The siege of Rometta was a successful siege of the

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

city of

Rometta Rometta (Sicilian language, Sicilian: ''Ramietta'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Messina in the Italy, Italian region Sicily, located about east of Palermo and about west of Messina. It was the last bastion of Sic ...

, in northeastern

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

, by the

Kalbids The Kalbids () were a Muslim Arab dynasty in the Emirate of Sicily, which ruled from 948 to 1053. They were formally appointed by the Fatimids, but gained, progressively, ''de facto'' autonomous rule. History In 827, in the midst of internal ...

on behalf of the

Fatimid Dynasty The Fatimid dynasty () was an Isma'ili Shi'a dynasty of Arab descent that ruled an extensive empire, the Fatimid Caliphate, between 909 and 1171 CE. Claiming descent from Fatima and Ali, they also held the Isma'ili imamate, claiming to be the right ...

, that took place between 963 and 965 and marked the conclusion of the

Muslim conquest of Sicily The Muslim conquest of Sicily began in June 827 and lasted until 902, when the last major Byzantine stronghold on the island, Taormina, fell. Isolated fortresses remained in Byzantine hands until 965, but the island was henceforth under Muslim ...

Siege

The siege was led by the two Kalbid cousins

al-Hasan ibn Ammar Hasan ibn Ali ( ar, الحسن بن علي, translit=Al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī; ) was a prominent early Islamic figure. He was the eldest son of Ali and Fatima and a grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He briefly ruled as caliph from Ja ...

and

Ahmad ibn al-Hasan al-Kalbi Ahmad ibn al-Hasan al-Kalbi () was the second Kalbid Emir of Sicily. He was the son of the first Kalbid emir, al-Hasan ibn Ali al-Kalbi, who ruled the island on behalf of the Fatimid Caliphate. Ahmad succeeded his father in May 953 until 968, apar ...

. In 962, Taormina was besieged and reduced by Ahmad, where the entire population was sold into slavery and the area was colonized by Muslim resettlers. Following the fall of Taormina in 962, the Kalbids moved north to Rometta. The next year Ahmad began the siege. The city soon sent an envoy to the Byzantine emperor,

Nikephoros II Phokas Nikephoros II Phokas (; – 11 December 969), Latinized Nicephorus II Phocas, was Byzantine emperor from 963 to 969. His career, not uniformly successful in matters of statecraft or of war, nonetheless included brilliant military exploits whi ...

, requesting military aid and provisions. Nikephoros responded by equipping a fleet of around 40,000 men, many of whom were veterans from the Byzantine conquest of Crete, for battle in Sicily. The fleet was commanded by Niketas Abalantes, while the cavalry was commanded by

Manuel Phokas Manuel may refer to: People * Manuel (name) * Manuel (Fawlty Towers), a fictional character from the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers'' * Charlie Manuel, manager of the Philadelphia Phillies * Manuel I Komnenos, emperor of the Byzantine Empire * M ...

, a nephew of emperor Nikephoros through his brother,

Leo Phokas the Younger Leo Phokas or Phocas ( el, Λέων Φωκᾶς, c. 915–920after 971) was a prominent Byzantine general who scored a number of successes in the eastern frontier in the mid-10th century alongside his older brother, the Emperor Nikephoros II Phoka ...

. In October, 964, the siege was reinforced by

Berber Berber or Berbers may refer to: Ethnic group * Berbers, an ethnic group native to Northern Africa * Berber languages, a family of Afro-Asiatic languages Places * Berber, Sudan, a town on the Nile People with the surname * Ady Berber (1913–196 ...

troops led by the ''

emir Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or cerem ...

'' of Sicily,

al-Hasan ibn Ali al-Kalbi Al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn Abi al-Husayn al-Kalbi ( ar, ﺍﻟﺤﺴﻦ ﺍﺑﻦ ﻋﻠﻲ ﺍﺑﻦ ﺍﺑﻲ ﺍﻟﺤﺴﻴﻦ الكلبي, al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī ibn Abī al-Ḥusayn al-Kalbī), known in Byzantine sources as Boulchasenes ( el, Βο ...

. On 25 October, the Byzantines and the Muslims engaged one another. The Byzantines were initially in control of the battle, however, the Muslims were soon able to rout them, supposedly killing more than a quarter of the force, including Phokas. The surviving Byzantines attempted to flee back to their fleet at

Messina Messina (, also , ) is a harbour city and the capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of more than 219,000 inhabitants in ...

, but were ambushed upon departure in the

Battle of the Straits The Battle of the Straits (Arabic: ''waqʿat al-majāz'') was fought in early 965 between the fleets of the Byzantine Empire and the Fatimid Caliphate in the Straits of Messina. It resulted in a major Fatimid victory, and the final collapse of the ...

and defeated. Without reinforcements, Rometta was unable to defend itself against the Kalbids and soon fell in May 965.

References

Sources

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rometta, Siege of 960s in the Byzantine Empire 965 960s conflicts Muslim conquest of Sicily Sieges of the Byzantine–Fatimid wars Rometta