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 ground forces, led by Maslama, were defeated by Constantinople's seemingly impregnable walls and Bulgarian attacks while their naval fleet was defeated by Greek Fire and the remnants of it subsequently sunk in a storm on its return home. It is often compared to the more widely studied Battle of Tours in the fact that it halted Muslim expansion into Europe from the East for almost 700 years. Combatants Byzantine Empire,[1] Arab Ghassanids, Bulgarian Empire (later) Muslim Arabs (Rashidun, Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates) Syria was just the start of Arab expansion. ... March 21 - Battle of Vincy between Charles Martel and Ragenfrid. ... Events Pelayo established the Kingdom of Asturias in the Iberian peninsula (modern day Portugal and Spain). ... This article is about the city before the Fall of Constantinople (1453). ... Istanbul (Turkish: , Greek: , historically Byzantium and later Constantinople; see other names) is Turkeys most populous city, and its cultural and financial center. ... Byzantine redirects here. ... Combatants Byzantine Empire,[1] Arab Ghassanids, Bulgarian Empire (later) Muslim Arabs (Rashidun, Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates) Syria was just the start of Arab expansion. ... The Courtyard of the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, one of the grandest architectural legacies of the Umayyads. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Byzantine redirects here. ... Imperial Emblem Bulgarian Empire at its greatest extent c. ... Maslama bin Abdul-Malik (685–738), (Arabic: مَسلَمة بن عبد الملك), was a famous Muslim military commander of the Arabs heralding from the Umayyad Dynasty. ... Leo the Isaurian and his son Constantine V. Leo III the Isaurian or the Syrian (Greek: Λέων Γ΄, Leōn III ), (c. ... Khan Tervel or Tarvel, or Terval, or Terbelis in some Byzantine sources, was the khan of the Bulgars from 700 or 701-718. ... Combatants Byzantine Empire,[1] Arab Ghassanids, Bulgarian Empire (later) Muslim Arabs (Rashidun, Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates) Syria was just the start of Arab expansion. ... Combatants Muslim Arabs Eastern Roman Empire Christian Arabs Commanders Zayd ibn Harithah † Jafar ibn Abu Talib † Abdullah ibn Rawahah † Khalid ibn al-Walid Heraclius Theodorus Shurahbil ibn Amr al-Ghassani Strength 3,000 (Ibn Qayyim)[4][5] 3,000 (Ibn Hajar)[6][5] 100,000 according to Muslim sources... The Battle of Tabouk (also called the Battle of Tabuk) is said to have taken place in October AD 630. ... Battle of Dathin was a minor battle between the Muslims and the Byzantines in February of 634. ... Combatants Muslim Arabs Roman Empire Persian Empire Christian Arabs Commanders Khalid ibn al-Walid Heraclius Yazdgerd III Strength 15,000[1] 100,000[2] Casualties Low 50,000[2] The Battle of Firaz was the last battle of the Muslim Arab commander Khalid ibn al-Walid (The Sword of Allah... Combatants Byzantine Empire Muslim Arabs (Rashidun and Umayyad Caliphates) The Age of the Caliphs The Muslim conquest of Syria occured in the first half of the 7th century. ... Combatants Muslims Christian Arabs Commanders Khalid ibn al-Walid  ? Strength 9000 unknown but less then muslims Casualties very Few Unknown but more then muslims. ... Combatants Muslim Arabs Roman Empire Ghassanids Commanders Khalid ibn al-Walid Heraclius Romanus Strength 4,000 infantry,[1] 1,500 cavalry[1] 12,000[1] Casualties 230[1] 8,000 Bosra was the first important town to be captured by the Muslims in Syria, as it was capital city of... Combatants Eastern Roman Empire Rashidun Caliphate Commanders Vardan (Governor of Emesa) Unknown Cubicularius Theodorus Khalid ibn al-Walid Amr Ibn al-As Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah Shurahbil Yazid Ibn Abu Sufyan Strength 80,000[2] - 90,000[3] 32,000 (Al-Waqidi)[4][3] Casualties 50,000 (Al-Waqidi... Combatants Muslims Ghassanids Commanders Khalid ibn al-Walid  ? Strength 9000 5000-6000 Casualties none Few hundreds. ... Combatants Muslim Arabs Roman Empire Commanders Khalid ibn al-Walid Heraclius Saqalar Strength 30,000 80,000 Casualties Unknown 10,000 The Battle of Fahl was a Byzantine-Arab battle fought between the Muslim Arabs under Khalid ibn al-Walid (The Sword of Allah) and the Roman Empire under Heraclius... Combatants Rashidun Caliphate Byzantine empire. ... Combatants Rashidun Caliphate Byzantine empire. ... Combatants Rashidun Caliphate Byzantine empire. ... This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling. ... Combatants Rashidun Caliphate Byzantine empire. ... This battle took place between byzantine army and Khalid ibn al-Walids army near the city of hazir. ... Combatants Muslims Byzantine Empire Christian Arabs. ... Combatants Byzantine Empire Muslim Arabs (Rashidun and Umayyad Caliphates) At the commencement of the Muslim conquest of Egypt, Egypt was part of the Byzantine Empire with its capital in Constantinople. ... The Battle of Heliopolis was a decisive battle between Arab Muslim armies and Byzantine forces for the control of Egypt. ... Combatants Muslims Roman (Byzantine) Empire Commanders Unknown Unknown Strength Unknown Unknown Casualties Unknown Unknown Battle between Arab Muslim troops under Amr ibn al-Aas, and Roman troops, in Egypt, in the Spring of 646. ... Combatants Byzantine Empire Umayyad Caliphate The Umayyad conquest of North Africa continued the century of rapid Arab Muslim expansion following the death of Mohammed in 632 CE. By 640 the Arabs controlled Mesopotamia, had invaded Armenia, and were concluding their conquest of Byzantine Syria. ... Combatants Umayyad Caliphate Byzantine Empire Commanders Hassan bin al-Numan Ioannes the Patrician and Tiberius Apsimar Strength 40,000 Unknown Casualties Unknown total loss of a territory The Battle of Carthage was fought in 698 between the Byzantine Exarchate of Africa, and the armies of the Umayyad Caliphate. ... The Arab Empire at its greatest extent The Arab Empire usually refers to the following Caliphates: Rashidun Caliphate (632 - 661) Umayyad Caliphate (661 - 750) - Successor of the Rashidun Caliphate Umayyad Emirate in Islamic Spain (750 - 929) Umayyad Caliphate of Córdoba in Islamic Spain (929 - 1031) Abbasid Caliphate (750-1258... This article is about two nested areas of Turkey, a plateau region within a peninsula. ... The 1453 Siege of Constantinople (painted 1499) There were at least 24 sieges of Constantinople during the history of the Byzantine Empire. ... Combatants Muslims Byzantine Empire Christian Arabs Commanders Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah Khalid ibn al-Walid Unknown Strength 17,000 40,000-50,000 Casualties Unknown but few hundreds. ... Combatants Rashidun Caliphate Byzantine Empire Commanders Khalid ibn al-Walid Unknown Strength Unknown Unknown Casualties Unknown Unknown The Siege of Marash was led by Muslim forces of the Rashidun Caliphate during their campaigns in Anatolia in 638. ... Combatants Roman (Byzantine) Empire Umayyad Caliphate Commanders Constantine IV Muawiyah I Strength Unknown Unknown Casualties Unknown Unknown The First Arab Siege of Constantinople in 674 was a major conflict of the Byzantine-Arab Wars, and only the second time Constantinoples defences were tested. ... Combatants Roman (Byzantine) Empire Umayyad Caliphate Commanders Unknown Unknown Strength Unknown Unknown Casualties Unknown Unknown The naval Battle of Syllaeum took place in 677 near Syllaeum and was fought between the Arabs and the Byzantine Empire in coordination with a series of land battles in Anatolia and Syria. ... Combatants Muslim Arabs (Rashidun Caliphate) Roman (Byzantine) Empire Commanders Unknown Unknown Strength Unknown Unknown Casualties Unknown Unknown Battle of That Al-Sawari was a naval battle between the Muslim Arabs and the Byzantine Empire. ... The Battle of Akroinon was fought at Akroinon (also known as Acroinon or Acroinum, near modern Afyon) in Phrygia, on the western edge of the Anatolian plateau, in 739 between an Umayyad Arab army of Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik, led by his brother Sulayman, and Byzantine forces led by... The Islamic conquest and domination of Sicily (as well as parts of southern Italy) is a process whose origin must be traced back in the general expansion of Islam from the 7th century onwards (see Muslim conquests for more details). ... Languages Arabic other minority languages Religions Predominantly Sunni Islam, as well as Shia Islam, Greek Orthodoxy, Greek Catholicism, Roman Catholicism, Alawite Islam, Druzism, Ibadi Islam, and Judaism Footnotes a Mainly in Antakya. ... Byzantine redirects here. ... This article is about the city before the Fall of Constantinople (1453). ... Maslama bin Abdul-Malik (685–738), (Arabic: مَسلَمة بن عبد الملك), was a famous Muslim military commander of the Arabs heralding from the Umayyad Dynasty. ... Greek fire was a burning-liquid weapon used by the Byzantine Greeks, typically in naval battles to great effect as it could continue burning even on water. ... Combatants Carolingian Franks Umayyad Caliphate Commanders Charles Martel ‘Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi† Strength Possibly 20,000-30,000 Unknown, but the earliest Muslim sources, still after the era of the battle[1] mention a figure of 80,000. ...

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 Suleiman of Umayyad, crossed the Bosporus from Anatolia to besiege Constantinople by land, while a massive fleet of Arab war galleys commanded by another Suleiman, 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 harassment by the Byzantine navy, who used Greek fire to great effect. Combatants Byzantine Empire Umayyad Caliphate Commanders Constantine IV Muawiyah I Strength Far fewer estimates at 200,000 with Egyptian reinforcements Casualties Unknown Some estimates at 170,000-130,000 The First Arab Siege of Constantinople in 674 was a major conflict of the Byzantine-Arab Wars, and was one of... For main article see: Caliphate The Caliph (pronounced khaleef in Arabic) is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the leader of the Islamic Ummah, or global Islamic nation. ... Suleiman bin Abd al-Malik (c. ... I LOVE BORAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Two bridges cross the Bosporus. ... This article is about two nested areas of Turkey, a plateau region within a peninsula. ... 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 the Isaurian and his son Constantine V. Leo III the Isaurian or the Syrian (Greek: Λέων Γ΄, Leōn III ), (c. ... Map showing Constantinople and its walls during the Byzantine era The Walls of Constantinople are a series of stone walls that have surrounded and protected the city of Constantinople (today Istanbul in Turkey) since its founding as the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire by Constantine the Great. ...

Winter and Spring

Norwich describes the 717/718 winter as "the cruelest winter that anyone could remember." Constantinople was supplied via the Black Sea and did not suffer much hardship, in contrast to the Arab besiegers on land, who suffered immense hardship and 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, donkeys and according to a Greek source even small rocks and the bodies of their dead. The ground was frozen and the Arabs were forced to throw hundreds of their dead into the sea of Marmara, including the Arab naval commander, Admiral Sulieman. 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. Many of the sailors who manned the Arab fleets were recently enslaved or dhimmi Christians who also deserted en masse. For other uses, see Black Sea (disambiguation). ... This article is about the medical term. ... This article is about extreme malnutrition. ... Bilal ibn Ribah, a freed black slave, calls the people to prayers as the first muezzin. ... This article is about dhimmi in the context of Islamic law. ...

Death of a Caliph

Caliph Suleiman had perished in 717 whilst fighting the Byzantines on the border, most likely trying to lead a relief force or a diversionary attack, and was replaced by Umar II, who continued the siege. No doubt the death and succession of the Caliph in 717 played a role in delaying reinforcements until spring. Michael of Syria claims that "Maslama lied to them, as he was saying that soon reinforcements from their king would arrive." but it is very likely that Maslama, to the best of his knowledge, was telling the truth and was unaware that his brother, the Caliph Suleiman, had died while leading such a force against the Byzantine border. Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz (c. ...

Bulgarian Aid

The Bulgarians, who had established friendlier relations with the Byzantines a year earlier under Khan Tervel, ostensibly because of the looming Arab threat, came to the aid of the besieged city in the fall of 717. Norwich states "The Bulgars had no love for the Byzantines, but they were determined that, if Constantinople were to be taken, it should fall into Bulgar rather than Arab hands." The Arabs were surprised by the new and unexpected enemy and his attack on their own camp, followed by a horrible massacre. Encouraged by this, the Byzantines opened the gates and attempted to break the siege, but were stopped at the Arab trenches and had to retreat back behind the city walls because of the following Arab counter-attack. This scene was repeated several times during the siege with the same ill success for both sides. The incessant Bulgar attacks in the rear of the Arabs forced them to build trenches also against the Bulgars. This way, however, the Arabs found themselves in a thin line between two fortifications, which were attacked both by Bulgars and Byzantines. After an unusually harsh winter, 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, the Arabs attempted to retreat to their ships in July, but were devastated by a Bulgarian attack against their land forces. Contemporary chroniclers report at least 12,000-15,000 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 and drowning the men who had retreated by sea.

Historical Significance

This battle was a severe blow to Caliph Umar II and the expansion of the Umayyad Caliphate was severely stunted during his reign. It has macrohistorical importance in that, had Constantinople fallen to this massive force of invaders, the Byzantine Empire most likely would have disintegrated and opened up new opportunities for Muslim expansion into Europe 700 years ahead of the Ottoman invasions. Many contemporary Arab and Western historians look at the Second Arab siege of Constantinople in the same light that modern Western historians look at the Battle of Tours, as a pivotal milestone in history that turned back the tide of Muslim incursions into Europe, ensuring Christianity would be the dominant religion at a time when Europe was in a state of disarray following the Decline of the Roman Empire. Leo III would go on to consolidate Byzantium's borders and defeat the Umayyad Caliphate again at the Battle of Akroinon. Bulgarian aid to the city was one of the key factors for the defeat of the Arabs and many poets and musicians glorified Khan Tervel as "The saviour of Europe". Blankinship argues that, along with the Battle of Toulouse and the Battle of Tours, the failure of the siege of Constantinople caused the Umayyad dynasty's weakness to be shown and was a primary factor in the fall of that Caliphate. Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz (c. ... This page is a candidate to be copied to Wiktionary. ... Ottoman redirects here. ... Combatants Carolingian Franks Umayyad Caliphate Commanders Charles Martel ‘Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi† Strength Possibly 20,000-30,000 Unknown, but the earliest Muslim sources, still after the era of the battle[1] mention a figure of 80,000. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      Christianity is... This article is about the historiography of the decline of the Roman Empire. ... The Battle of Akroinon was fought at Akroinon (also known as Acroinon or Acroinum, near modern Afyon) in Phrygia, on the western edge of the Anatolian plateau, in 739 between an Umayyad Arab army of Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik, led by his brother Sulayman, and Byzantine forces led by... There have been two battles known as the Battle of Toulouse: Battle of Toulouse (721) during the Arabic Invasions of Europe Battle of Toulouse (1814) during the Napoleonic Wars This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

Contemporary Sources

As the Syriac Chronicle of Michael the Syrian records: Michael the Syrian (also known as Michael the Great; or Michael Syrus) (d. ...

"Then the whole army of the Arabs was positioned on the western coast against the Golden Gates. He [Maslama] ordered that a ditch be made around the camp - one between it and the city and another one behind them [the Arabs], from the side of the Bulgars. From the left and from the right the camp was abut upon the sea, in which were the ships, loaded with an army - from ten thousand of Arabs and Egyptian soldiers, - them he placed at the sea to fight the Roman ships; he sent a 20 000 strong army to guard the camp against the Bulgars; and he placed that much from the Syrians.

The Arabs were attacked by land both by the people from the city [Constantinople] and by the Bulgars, and in the sea - by the Roman ships, and on the other side of the sea [on the coast of Asia Minor] by the Roman vanguard. They couldn't get out of the camp to a distance greater than two miles, while they were forced to search for wheat. The Bulgars attacked the Arabs and slew them; those latter [the Arabs] feared the Bulgars more than they feared the besieged Romans. The winter came, but the Arabs were afraid of retreating: first - because of their king, second - because of the sea and third - because of the Bulgars. The wind of death grabbed them. Maslama lied to them, as he was saying that soon reinforcements from their king would arrive. The Romans were besieged, but the Arabs were no better than them. The hunger oppressed them so much that they were eating the corpses of the dead, each other's faeces and filths. They were forced to exterminate themselves, so that they could eat. One modius of wheat was worth then ten denarii. They were looking for small rocks, they were eating them to satisfy their hunger. They ate the rubbish from their ships."

See also

• Byzantine-Arab Wars
• Constantinople
• First Arab siege of Constantinople

Combatants Byzantine Empire,[1] Arab Ghassanids, Bulgarian Empire (later) Muslim Arabs (Rashidun, Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates) Syria was just the start of Arab expansion. ... This article is about the city before the Fall of Constantinople (1453). ... Combatants Byzantine Empire Umayyad Caliphate Commanders Constantine IV Muawiyah I Strength Far fewer estimates at 200,000 with Egyptian reinforcements Casualties Unknown Some estimates at 170,000-130,000 The First Arab Siege of Constantinople in 674 was a major conflict of the Byzantine-Arab Wars, and was one of...

Sources

• Battle: A Visual Journey Through 5,000 Years of Combat, DK Publishing Inc., New York, 2005, pg. 74 (R.G. Grant)
• The Walls of Constantinople, AD 324–1453, Osprey Publishing, ISBN 1-84176-759-X.
• The End of the Jihad State (2003) Khalid Yahya Blankinship
• A Short History of Byzantium (1997), Alfred A. Knopf Inc., New York, pg 110 John Julius Norwich