List of Byzantine battles
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The following is a list of battles fought by the Eastern Roman or
Byzantine Empire 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 ...
, from the 6th century AD until its dissolution in the mid-15th century, organized by date. The list is not exhaustive. For battles fought by the Byzantine Empire's Roman predecessors, see
List of Roman battles The following is a List of Roman wars and battles fought by the ancient Roman Kingdom, Roman Republic and Roman Empire against external enemies, organized by date. For civil wars, revolts and rebellions, see List of Roman civil wars and revolts. ...
.


6th century

* 503 –
Siege of Amida (502–503) The siege of Amida occurred in 502–503, during the Anastasian War. The city was not garrisoned by any troops of the Byzantine Empire but nevertheless resisted for three months before falling to the military of the Sasanian Empire under Kavadh I. ...
– The Persians captured the city of Amida. * 528 –
Battle of Thannuris The Battle of Thannuris (Tannuris) (or Battle of Mindouos) was fought between the forces of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire under Belisarius and the Persian Sasanian Empire under Xerxes in summer 528, near Dara in northern Mesopotamia. ...
(and/or
Battle of Mindouos The Battle of MindouosAlso spelled as Minduon or Minduous. was a battle fought between the Persians and Byzantines just after the battle of Thannuris (528). Procopius wrongly claimed that the two battles were one. The Byzantine commander Belisar ...
) –
Sassanid Persia The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th centuries AD. Named ...
ns defeat Byzantines under
Belisarius Belisarius (; el, Βελισάριος; The exact date of his birth is unknown. – 565) was a military commander of the Byzantine Empire under the emperor Justinian I. He was instrumental in the reconquest of much of the Mediterranean terr ...
, death of
Jabalah IV ibn al-Harith Jabalah IV ibn al-Ḥārith ( ar, جبلة بن الحارث), known also by the tecnonymic Abū Shammar (), in Greek sources found as Gabalas (), was a ruler of the Ghassanids. At first an enemy of the East Roman (Byzantine) Empire, he raided Pa ...
. * 530 – **
Battle of Dara The Battle of Dara was fought between the Eastern Roman Empire and the Sasanians in 530 AD. It was one of the battles of the Iberian War. Procopius's account of this engagement is among the most detailed descriptions of a late Roman battle. ...
Belisarius Belisarius (; el, Βελισάριος; The exact date of his birth is unknown. – 565) was a military commander of the Byzantine Empire under the emperor Justinian I. He was instrumental in the reconquest of much of the Mediterranean terr ...
defeats the Persians ** Battle of Satala
Byzantine Empire 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 ...
defeats the
Sassanid Empire The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the History of Iran, last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th cen ...
* 531 –
Battle of Callinicum The Battle of Callinicum took place on Easter Saturday, 19 April 531 AD, between an army of the Byzantine Empire under Belisarius and a Sasanian cavalry force commanded by Azarethes. After being defeated at the Battle of Dara, the Sasanians mov ...
– Persian general
Azarethes Azarethes ( el, ), also recorded as Exarath () and Zuraq, was a Sassanid Persian military commander during the Byzantine–Sassanid Wars. His Greek name is possibly a misunderstanding of the honorific title '' hazaraft''. Biography According ...
defeats Belisarius * 533 – ** 13 September
Battle of Ad Decimum The Battle of Ad Decimum took place on September 13, 533 between the armies of the Vandals, commanded by King Gelimer, and the Byzantine Empire, under the command of General Belisarius. This event and events in the following year are sometimes ...
Belisarius Belisarius (; el, Βελισάριος; The exact date of his birth is unknown. – 565) was a military commander of the Byzantine Empire under the emperor Justinian I. He was instrumental in the reconquest of much of the Mediterranean terr ...
defeats
Vandals The Vandals were a Germanic peoples, Germanic people who first inhabited what is now southern Poland. They established Vandal Kingdom, Vandal kingdoms on the Iberian Peninsula, Mediterranean islands, and North Africa in the fifth century. The ...
near
Carthage Carthage was the capital city of Ancient Carthage, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classi ...
** 15 December
Battle of Tricamarum The Battle of Tricamarum took place on December 15, 533 between the armies of the Byzantine Empire, under Belisarius, and the Vandal Kingdom, commanded by King Gelimer, and his brother Tzazon. It followed the Byzantine victory at the Battle of ...
– Belisarius defeats again the Vandals near Carthage. * 535 – **
Battle of Mammes The Battle of Mammes or Battle of Mamma was an engagement between troops of the Byzantine Empire and an army of Moors in 534. The Byzantines were led by Solomon. The Moors used a tactic that had worked well with Vandals, they made a circle of ...
** Battle of Mount Bourgaon * 536 – Siege of Naples – Byzantines capture
Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adm ...
* 537 –
Battle of Scalas Veteres A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and for ...
* 537–38 – Siege of Rome – Byzantines defend Rome against the
Ostrogoths The Ostrogoths ( la, Ostrogothi, Austrogothi) were a Roman-era Germanic people. In the 5th century, they followed the Visigoths in creating one of the two great Gothic kingdoms within the Roman Empire, based upon the large Gothic populations who ...
*538 – ** Siege of Ariminum – Byzantines take Ariminum from the Ostrogoths **
Siege of Urbinus The siege of Urbinus also called siege of Urbino or siege of Urbinum took place in the year 538 during Justinian's Gothic War. Earlier, when John took Ariminum, he had bypassed Auximus and Urbinus which would have to be taken now to secure th ...
– Byzantines take Urbinus from the Ostrogoths **
Siege of Urviventus The siege of Urviventus or Siege of Urbs Vetus took place during Justinian I's Gothic War. The Byzantine commander Belisarius Belisarius (; el, Βελισάριος; The exact date of his birth is unknown. – 565) was a military comman ...
– Byzantines take Urviventus from the Ostrogoths *539 –
Siege of Auximus The siege of Auximus (also called Siege of Auximum or Siege of Osimo) was a siege during Justinian ’s Gothic War which took place in the year 539. It ended with the Belisarius’ Byzantine force victorious. The Gothic garrison surrendered the ...
– Byzantines take Auximus from the Ostrogoths *539–540 Siege of Ravenna — Byzantines force the Ostrogothic king to surrender * 541 – ** Siege of Petra – Sasanians capture Petra, Lazica from the Byzantines ** Battle of Nisibis – Byzantines defeat the Persians ** Siege of Sisauranon – The Sasanian garrison went over to the Byzantine side ** Siege of Verona – Ostrogoths under Totila repel the Byzantines * 542 – ** Battle of Faventia – Ostrogoths under Totila defeat the combined Byzantine armies **
Battle of Mucellium The Battle of Mucellium was an engagement in 542 near Mugello, Italy, between Ostrogoths and Byzantines during the Gothic War. Having lifted a siege of Florence, the Ostrogoths led by Totila turned on the pursuing Byzantines, defeating thei ...
– Ostrogoths under Totila defeat the Byzantines * 542–543 – Siege of Naples – Totila recaptures Naples * 543 – Battle of Anglon – The Byzantine invasion of Persarmenia is defeated * 544 – **
Battle of Cillium Solomon ( el, Σολόμων) was an East Roman (Byzantine) general from northern Mesopotamia, who distinguished himself as a commander in the Vandalic War and the reconquest of North Africa in 533–534. He spent most of the next decade in Afric ...
– The Byzantine governor of Africa
Solomon Solomon (; , ),, ; ar, سُلَيْمَان, ', , ; el, Σολομών, ; la, Salomon also called Jedidiah (Hebrew language, Hebrew: , Modern Hebrew, Modern: , Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: ''Yăḏīḏăyāh'', "beloved of Yahweh, Yah"), ...
is killed by the Moors ** Siege of Edessa – Unsuccessful siege of the Byzantine fortress of
Edessa Edessa (; grc, Ἔδεσσα, Édessa) was an ancient city (''polis'') in Upper Mesopotamia, founded during the Hellenistic period by King Seleucus I Nicator (), founder of the Seleucid Empire. It later became capital of the Kingdom of Osroe ...
by the Sasanians * 546 – Sack of Rome by Totila, King of the
Ostrogoths The Ostrogoths ( la, Ostrogothi, Austrogothi) were a Roman-era Germanic people. In the 5th century, they followed the Visigoths in creating one of the two great Gothic kingdoms within the Roman Empire, based upon the large Gothic populations who ...
*546 or 547 – Battle of Sufetula – Byzantine victory over the Moors * 548 –
Battle of the Fields of Cato John Troglita ( la, Ioannes Troglita, el, ) was a 6th-century Byzantine general. He participated in the Vandalic War and served in North Africa as a regional military governor during the years 533–538, before being sent east to the wars with t ...
– The new Byzantine commander, John Troglita, crushes the Moorish uprising * 551 – ** Battle of Sena Gallica – Byzantine fleet destroys the Ostrogothic navy ** Siege of Petra (550–551) – Byzantines recapture and destroy
Petra, Lazica Petra () was a fortified town on the eastern Black Sea coast, in Lazica in what is now western Georgia. In the 6th century, under the Byzantine emperor Justinian I, it served as an important Eastern Roman outpost in the Caucasus and, due to it ...
from the Sasanians * 552 –
Battle of Taginae At the Battle of Taginae (also known as the Battle of Busta Gallorum) in June/July 552, the forces of the Byzantine Empire under Narses broke the power of the Ostrogoths in Italy, and paved the way for the temporary Byzantine reconquest of the ...
Narses , image=Narses.jpg , image_size=250 , caption=Man traditionally identified as Narses, from the mosaic depicting Justinian and his entourage in the Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna , birth_date=478 or 480 , death_date=566 or 573 (aged 86/95) , allegi ...
replaces
Belisarius Belisarius (; el, Βελισάριος; The exact date of his birth is unknown. – 565) was a military commander of the Byzantine Empire under the emperor Justinian I. He was instrumental in the reconquest of much of the Mediterranean terr ...
and defeats
Ostrogoths The Ostrogoths ( la, Ostrogothi, Austrogothi) were a Roman-era Germanic people. In the 5th century, they followed the Visigoths in creating one of the two great Gothic kingdoms within the Roman Empire, based upon the large Gothic populations who ...
under Totila * 553 – **
Battle of Mons Lactarius The Battle of Mons Lactarius (also known as Battle of the Vesuvius) took place in 552 or 553 AD during the Gothic War waged on behalf of Justinian I against the Ostrogoths in Italy. After the Battle of Taginae, in which the Ostrogoth king ...
Narses , image=Narses.jpg , image_size=250 , caption=Man traditionally identified as Narses, from the mosaic depicting Justinian and his entourage in the Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna , birth_date=478 or 480 , death_date=566 or 573 (aged 86/95) , allegi ...
defeats the
Ostrogoths The Ostrogoths ( la, Ostrogothi, Austrogothi) were a Roman-era Germanic people. In the 5th century, they followed the Visigoths in creating one of the two great Gothic kingdoms within the Roman Empire, based upon the large Gothic populations who ...
under
Teia Teia (died 552 or 553 AD), also known as Teja, Theia, Thila, Thela, and Teias, was the last Ostrogothic King of Italy. He led troops during the Battle of Busta Gallorum and had noncombatant Romans slaughtered in its aftermath. In late 552/early 5 ...
** Battle of Telephis–Ollaria – Byzantines are repelled by a Sasanian assault * 554, October – Battle of the Volturnus – Narses defeats the
Franks The Franks ( la, Franci or ) were a group of Germanic peoples whose name was first mentioned in 3rd-century Roman sources, and associated with tribes between the Lower Rhine and the Ems River, on the edge of the Roman Empire.H. Schutz: Tools ...
* 559 – Battle of Melantias
Belisarius Belisarius (; el, Βελισάριος; The exact date of his birth is unknown. – 565) was a military commander of the Byzantine Empire under the emperor Justinian I. He was instrumental in the reconquest of much of the Mediterranean terr ...
defeats the
Kutrigurs Kutrigurs were Turkic nomadic equestrians who flourished on the Pontic–Caspian steppe in the 6th century AD. To their east were the similar Utigurs and both possibly were closely related to the Bulgars. They warred with the Byzantine Empire and ...
* 555 – Siege of Phasis – Sasanian siege of the town Phasis is defeated by the Byzantines * 573 – ** Siege of Nisibis – Failed Byzantine siege of
Nisibis Nusaybin (; '; ar, نُصَيْبِيْن, translit=Nuṣaybīn; syr, ܢܨܝܒܝܢ, translit=Nṣībīn), historically known as Nisibis () or Nesbin, is a city in Mardin Province, Turkey. The population of the city is 83,832 as of 2009 and is ...
** Siege of Dara
Sassanid Empire The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the History of Iran, last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th cen ...
captures the strategic fortress of Dara * 576 – Battle of Melitene
Byzantine Empire 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 ...
defeats the
Sassanid Empire The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the History of Iran, last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th cen ...
* 586 – Battle of Solachon
Byzantine Empire 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 ...
defeats the
Sassanid Empire The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the History of Iran, last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th cen ...
* 588 – Battle of Martyropolis
Byzantine Empire 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 ...
defeats the
Sassanid Empire The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the History of Iran, last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th cen ...
* 591 – Battle of Blarathon – Byzantines defeat
Bahram Chobin Bahrām Chōbīn ( fa, بهرام چوبین) or Wahrām Chōbēn ( Middle Persian: ), also known by his epithet Mehrbandak ("servant of Mithra"), was a nobleman, general, and political leader of the late Sasanian Empire and briefly its ruler as ...
and help Khosrau II to recover his throne


7th century

* 613 – Battle of Antioch * 614 – ** Siege of Caesarea ** Siege of Jerusalem * 626 – Siege of Constantinople * 627 – Battle of Nineveh * 629 –
Battle of Mu'tah The Battle of Mu'tah ( ar, مَعْرَكَة مُؤْتَة, translit=Maʿrakah Muʿtah, or ar, غَزْوَة مُؤْتَة, link=no ') took place in September 629 (1 Jumada al-Awwal 8 AH), between the forces of Muhammad and the army of t ...
* 634 – ** Battle of Ajnadayn ** Battle of Fahl ** Siege of Damascus **
Battle of Maraj-al-Debaj Battle of Marj-ud-Debaj ( ar, معركة مرج الديباج) was fought between the Byzantine army, survivors from the conquest of Damascus, and the Rashidun Caliphate army in September 634. It was a successful raid after three days of ar ...
* 635–636 – Siege of Emesa * 636 – Battle of Yarmouk * 637 – ** Siege of Jerusalem **
Battle of Hazir The Battle of Hazir or ''Ma'arakah al-Haadhir'' ( ar, معركة الحاضر) took place between the Byzantine army and the Rashidun army's elite cavalry, the Mobile guard. It took place in June 637, three miles east of Qinnasrin at Al ...
* 637 – ** Siege of Aleppo **
Battle of the Iron Bridge The Battle of the Iron Bridge was fought between the Muslim Rashidun army and the Byzantine army in 637 AD. The battle took its name from a nearby nine-arch stone bridge (also known as Jisr al-Hadid) spanning the Orontes River which had gate ...
* 638 – Siege of Germanicia * 640 –
Battle of Heliopolis The Battle of Heliopolis or Ayn Shams was a decisive battle between Arab Muslim armies and Byzantine forces for the control of Egypt. Though there were several major skirmishes after this battle, it effectively decided the fate of the Byzant ...
* 641 – Siege of Alexandria * 646 –
Battle of Nikiou The Battle of Nikiou was a battle between Arab Muslim troops under General Amr ibn al-A'as and the Byzantine Empire in Egypt in May of 646. Overview Following their victory at the Battle of Heliopolis in July 640, and the subsequent capitulatio ...
* 647 – Battle of Sufetula * 655 –
Battle of the Masts The Battle of the Masts ( ar, معركة ذات الصواري, Ma‘rakat Dhāt al-Ṣawārī) or Battle of Phoenix was a crucial naval battle fought in 654 (A.H. 34) between the Muslim Arabs led by Abu al-A'war and the Byzantine fleet under th ...
* 674–678 – Siege of Constantinople * 680 –
Battle of Ongal The Battle of Ongal took place in the summer of 680 in the Ongal area, an unspecified location in and around the Danube delta near the Peuce Island, present-day Tulcea County, Romania. It was fought between the Bulgars, who had recently invaded ...
* 682 or 683 – Battle of Vescera * 692 – Battle of Sebastopolis * 698 – Battle of Carthage


8th century

* 707–708 or 708–709 – Siege of Tyana – Umayyads besiege and capture Tyana * 708 – Battle of Anchialus (708) * 717–718 – Siege of Constantinople – Second and last siege of Constantinople by the Arabs * 727 –
Siege of Nicaea The siege of Nicaea was the first major battle of the First Crusade, taking place from 14 May to 19 June 1097. The city was under the control the Seljuk Turks who opted to surrender to the Byzantines in fear of the crusaders breaking into the ci ...
– Unsuccessful siege of Nicaea by the Arabs * 740 – Battle of Akroinon – Byzantine emperor
Leo III the Isaurian Leo III the Isaurian ( gr, Λέων ὁ Ἴσαυρος, Leōn ho Isauros; la, Leo Isaurus; 685 – 18 June 741), also known as the Syrian, was Byzantine Emperor from 717 until his death in 741 and founder of the Isaurian dynasty. He put an e ...
destroys an Arab invasion force * 746 – Battle of Keramaia * 756 – Battle of Marcellae * 759 – Battle of the Rishki Pass * 763 – Battle of Anchialus * 766 –
Siege of Kamacha The siege of Kamacha by the Abbasid Caliphate took place in autumn 766, and involved the siege of the strategically important Byzantine fortress of Kamacha on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River, as well as a large-scale raid across eastern ...
– Unsuccessful Abbasid siege of the fort of Kamacha * 774 – Battle of Berzitia * 782 – Abbasid invasion of Asia Minor
Harun al-Rashid Abu Ja'far Harun ibn Muhammad al-Mahdi ( ar , أبو جعفر هارون ابن محمد المهدي) or Harun ibn al-Mahdi (; or 766 – 24 March 809), famously known as Harun al-Rashid ( ar, هَارُون الرَشِيد, translit=Hārūn ...
leads his troops as far as Chrysopolis * 788 – Battle of Kopidnadon – Byzantines defeated by Abbasid invasion * 792 – Battle of Marcellae


9th century

* 804 – Battle of Krasos – Abbasid army defeats emperor
Nikephoros I Nikephoros I or Nicephorus I ( gr, Νικηφόρος; 750 – 26 July 811) was Byzantine emperor from 802 to 811. Having served Empress Irene as '' genikos logothetēs'', he subsequently ousted her from power and took the throne himself. In r ...
* 806 – Abbasid invasion of Asia Minor – Harun al-Rashid invades Asia Minor and sacks Heraclea * 811 –
Battle of Pliska The Battle of Pliska or Battle of Vărbitsa Pass was a series of battles between troops, gathered from all parts of the Byzantine Empire, led by the Emperor Nicephorus I, and the First Bulgarian Empire, governed by Khan Krum. The Byzantines plu ...
– Emperor
Nikephoros I Nikephoros I or Nicephorus I ( gr, Νικηφόρος; 750 – 26 July 811) was Byzantine emperor from 802 to 811. Having served Empress Irene as '' genikos logothetēs'', he subsequently ousted her from power and took the throne himself. In r ...
is defeated by Bulgarian army * 827–828 – Siege of Syracuse – Unsuccessful siege of Syracuse by the
Aghlabids The Aghlabids ( ar, الأغالبة) were an Arab dynasty of emirs from the Najdi tribe of Banu Tamim, who ruled Ifriqiya and parts of Southern Italy, Sicily, and possibly Sardinia, nominally on behalf of the Abbasid Caliph, for about a ...
* 829 –
Battle of Thasos The Battle of Thasos was fought on October 829 between the fleets of the Byzantine Empire and the newly founded Emirate of Crete. The Cretan Arabs scored a major victory: ''Theophanes Continuatus'' records that almost the entire imperial fleet wa ...
– Byzantine fleet is defeated by
Emirate of Crete The Emirate of Crete ( ar, إقريطش, Iqrīṭish or , ''Iqrīṭiya''; gr, Κρήτη, Krētē) was an Islamic state that existed on the Mediterranean island of Crete from the late 820s to the reconquest of the island by the Byzantine Empi ...
* 838 – ** Battle of Anzen – Emperor Theophilos is defeated by the Abbasids under Afshin. ** Sack of Amorium – Abbasids under Caliph
al-Mu'tasim Abū Isḥāq Muḥammad ibn Hārūn al-Rashīd ( ar, أبو إسحاق محمد بن هارون الرشيد; October 796 – 5 January 842), better known by his regnal name al-Muʿtaṣim biʾllāh (, ), was the eighth Abbasid caliph, ruling ...
besiege and sack the city of Amorium * 844 – Battle of Mauropotamos – Abbasid army defeats the Byzantines under
Theoktistos Theoktistos or Theoctistus (; died November 20, 855) was a leading Byzantine official during the second quarter of the 9th century and the ''de facto'' head of the regency for the underage emperor Michael III from 842 until his dismissal and mu ...
* 853 – Sack of Damietta – Byzantine fleet raids and captures the port of
Damietta Damietta ( arz, دمياط ' ; cop, ⲧⲁⲙⲓⲁϯ, Tamiati) is a port city and the capital of the Damietta Governorate in Egypt, a former bishopric and present multiple Catholic titular see. It is located at the Damietta branch, an easte ...
in Egypt * 862 –
Capture of Faruriyyah The Capture of Faruriyyah in 862 was a military campaign conducted by the Abbasid Caliphate against the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire. Planned during the short caliphate of al-Muntasir (r. 861–862), it was commanded by the Turkish general ...
– Abbasids capture the border fortress of Farurriyah * 863 – Battle of Lalakaon – Byzantine army under
Petronas Petroliam Nasional Berhad (National Petroleum Limited), commonly known as Petronas, is a Malaysian petroleum, oil and natural gas, gas company. Established in 1974 and wholly owned by the Government of Malaysia, the corporation is vested w ...
annihilates the army of
Malatya Malatya ( hy, Մալաթիա, translit=Malat'ya; Syro-Aramaic ܡܠܝܛܝܢܐ Malīṭīná; ku, Meletî; Ancient Greek: Μελιτηνή) is a large city in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey and the capital of Malatya Province. The city h ...
and kills its emir, Umar al-Aqta * 868 – Siege of Ragusa – Byzantine fleet under
Niketas Ooryphas Niketas Oryphas or Oöryphas ( el, or , fl. 860–873). was a distinguished Byzantine official, ''patrikios'',. and admiral under the Byzantine emperors Michael III (r. 842–867) and Basil I the Macedonian (r. 867–886), who achieved several n ...
relieves Ragusa and restores Byzantine control over
Dalmatia Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see names in other languages) is one of the four historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of the Adriatic Sea, str ...
* 872 or 878 –
Battle of Bathys Ryax The Battle of Bathys Ryax was fought in 872 or 878 between the Byzantine Empire and the Paulicians. The Paulicians were a Christian sect which—persecuted by the Byzantine state—had established a separate principality at Tephrike on Byzantium ...
– The Byzantines defeat the Paulicians and kill their leader,
Chrysocheir Chrysocheir ( el, Χρυσόχειρ), also known as Chrysocheres, Chrysocheris, or Chrysocheiros (Χρυσόχερης/Χρυσόχερις/Χρυσόχειρος), all meaning "goldhand", was the second and last leader of the Paulician principali ...
* 872 or 873 – Battle of Kardia – Byzantine fleet under
Niketas Ooryphas Niketas Oryphas or Oöryphas ( el, or , fl. 860–873). was a distinguished Byzantine official, ''patrikios'',. and admiral under the Byzantine emperors Michael III (r. 842–867) and Basil I the Macedonian (r. 867–886), who achieved several n ...
defeats the Cretan Saracens under the renegade Photios * 873 or 879 –
Battle of the Gulf of Corinth The Battle of the Gulf of Corinth was a battle fought in c. 873 between the fleets of the Byzantine Empire and the Cretan Saracens in the Gulf of Corinth. The Byzantines under Niketas Ooryphas managed to surprise the Saracens, resulting in a major ...
– Byzantine fleet under
Niketas Ooryphas Niketas Oryphas or Oöryphas ( el, or , fl. 860–873). was a distinguished Byzantine official, ''patrikios'',. and admiral under the Byzantine emperors Michael III (r. 842–867) and Basil I the Macedonian (r. 867–886), who achieved several n ...
defeats the Cretan Saracens under the renegade Photios * 877–878 – Siege of Syracuse – Fall of Syracuse to the Aghlabids * 880 – ** Battle of Cephalonia
Nasar Nasar ( el, Νάσαρ), originally baptized Basil ( el, Βασίλειος),. was a distinguished Byzantine military leader in the Byzantine–Arab conflicts of the latter half of the 9th century. Biography Not much is known about Nasar's family ...
defeats an
Aghlabid The Aghlabids ( ar, الأغالبة) were an Arab dynasty of emirs from the Najdi tribe of Banu Tamim, who ruled Ifriqiya and parts of Southern Italy, Sicily, and possibly Sardinia, nominally on behalf of the Abbasid Caliph, for about a ...
fleet raiding western Greece in a night battle **
Battle of Stelai The Battle of Stelai was a naval battle fought in 880 between the Byzantine and Aghlabid fleets off the southern Italian peninsula. The battle was a major Byzantine victory. Its location is disputed, hence it is also known as the First Battle o ...
Nasar Nasar ( el, Νάσαρ), originally baptized Basil ( el, Βασίλειος),. was a distinguished Byzantine military leader in the Byzantine–Arab conflicts of the latter half of the 9th century. Biography Not much is known about Nasar's family ...
defeats an
Aghlabid The Aghlabids ( ar, الأغالبة) were an Arab dynasty of emirs from the Najdi tribe of Banu Tamim, who ruled Ifriqiya and parts of Southern Italy, Sicily, and possibly Sardinia, nominally on behalf of the Abbasid Caliph, for about a ...
fleet off
Calabria , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...
* After 883 :
Siege of Euripos The siege of Euripos (modern Chalcis) occurred in the mid-880s, when an Abbasid fleet, led by the emir of Tarsos, Yazaman al-Khadim, laid siege to the city. The local Byzantine commander, Oiniates, successfully defended the city and destroyed a ...
* 888 – Battle of Milazzo
Aghlabids The Aghlabids ( ar, الأغالبة) were an Arab dynasty of emirs from the Najdi tribe of Banu Tamim, who ruled Ifriqiya and parts of Southern Italy, Sicily, and possibly Sardinia, nominally on behalf of the Abbasid Caliph, for about a ...
defeat Byzantines * 896 – Battle of Boulgarophygon – Bulgarian Army defeats Byzantines under Leo Katakalon


10th century

* 902 – Siege of Taormina – The former
Aghlabid The Aghlabids ( ar, الأغالبة) were an Arab dynasty of emirs from the Najdi tribe of Banu Tamim, who ruled Ifriqiya and parts of Southern Italy, Sicily, and possibly Sardinia, nominally on behalf of the Abbasid Caliph, for about a ...
emir, Ibrahim II, captures the fortress of
Taormina Taormina ( , , also , ; scn, Taurmina) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Messina, on the east coast of the island of Sicily, Italy. Taormina has been a tourist destination since the 19th century. Its beaches on ...
* 904 Sack of Thessalonica * 915 Battle of Garigliano * 917 – ** Battle of Achelous ** Battle of Katasyrtai * 922 –
Battle of Pegae The Battle of Pegae ( bg, битка при Пиги) was fought between 11 and 18 March 921 in the outskirts of Constantinople between the forces of the Bulgarian Empire and the Byzantine Empire during the Byzantine–Bulgarian war of 913–9 ...
* 941 – Rus' raid against Constantinople and Bithynia * 953 –
Battle of Marash The Battle of Marash ( tr, Maraş Muharebesi), also called the "Marash Affair", was a battle that took place in the early winter of 1920 between the French forces occupying the city of Maraş in the Ottoman Empire and the Turkish National F ...
* 958 – Battle of Raban * 960 – Battle of Andrassos * 962 – Siege of Taormina – The
Fatimids The Fatimid Caliphate was an Isma'ilism, Ismaili Shia Islam, Shi'a caliphate extant from the tenth to the twelfth centuries AD. Spanning a large area of North Africa, it ranged from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Red Sea in the ea ...
capture the fortress of
Taormina Taormina ( , , also , ; scn, Taurmina) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Messina, on the east coast of the island of Sicily, Italy. Taormina has been a tourist destination since the 19th century. Its beaches on ...
* 965 – Battle of the Straits – The
Fatimids The Fatimid Caliphate was an Isma'ilism, Ismaili Shia Islam, Shi'a caliphate extant from the tenth to the twelfth centuries AD. Spanning a large area of North Africa, it ranged from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Red Sea in the ea ...
destroy a Byzantine invasion fleet under Niketas Abalantes * 970 – Battle of Arcadiopolis * 970–971 –
Siege of Dorostolon The Battle of Dorostopol was fought in 971 between the Byzantine Empire and forces of Kievan Rus'. The Byzantines, led by John I Tzimiskes, were victorious. Background During the course of the Rus'-Bulgarian war, Svyatoslav I of Kiev overran ...
* 971 – Battle of Alexandretta * 986 – Battle of the Gates of Trajan * 994 –
Battle of the Orontes The Battle of the Orontes was fought on 15 September 994 between the Byzantines and their Hamdanid allies under Michael Bourtzes against the forces of the Fatimid vizier of Damascus, the Turkish general Manjutakin. The battle was a Fatimid victo ...
* 995 – Battle of Thessalonica * 997 –
Battle of Spercheios The Battle of Spercheios ( bg, Битка при Сперхей, el, Μάχη του Σπερχειού) took place in 997 AD, on the shores of the Spercheios river near the city of Lamia in central Greece. It was fought between a Bulgarian a ...
* 998 –
Battle of Apamea The Battle of Apamea was fought on 19 July 998 between the forces of the Byzantine Empire and the Fatimid Caliphate. The battle was part of a series of military confrontations between the two powers over control of northern Syria and the Hamdanid ...


11th century

* 1004 – ** Battle of Skopje ** Battle of Thessalonica * 1009 – Battle of Kreta * 1014 – ** Battle of Thessalonica **
Battle of Kleidion The Battle of Kleidion ( grc-gre, Κλειδίον; or Clidium, after the medieval name of the village of Klyuch, "(the) key"; also known as the Battle of Belasitsa) took place on July 29, 1014, between the Byzantine Empire and the Bulgarian Emp ...
** Battle of Strumica * 1015 – Battle of Bitola * 1017 – Battle of Setina * 1018 – ** Battle of Dyrrhachium **
Battle of Cannae The Battle of Cannae () was a key engagement of the Second Punic War between the Roman Republic and Carthage, fought on 2 August 216 BC near the ancient village of Cannae in Apulia, southeast Italy. The Carthaginians and their allies, led by Ha ...
* 1021 –
Battle of Shirimni Battle of Shirimni ( ka, შირიმნის ბრძოლა) also known as the Battle of Palakazio was fought between the Byzantine and Georgian armies at the place of Shirimni at the Palakazio Lake (now Childir, Turkey; then part of ...
* 1022 –
Battle of Svindax The Battle of Svindax ( ka, სვინდაქსის ბრძოლა) was fought during the spring of 1022 between the Byzantine army of Emperor Basil II and the Georgian army of King George I. History The battle was fought at Svind ...
* 1024 – Battle of Lemnos * 1030 – Battle of Azaz * 1040 – ** Battle of Thessalonica ** Battle of Thessalonica * 1041 – **
Battle of Ostrovo The Battle of Ostrovo occurred in 1041 near Ostrovo, an area close to the lake of the same name in modern Northern Greece. History In 1040 Peter Delyan, an illegitimate relative of Samuel, the Bulgarian Tsar, led an uprising against the Byza ...
**
Battle of Olivento The Battle of Olivento was fought on 17 March 1041 between the Byzantine Empire and the Normans of southern Italy and their Lombard allies near the Olivento river, between the actual Basilicata and Apulia, southern Italy. History The battle h ...
**
Battle of Montemaggiore The Battle of Montemaggiore (or Monte Maggiore) was fought on 4 May 1041, on the river Ofanto near Cannae in Byzantine Italy, between Lombard- Norman rebel forces and the Byzantine Empire. The Norman William Iron Arm led the offence, which was ...
** Battle of Montepeloso * 1043 – Rus' raid into the Aegean Sea * 1047 – Battle of Sasireti * 1048 –
Battle of Kapetron The Battle of Kapetron or Kapetrou was fought between a Byzantine- Georgian army and the Seljuq Turks at the plain of Kapetron (modern Hasankale/Pasinler in northeastern Turkey) in 1048. The event was the culmination of a major raid led by th ...
* 1053- Battle of Zygos Pass * 1054 –
Battle of Manzikert The Battle of Manzikert or Malazgirt was fought between the Byzantine Empire and the Seljuk Empire on 26 August 1071 near Manzikert, theme of Iberia (modern Malazgirt in Muş Province, Turkey). The decisive defeat of the Byzantine army and ...
* 1067 – Battle of Caesarea * 1068–71 – Siege of Bari * 1069 – Battle of Iconium * 1071 –
Battle of Manzikert The Battle of Manzikert or Malazgirt was fought between the Byzantine Empire and the Seljuk Empire on 26 August 1071 near Manzikert, theme of Iberia (modern Malazgirt in Muş Province, Turkey). The decisive defeat of the Byzantine army and ...
* 1078 – Battle of Kalavrye * 1081 – Battle of Dyrrhachium * 1091 – Battle of Levounion * 1097 –
Siege of Nicaea The siege of Nicaea was the first major battle of the First Crusade, taking place from 14 May to 19 June 1097. The city was under the control the Seljuk Turks who opted to surrender to the Byzantines in fear of the crusaders breaking into the ci ...


12th century

* 1107–1108 – Siege of Dyrrhachium * 1113 –
Siege of Nicaea The siege of Nicaea was the first major battle of the First Crusade, taking place from 14 May to 19 June 1097. The city was under the control the Seljuk Turks who opted to surrender to the Byzantines in fear of the crusaders breaking into the ci ...
* 1116 – Battle of Philomelion * 1122 –
Battle of Beroia The Battle of Beroia (modern Stara Zagora) was fought in 1122 between the Pechenegs and the Byzantine Empire under Emperor John II Komnenos (r. 1118–1143) in what is now Bulgaria. The Byzantine army won the battle, resulting in the disappearan ...
* 1138 – Siege of Shaizar * 1167 – Battle of Sirmium * 1176 – Battle of Myriokephalon * 1177 – Battle of Hyelion and Leimocheir * 1185 – ** Sack of Thessalonica ** Battle of Demetritzes * 1187 –
Siege of Lovech The siege of Lovech ( bg, Обсада на Ловеч, translit=Obsada na Lovech) took place in the spring of 1187 between the forces of Bulgaria and the Byzantine Empire. The three-month siege resulted in Bulgarian victory and Byzantine defeat ...
* 1190 –
Battle of Tryavna The Battle of Tryavna ( bg, Битка при Трявна) occurred in 1190, in the mountains around the contemporary town of Tryavna, central Bulgaria. The result was a Bulgarian victory over the Byzantine Empire, which secured the successes ...
* 1194 – Battle of Arcadiopolis * 1196 –
Battle of Serres The battle of Serres ( bg, Битка при Сяр, el, Μάχη των Σερρών) took place in 1196 near the town of Serres in contemporary Greece between the armies of the Bulgarian and the Byzantine Empire. The result was Bulgarian v ...


13th century

* 1201 –
Siege of Varna The siege of Varna (July–September 29, 1828) was a battle during the Russo-Turkish War, 1828–1829. History Varna was held by the Ottoman army. An approach to Varna by Russian forces was first attempted on June 28, but the Russian ava ...
* 1203 – Siege of Constantinople – First attack on Constantinople by the
Fourth Crusade The Fourth Crusade (1202–1204) was a Latin Christian armed expedition called by Pope Innocent III. The stated intent of the expedition was to recapture the Muslim-controlled city of Jerusalem, by first defeating the powerful Egyptian Ayyubid S ...
, deposition of
Alexios III Angelos Alexios III Angelos ( gkm, Ἀλέξιος Κομνηνός Ἄγγελος, Alexios Komnēnos Angelos; 1211), Latinized as Alexius III Angelus, was Byzantine Emperor from March 1195 to 17/18 July 1203. He reigned under the name Alexios Komnen ...
* 1204 – Siege of Constantinople – Second attack and capture of Constantinople by the
Fourth Crusade The Fourth Crusade (1202–1204) was a Latin Christian armed expedition called by Pope Innocent III. The stated intent of the expedition was to recapture the Muslim-controlled city of Jerusalem, by first defeating the powerful Egyptian Ayyubid S ...
, dissolution of the Byzantine Empire, establishment of the
Latin Empire The Latin Empire, also referred to as the Latin Empire of Constantinople, was a feudal Crusader state founded by the leaders of the Fourth Crusade on lands captured from the Byzantine Empire. The Latin Empire was intended to replace the Byza ...
* 1205 – ** Battle of the Olive Grove of Kountouras ** Battle of Adramyttium * 1205–06 – Siege of Trebizond * 1207 – Siege of Attalia * 1211 – ** Battle of Antioch on the Meander ** Battle of the Rhyndacus * 1214 –
Siege of Sinope The siege of Sinope in 1214 was a successful siege and capture of Sinope by the Sultanate of Rum under their Sultan, Kaykaus I (r. 1211–1220). Sinope was an important port city on the Black Sea coast of modern Turkey, at the time held by th ...
* 1222–23 – Siege of Trebizond * 1223 or 1224 –
Battle of Poimanenon The Battle of Poimanenon or Poemanenum was fought in early 1224 (or possibly late 1223) between the forces of the two main successor states of the Byzantine Empire; the Latin Empire and the Byzantine Greek Empire of Nicaea. The opposing forces me ...
* 1230 –
Battle of Klokotnitsa The Battle of Klokotnitsa ( bg, Битката при Клокотница, ''Bitkata pri Klokotnitsa'') occurred on 9 March 1230 near the village of Klokotnitsa (today in Haskovo Province, Bulgaria) between Second Bulgarian Empire and Emp ...
– Bulgarians defeat and capture
Theodore Komnenos Doukas Theodore Komnenos Doukas ( el, Θεόδωρος Κομνηνὸς Δούκας, ''Theodōros Komnēnos Doukas'', Latinized as Theodore Comnenus Ducas, died 1253) was ruler of Epirus and Thessaly from 1215 to 1230 and of Thessalonica and most ...
* 1235 – Siege of Constantinople – Unsuccessful joint Bulgarian–Nicaean siege of Constantinople * 1254 –
Battle of Adrianople The Battle of Adrianople (9 August 378), sometimes known as the Battle of Hadrianopolis, was fought between an Eastern Roman army led by the Eastern Roman Emperor Valens and Gothic rebels (largely Thervings as well as Greutungs, non-Gothic A ...
* 1259 –
Battle of Pelagonia The Battle of Pelagonia or Battle of Kastoriae.g. ; . took place in early summer or autumn 1259, between the Empire of Nicaea and an anti-Nicaean alliance comprising Despotate of Epirus, Sicily and the Principality of Achaea. It was a decisive ev ...
* 1260 – Siege of Constantinople * 1263 – ** Battle of Prinitza **
Battle of Settepozzi The Battle of Settepozzi was fought in the first half of 1263 off the island of Settepozzi (the medieval Italian name for Spetses) between a Genoese–Byzantine fleet and a smaller Venetian fleet. Genoa and the Byzantines had been allied aga ...
* 1263 or 1264 – Battle of Makryplagi * 1272/73 or 1274/75 – **
Battle of Neopatras The Battle of Neopatras was fought in the early 1270s between a Byzantine army besieging the city of Neopatras and the forces of John I Doukas, ruler of Thessaly. The battle was a rout for the Byzantine army, which was caught by surprise and defe ...
**
Battle of Demetrias The Battle of Demetrias was a sea engagement fought at Volos in Greece in the early 1270s between a Byzantine fleet and the assembled forces of the Latin barons of Euboea (Negroponte) and Crete. The battle was fierce, and initially in favour of ...
* 1279 –
Battle of Devina A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
* 1280–81 – Siege of Berat


14th century

* 1304 – **
Battle of Bapheus The Battle of Bapheus occurred on 27 July 1302, between a Ottoman army under Osman I and a Byzantine army under George Mouzalon. The battle ended in a crucial Ottoman victory, cementing the Ottoman state and heralding the final capture of Byz ...
– First Ottoman victory over the regular Byzantine army **
Battle of Skafida The Battle of Skafida () was an engagement between the Second Bulgarian Empire and the Byzantine Empire which occurred in 1304 near Poros (Burgas), modern Bulgaria. The outcome was a Bulgarian victory. As a result, the Bulgarian Empire overcame ...
– Bulgarians defeat the Byzantines * 1305 – Battle of Apros -The Catalan Company defeats the Byzantines * 1310 – Conquest of Rhodes – Hospitallers capture Rhodes * 1320 –
Battle of Saint George The Battle of Saint George took place on 9 September 1320 between the Latin Principality of Achaea and the forces of the Byzantine governor of Mystras, at the fortress of Saint George in Skorta in Arcadia. As a result of the battle, Arcadia ...
— The Byzantines under Andronikos Asen ambush and defeat the forces of the
Principality of Achaea The Principality of Achaea () or Principality of Morea was one of the three vassal states of the Latin Empire, which replaced the Byzantine Empire after the capture of Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade. It became a vassal of the Kingdom ...
, securing possession of Arcadia. * 1320–26 – Siege of Prussa – The Ottomans capture the city of Prussa, which becomes their capital * 1329 –
Battle of Pelekanon The Battle of Pelekanon, also known by its Latinised form Battle of Pelecanum, occurred on June 10–11, 1329 between an expeditionary force by the Byzantines led by Andronicus III and an Ottoman army led by Orhan I. The Byzantine army was d ...
– The Ottomans defeat the last Byzantine attempt to defend Asia Minor * 1328–31 –
Siege of Nicaea The siege of Nicaea was the first major battle of the First Crusade, taking place from 14 May to 19 June 1097. The city was under the control the Seljuk Turks who opted to surrender to the Byzantines in fear of the crusaders breaking into the ci ...
– Ottomans capture the city of Nicaea * 1332 – Battle of Rusokastro – Bulgarians defeat the Byzantines * 1333–37 – Siege of Nicomedia – Fall of Nicomedia to the Ottomans * 1354 – Fall of Gallipoli – Capture of Gallipoli by the Ottomans, first Ottoman stronghold in Europe * 1366 – Reconquest of Gallipoli
Amadeus VII, Count of Savoy Amadeus VII (24 February 1360 – 1 November 1391), known as the Red Count, was Count of Savoy from 1383 to 1391. Biography Amadeus was born in Chambéry on 24 February 1360, the son of Count Amadeus VI of Savoy and Bonne of Bourbon. Altho ...
, recovers Gallipoli for the Byzantines * 1390 – Fall of Philadelphia – Ottomans capture Philadelphia, the last Byzantine stronghold in Asia


15th century

* 1411 – Siege of Constantinople – Ottomans besiege Constantinople * 1422 – Siege of Constantinople – Ottomans besiege Constantinople * 1422–30 – Siege of Thessalonica – Ottomans besiege and capture Thessalonica (after 1423 held by Venice) * 1427 – Battle of the Echinades * 1453 –
Fall of Constantinople The Fall of Constantinople, also known as the Conquest of Constantinople, was the capture of the capital of the Byzantine Empire by the Ottoman Empire. The city fell on 29 May 1453 as part of the culmination of a 53-day siege which had begun o ...
– Ottoman Sultan
Mehmed II Mehmed II ( ota, محمد ثانى, translit=Meḥmed-i s̱ānī; tr, II. Mehmed, ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror ( ota, ابو الفتح, Ebū'l-fetḥ, lit=the Father of Conquest, links=no; tr, Fâtih Su ...
captures Constantinople, ending the Byzantine Empire * 1461 – Siege of Trebizond – Sultan Mehmed II captures Trebizond, ending the
Empire of Trebizond The Empire of Trebizond, or Trapezuntine Empire, was a monarchy and one of three successor rump states of the Byzantine Empire, along with the Despotate of the Morea and the Principality of Theodoro, that flourished during the 13th through ...
{{Byzantine Empire topics
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 ...
Byzantine battles Battles