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Maniqa
Maniqa () is a castle located in the Syrian Coastal Mountain Range, dated back to the Roman era, it was also known as "Malikas" or "Malghanes" during the Crusader rule. History In 1028, Byzantine Megas doux, doux of Antioch Michael Spondyles was tricked by the Arab tribal leader Nasr ibn Musharraf al-Rawadifi to construct a fortress at Maniqa from where he would defend the Byzantine domains. Michael agreed and even sent a 1,000-strong garrison there, but when the fortress was finished, Nasr refused to hand it over, and with assistance from the qadi of Tripoli, Lebanon, Tripoli and the local Fatimid commander, he killed the garrison. In 1030, Byzantine Emperor Romanos III Argyros ordered Niketas of Mistheia, doux of Antioch, to recapture Maniqa from al-Rawadifi. Niketas managed to control the fort in 1031 after a 13-day siege, in which he also captured Nasr's wife and four daughters, who were abandoned to their fate.John Skylitzes, ''Synopsis of Histories'', 383.91–93 Niketas then ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nasr Ibn Musharraf Al-Rawadifi
Nasr ibn Musharraf al-Rawadifi (; died 1032) was an Arab chieftain of the Citadel of Maniqa and Jabal al-Rawadif near Antioch. Biography In 1027 AD, the ruler of Aleppo, Salih ibn Mirdas, was able to defeat doux of Antioch, Michael Spondyles who was inexperienced in warfare. Nevertheless, Pothos Argyros (11th century), Pothos Argyros succeeded in capturing Nasr ibn Musharraf al-Rawadifi, ruler of the disputed border area of Jabal Rawadif, who later succeeded in being set free after promising assistance to Michael Spondyles. Al-Rawadifi also managed to convince the doux of the necessity of building the Citadel of Maniqa to increase the control of the Byzantines in the region. The doux of Antioch was persuaded by al-Rawadifi's suggestion, and decided to build the castle from Byzantine financing, according to the historian John Skylitzes, and put 1,000 Roman soldiers to protect it. Emperor Romanos III Argyros also decided to promote al-Rawadifi to be the dignity of Patrician_(ancient_R ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Niketas Of Mistheia
Niketas of Mistheia was a Byzantine official, originally from Mistheia, and '' doux'' of Antioch (1030–1032). He was an eunuch who held the titles of ''patrikios'' and '' rhaiktor''. Career In 1030, Byzantine Emperor Romanos III Argyros appointed Niketas as ''katepano'' of Antioch, following the Battle of Azaz against the Mirdasid dynasty. Later on, he managed to force a coalition of Arab tribes led by Nasr ibn Musharraf al-Rawadifi to withdraw from besieging Maraclea. He then sacked 'Irqa and destroyed the village of Kurin. In December of the same year, the Byzantine generals Niketas of Mistheia and Symeon the ''protovestiarios'' besieged and captured Azaz, and burned Tubbal. In 1031, he took Balatunus from Banu al-Ahmar, some forts from Banu Ghannaj and Ibn al-Kashih, but failed to seize the fortress of Maniqa, as al-Rawadifi managed to burn their siege equipment. However, he re-sacked 'Irqa, taking many prisoners and cattle. He later organized another campaign to recaptu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Banu Muhriz
The Banu Muhriz were an Arab princely family that controlled the fortresses of Marqab (Margat), Kahf and Qadmus in the late 11th and early 12th centuries. The family is credited by a 13th-century Alawite treatise for patronizing the budding Alawite community in the southern Syrian Coastal Mountain Range, along with two other local families, the Banu'l-Ahmar and Banu'l-Arid. The former controlled the Balatunus (Mahalibeh) fortress until losing it to the Byzantines in 1031, while the latter were based in the mountains west of Homs. A member of the Banu Muhriz, the emir of Qadmus Abdallah ibn Ja'far ibn Muhriz, hosted the prominent Alawite missionary Abu'l-Khayr Ahmad ibn Salama al-Hadda (died 1065) in the fortress. An 11th-century poem by an Alawite religious figure celebrated the family. Alawite religious literature notes that another member of the family, the emir Nasih al-Dawla Jaysh ibn Muhammad ibn Muhriz, was a prominent Alawite scholar. The Banu Muhriz lost control of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Spondyles
Michael Spondyles (, ) was a high-ranking Byzantine courtier who became governor of Antioch, and then Apulia and Calabria. Biography A court eunuch and favourite of Constantine VIII (r. 1025–28), Spondyles was among the coterie of court officials appointed to senior positions on Constantine's accession as sole emperor. In 1027, as the emir of Aleppo, Salih ibn Mirdas, raided Byzantine territory. Spondyles, although inexperienced in warfare, marched out to meet him, and was defeated and forced to withdraw to the safety of Antioch. Shortly after (in 1027/28) he was also tricked by the Arab tribal leader Nasr ibn Musharraf al-Rawadifi, who was captured by Michael's deputy, Pothos Argyros. Nasr persuaded Michael to release him and allow him to construct a fortress at al-Maniqa from where he would defend the Byzantine domains. Michael agreed and even sent a 1,000-strong garrison there, but when the fortress was finished, Nasr refused to hand it over, and with assistance from the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Order Of Assassins
The Order of Assassins (; ) were a Nizari Isma'ilism, Nizari Isma'ili order that existed between 1090 and 1275 AD, founded by Hasan-i Sabbah, Hasan al-Sabbah. During that time, they lived in the mountains of Persia and the Levant, and held a strict subterfuge policy throughout the Middle East, posing a substantial strategic threat to Fatimid Caliphate, Fatimid, Abbasid, and Seljuk Empire, Seljuk authority, and killing several Christian leaders. Over the course of nearly 200 years, they killed hundreds who were considered enemies of the Nizari Isma'ili state. The modern term assassination is believed to stem from the tactics used by the Assassins. Contemporaneous historians include ibn al-Qalanisi, Ali ibn al-Athir, and Ata-Malik Juvayni. The former two referred to the Assassins as ''batiniyya'', an epithet widely accepted by Isma'ilis themselves. Overview The Assassins were founded by Hassan-i Sabbah. The state was formed in 1090 after the capture of Alamut Castle in the Albo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rainald I Masoir
Rainald I Masoir, also known as Renaud I Masoir (died around 1135), was constable of the Principality of Antioch from around 1126, and also baillif (or governor) of the principality from 1132. Although he was a prominent military commander and held important offices, most details of his life are unknown. He received his first estates in the southern regions of Antioch in the 1110s. He made the strong fortress of Margat the center of his domains. He regularly witnessed the Antiochene rulers' diplomas from the 1120s. He was most probably still the actual ruler of the principality when he died. Early career Rainald's origins and family are unknown, but he was most probably born in France. He may have received the fortress of Baniyas (near Jabala) shortly after it was captured by Antiochene troops in May 1109, according to historian Thomas Asbridge. Rainald persuaded the commander of Margat to surrender the fortress to him, along with the nearby forts Maniqa, Qulay'ah and Hadid ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Baniyas
Baniyas ( ') is a Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coastal city in Tartous Governorate, western Syria, located south of Latakia and north of Tartous. It is known for its citrus fruit orchards and its export of wood. North of the city is an Baniyas Refinery, oil refinery, the largest in Syria, and a power station. The oil refinery is connected with Iraq by the Kirkuk–Baniyas pipeline (now defunct). On a nearby hill stands the Crusader castle of Margat (Qalaat el-Marqab), a huge Knights Hospitaller fortress built with black basalt stone. History Ancient In Phoenician and Hellenistic times, it was an important seaport. Some have identified it with the Hellenistic city of Leucas (from colonists from the island Lefkada), in Greece, mentioned by Stephanus of Byzantium. It was a colony of Arwad, Aradus,Strabo, ''Geographica'', 16.2.12Greek sourcean and was placed by Stephanus in the late Roman province of Phoenice (Roman province), Phoenicia, though it belonged rather to the prov ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mamluk Sultanate (Cairo)
The Mamluk Sultanate (), also known as Mamluk Egypt or the Mamluk Empire, was a state that ruled medieval Egypt, Egypt, the Levant and the Hejaz from the mid-13th to early 16th centuries, with Cairo as its capital. It was ruled by a military caste of mamluks (freed slave soldiers) headed by a sultan. The sultanate was established with the overthrow of the Ayyubid dynasty in Egypt in 1250 and was Ottoman–Mamluk War (1516–1517), conquered by the Ottoman Empire in 1517. Mamluk history is generally divided into the Turkic peoples, Turkic or Bahri Mamluks, Bahri period (1250–1382) and the Circassians, Circassian or Burji Mamluks, Burji period (1382–1517), called after the predominant ethnicity or corps of the ruling Mamluks during these respective eras. The first rulers of the sultanate hailed from the mamluk regiments of the Ayyubid sultan as-Salih Ayyub (), usurping power from his successor in 1250. The Mamluks under Sultan Qutuz and Baybars Battle of Ain Jalut, routed the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hadid Castle
Hadid () is a moshav in central Israel. Located near Modi'in, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hevel Modi'in Regional Council. In it had a population of . History According to the Mishnah, the town of Hadid was encompassed by a wall before the Israelite conquest of Canaan under Joshua. It is not mentioned in the list of the towns of Benjamin in but it is named as a city of the tribe of Benjamin in the Second Temple period. In the Hellenistic era it was known as 'Adida; Simon Maccabeus was encamped there during his conflict with the Seleucid general Diodotus Tryphon. During the 18th and 19th centuries, the area belonged to the Nahiyeh (sub-district) of Lod that encompassed the area of the present-day city of Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut in the south to the present-day city of El'ad in the north, and from the foothills in the east, through the Lod Valley to the outskirts of Jaffa in the west. This area was home to thousands of inhabitants in about 20 villages, who had at their di ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Qulay'a
Qulay'a (), also transliterated ''Qulay'at'' or ''Qleiat'') is a village and medieval citadel in northwestern Syria, administratively part of the Tartus Governorate. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, Qulay'a had a population of 1,360 in the 2004 census.General Census of Population and Housing 2004 Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Tartus Governorate. The fortress of Qulay'a was one of the several held by the |
Margat
Margat, also known as Marqab (), is a castle near Baniyas, Syria, which was a Crusader fortress and one of the major strongholds of the Knights Hospitaller. It is located around from the Mediterranean coast and approximately south of Baniyas. The castle remained in a poor state of preservation until 2007 when some reconstruction and renovation began. Fortress History Margat is located on a hill formed by an extinct volcano about above sea level on the road between Tripoli and Latakia, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. According to Arab sources, the site of Margat Castle was first fortified in 1062 by Muslims who continued to hold it within the Christian Principality of Antioch in the aftermath of the First Crusade. When the Principality was defeated at the Battle of Harran in 1104, the Byzantine Empire took advantage of their weakness and captured Margat from the Muslims. A few years later it was captured by Tancred, Prince of Galilee, regent of Antioch, and became pa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Romanos III Argyros
Romanos III Argyros (; Latinized Romanus III Argyrus; 968 – 11 April 1034), or Argyropoulos, was Byzantine Emperor from 1028 until his death in 1034. He was a Byzantine noble and senior official in Constantinople when the dying Constantine VIII forced him to divorce his wife and marry the emperor's daughter, Zoë. Upon Constantine's death three days later, Romanos took the throne. Romanos has been recorded as a well-meaning but ineffective emperor. He disorganised the tax system and undermined the military, personally leading a disastrous military expedition against Aleppo. He fell out with his wife and foiled several attempts on his throne, including two which revolved around his sister-in-law Theodora. He spent large amounts on the construction and repair of churches and monasteries. He died after six years on the throne, allegedly murdered, and was succeeded by his wife's young lover, Michael IV. Life Family and early career Romanos Argyros, born in 968, was the s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
