Palermo did not leave and managed to capture the city after a year-long siege in September 831. The war dragged on for the following years. In 834 the Arabs occupied Platani, Caltabellotta, Corleone, Marineo and Geraci, taking control of western Sicily. |
Aftermath: |
| The key northern city became the capital of the new Emirate of Sicily and was renamed by the Arabs from “Panormos” to “Balarm”. |
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