| Siege of Rometta | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theArab–Byzantine wars and theMuslim conquest of Sicily | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Byzantine Empire | |||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 60,000 | 40,000 | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Unknown | Heavy | ||||||||
Thesiege of Rometta was a successfulsiege of theByzantine city ofRometta, in northeasternSicily, by theKalbids on behalf of theFatimid Dynasty, that took place between 963 and 965 and marked the conclusion of theMuslim conquest of Sicily.
The siege was led by the two Kalbid cousinsal-Hasan ibn Ammar andAhmad ibn al-Hasan al-Kalbi. 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.[1] Following thefall 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, requesting military aid and provisions. Nikephoros responded by equipping a fleet of around 40,000 men, many of whom were veterans from theByzantine conquest of Crete, for battle in Sicily. The fleet was commanded byNiketas Abalantes, while the cavalry was commanded byManuel Phokas,[1] a nephew of emperor Nikephoros through his brother,Leo Phokas the Younger.[2] In October, 964, the siege was reinforced byBerber troops led by theemir of Sicily,al-Hasan ibn Ali al-Kalbi.[3][4][5] 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 atMessina, but were ambushed upon departure in theBattle of the Straits and defeated. Without reinforcements, Rometta was unable to defend itself against the Kalbids and soon fell in May 965.[6][4]