8th Century in Bulgaria - Siege of Constantinople, Treaty of 716, Battle of Marcellae, Battle of Anchialus, Battle of Berzitia (Paperback)

Chapters: Siege of Constantinople, Treaty of 716, Battle of Marcellae, Battle of Anchialus, Battle of Berzitia, Battle of the Rishki Pass. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 28. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Early conflictsMutah 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 ibn Abdal Malik, were held off by the massive city walls, decimated by an outbreak of plague and finally destroyed by the Bulgarian army. The Arab naval fleet was consequently defeated by Greek fire and its remnants subsequently sunk in a storm on their return voyage. 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 Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik, 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 ships, 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. 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 forc...More: http: //booksllc.net/?id=359273