Byzantine Battles: Capture of Antioch

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9 th century

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15 th century

Capture of Antioch	year: 969 28 October 969
Recapture of Antioch by the Byzantines	★ ★ ★ ★ ★

enemy: Arabs (Hamdanids)	location: In “Antioch the Great” or Antioch on the Orontes or Antioch of Syria, near modern Antakya, Turkey	accuracy: ●●●●●
battle type: City Capture	war: Later Byzantine-Muslim Wars	modern country: Turkey

	▼ The Byzantines(emperor: Nikephoros II Phokas)	▼ The Enemies
Commander:	General Michael Bourtzes
Forces:	300
Losses:

Background story:

In 968, emperor Nikephoros II Phokas appointed Michael Bourtzes as patrikios and strategos of the small thema (province) of Mauron Oros (“Black Mountain”), on the southern side of the Amanus Mountains (now, Nur Mountains at the Syria-Turkey borders, north of Antakya).
The mandate of the strategos was to control the northern approaches to the Arab-held city of Antioch from the newly built fortress of Pagras. But he was instructed not to try to attack Antioch.

The Battle:

Recapture of Antioch by Vourtzis

In the fall of 969, Michael Bourtzes decided that one year of inaction was enough and was time to take the initiative against Antioch despite the orders of his emperor not to make any move in his absence. Bourtzes persuaded a traitor inside the city to surrender one of the main towers of the wall of the city, which he then promptly occupied in a night operation with 300 men.
After that, he was able to defend this position effectively against repeated attacks of the Arabs for three days, until the reinforcements led by the stratopedarches Petros Phokas arrived and secured the city for the Byzantines on 28 October 969.
Despite his role in this huge success, Bourtzes was not rewarded: angry at him for disobeying his orders, or, according to another account, for laying fire and destroying much of the city, Emperor Nikephoros dismissed him from his post and appointed a kinsman of his, Eustathios Maleinos, as the first governor of Antioch.

Noteworthy:

Angered by the treatment of the emperor, Bourtzes joined a conspiracy against him and in the night of 10 December 969 was one of the conspirators who entered the palace and murdered Phokas.

Aftermath:

The city became the seat of a doux, the civil governor of the homonymous theme. It remained in Byzantine hands until 1084 when it was captured by the Seljuk Turks who held it only 14 years before the Crusaders arrived.