Byzantine Battles: Siege of Attalia

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Siege of Attalia (Antalya)	year: 1207
The Seljuks took the city from the Byzantines	★ ★ ★ ★ ★

enemy: Seljuk Turks (Rum)	location: Modern Antalya on the Mediterranean coast of southwestern Turkey	accuracy: ●●●●●
battle type: City Capture	war: Seljuk Wars	modern country: Turkey

	▼ The Byzantines(emperor: Theodore I Laskaris)	▼ The Enemies
Commander:	Governor Aldobrandini	Sultan Kaykhusraw I
Forces:	Unknown	Large force
Losses:

Background story:

Attalia (Antalya) was a major city in the Byzantine Empire. It was the capital of the Byzantine thema of Carabisiani (Κιβυρραιωτών), which occupied the southern coasts of Anatolia and some eastern Aegean Islands.
Since the 12th century, it was an isolated outpost surrounded by Turkish beyliks, accessible only by sea. It remained however Greek until the beginning of the 13th century. It was one of the best fortified cities in Byzantium.
At the period after the fall of Constantinople in 1204, the Byzantine governor was a certain Aldobrandini (of Italian origin) who with this opportunity became an independent ruler.

The Battle:

The Seljuks in Asia Minor 1100-1240

The Seljuk Turks taking advantage of the weakness of the Byzantines after the fall of Constantinople, attempted to capture the city in 1206. They failed after a siege of 16 days, due to some help sent from the crusaders’ kingdom of Cyprus.
The sultan of the sultanate of Rum Kaykhusraw came back next summer, in 1207. This time he had a large army and siege machines. The siege lasted more than 2 months and, at the end, the Seljuks captured the city. The Sultan allowed a 3-day looting and slaughtering.

Aftermath:

The capture of the port gave the Turks a major path into the Mediterranean although it would be another 100 years before the Turks made any serious attempt into the sea.
The city remained Turkish after that, with a small interval when was taken by the crusaders of Cyprus (1361-1372). For many years it was the capital of the Turkish beylik of Teke (but also of other emirates in some periods). The Ottomans took Attalia in 1426.