The Second Arab siege of Constantinople (717-718), was a combined land and sea effort by the Arabs to take the capital city of the Byzantine Empire, Constantinople. The Arab forces, led by Maslama, were defeated by Constantinople's impregnable walls and Bulgarian attacks while their fleet was defeated by Greek Fire and the remnants of it subsequently sunk in a storm. Events March 25 - Leo III usurps the throne of Byzantium August 15 - Muslama begins the Second Arab siege of Constantinople. ... Events Pelayo established the Kingdom of Asturias in the Iberian peninsula (modern day Portugal and Spain). ... Map of Constantinople. ... Shows the Location of the Province Istanbul The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, Istanbul Istanbul (Turkish: Ä°stanbul) (a Turkish contraction of Greek εις την πολιν into the city, the former Constantinople, Κωνσταντινούπολις) is the largest city in Turkey, and arguably the most important. ... The Byzantine Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Greek-speaking Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered at its capital in Constantinople. ... Casus belli is a Latin expression from the international law theory of Jus ad bellum. ... The Umayyad Dynasty (Arabic الأمويون / بنو أمية umawiyy; in Turkish, Emevi) was the first dynasty of caliphs of the Prophet Muhammad who were not closely related to Muhammad himself, though they were of the same Meccan tribe, the Quraish. ... The Byzantine Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Greek-speaking Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered at its capital in Constantinople. ... Leo III (disambiguation). ... The Battle of Badr on Friday, 17th Ramadhan 2 AH or January 13th 624 AD, was a seminal event in the formative days of Islam. ... The victory of Badr alerted to Islam all the hostile forces in Arabia. ... The Battle of the Trench (also Battle of the Ditch) was an attack by the city of Mecca on the city Medina in 627 AD. Although Mecca fielded a larger army it was not successful. ... According to Muslim history, ten thousand Muslims led by Muhammad surrounded the city of Mecca. ... The Battle of Tabouk (also called the Battle of Tabuk) took place in October 630 AD, during the month of Ramadan. ... Combatants Byzantine Empire Muslim Arabs Commanders Theodore the Sacellarius Baänes Khalid ibn Walid Strength About 40,000 About 20,000 Casualties Heavy Unknown The Battle of Yarmuk (also spelled Yarmuq or Hieromyax) took place between the Muslim Arabs and the Byzantine Empire in 636. ... The Battle of al-Qādisiyyah (in Arabic: معارك القادسيّة, alternate spellings: Qadisiyya, Qadisiyyah, Kadisiya) was the decisive engagement between the Arab Muslim army and the Sāsānian Persian army during the first period of Islamic expansion which resulted in the Islamic conquest of Iran. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... A battle between Ali and Muawiya Is forces. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Combatants Visigoths Muslim forces of the Ummayad Commanders Roderic Tariq ibn Ziyad Strength 24-30,000 7,000 Casualties Unknown Unknown The Battle of Guadalete took place July 19, 711, at the Guadalete River (or La Janda Lake) in the southern extreme of the Iberian peninsula. ... The Battle of Covadonga was the first major victory by a Christian military force in Iberia following the Islamic Moors conquest of that country in 711. ... Combatants Franks Moors Commanders Charles Martel Abd er Rahman Strength 15,000-75,000 60,000-400,000 Casualties about 1500 unknown, but reported massive, most notable-Abd er Rahman The Battle of Tours (often called the Battle of Poitiers, but not to be confused with the Battle of Poitiers... For other uses, see Arab (disambiguation). ... The Byzantine Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Greek-speaking Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered at its capital in Constantinople. ... Map of Constantinople. ... Depiction of Greek Fire in the Madrid Skylitzes manuscript Greek Fire (also called Byzantine Fire, wildfire and liquid fire) was a weapon used by the Byzantine Empire, said to have been invented by a Syrian Christian refugee named Kallinikos (Callinicus) of Heliopolis (Syria), probably about 673. ...

Initial Stages

After the first Arab siege of Constantinople (674-678) the Arabs attempted a second decisive attack on the city. An 80,000 strong army led by Maslama, the brother of Caliph Umar II, crossed the Bosporus from Anatolia to besiege Constantinople by land, while a massive fleet of Arab war galleys, estimated to initially number 1,800, sailed into the Sea of Marmara to the south of the city. Emperor Leo III was able to use the famed Walls of Constantinople to his advantage and the Arab army was unable to breach them, whilst the Arab galleys were unable to sail up the Bosporus as they were under constant attack and harrassment by the Greek fleet, who used Greek fire to great effect. Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz (c. ... This article is about the strait; Bosphorus is also a university in Turkey. ... Asia Minor lies east of the Bosporus, between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. ... Map of the Sea of Marmara Satellite view of the Sea of Marmara The Sea of Marmara (Turkish: Marmara Denizi, Modern Greek: Θάλασσα του Μαρμαρά or Προποντίδα) (also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea) is an inland sea that connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea, thus separating the... Leo III (disambiguation). ... The Walls of Constantinople surrounded the Roman and Byzantine city of Constantinople (today Istanbul in Turkey). ...

Winter and Spring

Constantinople was supplied via the Black Sea and did not suffer much hardship, in contrast to the Arab besiegers on land, who suffered immense losses due to disease and starvation during the winter, as they were not able to supply adequate provisions and were forced to eat their camels, horses, and donkeys. An Egyptian fleet arrived in the spring with fresh reinforcements but successive assaults on the city were unable to cause a breach in its defenses. Map of the Black Sea. ... A disease is any abnormal condition of the body or mind that causes discomfort, dysfunction, or distress to the person affected or those in contact with the person. ... Starvation is a severe reduction in vitamin, nutrient, and energy intake, and is the most extreme form of malnutrition. ...

Bulgarian Aid

The Bulgarians, who had established friendly relations with the Byzantines a year earlier under Khan Tervel, came to the aid of the besiged city. The Arabs, weary from the long attrition of siege warfare, thinned out by disease and hunger, and demoralized by the lack of success in assaulting the city, were devastated by a Bulgarian attack against their land forces in July. Contemporary chroniclers report at least 30,000 Arabs died in the first Bulgar attack. Khan Tervel or Tarvel, or Terval, or Terbelis in some Byzantine sources, was the khan of the Bulgars from 700 or 701-718. ... A siege is a prolonged military blockade and assault of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by force or attrition. ...

Arab Retreat

Unable to continue the siege in the face of the Bulgarian onslaught and lack of successes, the Arabs were forced to abandon their ambitions on Constantinople in August. Part of the Arab army attempted to withdraw back through Anatolia while the rest attempted to withdraw by sea in the remaining Arab vessels. A devastating storm wracked the Arab fleet on its way back, destroying all but five galleys.

References

Battle: A Visual Journey Through 5,000 Years of Combat (R.G. Grant)