Battle of the Orontes
Encyclopedia
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 victory.
In the 990s, the Byzantine Empire
and the Fatimids were involved in a war in Syria
, which also involved the Byzantine vassal state of Aleppo
, controlled by the Hamdanid dynasty
. In 993/994, the Fatimid governor of Damascus, the Turkish general Banjutakin, besieged Apamea
, and Bourtzes, the Byzantine doux
of Antioch
, came forth to relieve the city. The two armies met across two fords on the Orontes River
near Apamea on 15 September 994. Banjutakin sent his forces to attack the Byzantines' Hamdanid allies across one ford while pinning the main Byzantine force down on the other. His men succeeded in breaking through the Hamdanids, turned round and attacked the Byzantine force in the rear. The Byzantine army panicked and fled, losing some 5,000 men in the process. This defeat led to the direct intervention of Byzantine emperor Basil II
, and Bourtzes' dismissal from his post and his replacement by Damian Dalassenos
.
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
and their Hamdanid allies under Michael Bourtzes
Michael Bourtzes
Michael Bourtzes was a leading Byzantine general of the latter 10th century. He became notable for his capture of Antioch in 969, but fell into disgrace by the Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas . Resentful at the slight, Bourtzes joined forces with the conspirators who assassinated Phokas a few weeks...
against the forces of the Fatimid
Fatimid
The Fatimid Islamic Caliphate or al-Fāṭimiyyūn was a Berber Shia Muslim caliphate first centered in Tunisia and later in Egypt that ruled over varying areas of the Maghreb, Sudan, Sicily, the Levant, and Hijaz from 5 January 909 to 1171.The caliphate was ruled by the Fatimids, who established the...
vizier of Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
, the Turkish general Manjutakin. The battle was a Fatimid victory.
In the 990s, the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
and the Fatimids were involved in a war in Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, which also involved the Byzantine vassal state of Aleppo
Aleppo
Aleppo is the largest city in Syria and the capital of Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Syrian governorate. With an official population of 2,301,570 , expanding to over 2.5 million in the metropolitan area, it is also one of the largest cities in the Levant...
, controlled by the Hamdanid dynasty
Hamdanid dynasty
The Hamdanid dynasty was a Shi'a Muslim Arab dynasty of northern Iraq and Syria . They claimed to have been descended from the ancient Banu Taghlib Christian tribe of Mesopotamia....
. In 993/994, the Fatimid governor of Damascus, the Turkish general Banjutakin, besieged Apamea
Apamea (Syria)
Apamea was a treasure city and stud-depot of the Seleucid kings, was capital of Apamene, on the right bank of the Orontes River. . Its site is found about to the northwest of Hama, Syria, overlooking the Ghab valley...
, and Bourtzes, the Byzantine doux
Dux
Dux is Latin for leader and later for Duke and its variant forms ....
of Antioch
Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes was an ancient city on the eastern side of the Orontes River. It is near the modern city of Antakya, Turkey.Founded near the end of the 4th century BC by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals, Antioch eventually rivaled Alexandria as the chief city of the...
, came forth to relieve the city. The two armies met across two fords on the Orontes River
Orontes River
The Orontes or ‘Āṣī is a river of Lebanon, Syria and Turkey.It was anciently the chief river of the Levant, also called Draco, Typhon and Axius...
near Apamea on 15 September 994. Banjutakin sent his forces to attack the Byzantines' Hamdanid allies across one ford while pinning the main Byzantine force down on the other. His men succeeded in breaking through the Hamdanids, turned round and attacked the Byzantine force in the rear. The Byzantine army panicked and fled, losing some 5,000 men in the process. This defeat led to the direct intervention of Byzantine emperor Basil II
Basil II
Basil II , known in his time as Basil the Porphyrogenitus and Basil the Young to distinguish him from his ancestor Basil I the Macedonian, was a Byzantine emperor from the Macedonian dynasty who reigned from 10 January 976 to 15 December 1025.The first part of his long reign was dominated...
, and Bourtzes' dismissal from his post and his replacement by Damian Dalassenos
Damian Dalassenos (duke of Antioch)
Damian Dalassenos was a Byzantine aristocrat and general, who served as the doux of Antioch in 995/6–998.Damian is the first attested member of the distinguished Dalassenos clan. As a holder of the high title of magistros, he succeeded the disgraced Michael Bourtzes as governor of Antioch in...
.