Byzantine Battles: Battle of Castrogiovanni

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Battle of Castrogiovanni (Battle of Enna)	year: 859 24 January 859
The Arabs captured the city, the strongest Byzantine fortress in Sicily	★ ★ ★ ★ ★

enemy: Arabs (Aghlavids)	location: Modern Enna, at the center of Sicily	accuracy: ●●●●●
battle type: Fort Capture	war: Muslim conquest of Sicily	modern country: Italy

	▼ The Byzantines(emperor: Michael III the Drunkard)	▼ The Enemies
Commander:	Theodotus	Emir Abbas ibn Fadhl
Forces:	Unknown	Unknown
Losses:

Background story:

The conquest of Byzantine Sicily by the Arabs lasted 75 years. It began in June 827, when Aghlavid Arabs from Ifrikiya (Tunisia) 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 Arabs and Bulgarians).

In 851, the emir of Sicily Al-Aghlab Abu Ibrahim, died. He was succeeded by Abbas ibn Fadhl, the ferocious victor of Butera, Sicily (where 10,000 Byzantines were killed in 845). He started a campaign of ravages against the lands still in Byzantine hands, capturing Butera, Gagliano, Cefalù and targeted Enna (Castrogiovanni).
Enna is an ancient city built in the center of Sicily and at a high altitude (931m). It was built in a naturally fortified position protected from cliffs and also had strong walls. The castle of Enna was considered impregnable since antiquity.
Enna was also considered a key for the control of Sicily. The Arabs could not advance on the eastern side of Sicily as long as Enna was in Byzantine hands.

The Battle:

the castle of Enna today

After the intense activity of the Saracens in the previous years in Sicily, the guard at Enna had been strengthened; Theodotos was the commander/governor of the city.
The siege of Enna lasted a long time (maybe years –we do not know exactly). The Arab attacks had no effect on the strong walls of Enna.
Finally, in the beginning of 859, the Saracens found a vulnerability when a former inmate at Enna Prison pointed to a sewer running under the walls. A group of Saracens managed to penetrate through the sewer, surprised the defenders and opened the gates. The Saracens rushed to the city and looting and massacres followed. 8000 inhabitants were slaughtered. Women and children were sold in the slave markets. After that, no Christian remained in Enna.

The Arabs now had the “navel of Sicily” and the Byzantines little else but Syracuse .

Noteworthy:

The Arabs called the place Kasr Gianni (castle of Enna) and when the city became Christian again in the 11th century, the Arabic name was translated to Castrogiovanni (castle of Ioannes). This name remained until 1926 when in Mussolini’s time. the city took its ancient name again.

Aftermath:

The fall of the most important fortress in the island pushed the emperor Michael III to send a large army in 859-860 under Constantine Kontomytes, but this army, as well as the fleet which had carried it, was defeated by Abbas ibn Fadhle.