Maniakes' Misadventure
SPECIAL Maniakes' forces land on Sicily and drive off the Arab defenders. MANIAKES' MISADVENTURE THE INVASION OF SICILY IN 1038 Maniakes descended on those districts in full force. No military stratagem was left untried, and it was clear that he would drive out the conquerors and check their inroads – if all else failed, then he would do it with his own hands. – Michael Psellos By Giovanni Amatuccio 6 Medieval Warfare VIII-2 y the summer of 1038, the Mediterranean his appearance and the barbarians, to a man, island of Sicily was in chaos. Civil war had lived in dread of him, some because they had broken out in the months and years before, seen and marvelled, others because they had although the sources are not clear on what heard frightful tales of his prowess. exactly had happened. According to Greek accounts, the Emir of Sicily, Ahmad al-Akhal, Maniakes led a multi-ethnic army composed of was challenged by his brother, and had Macedons, 500 Armenian infantrymen, an unde- reached out the Byzantine Empire for assistance. fined number of thematic regular troops and mi- BMeanwhile, the rebellious faction had gained the litias from Calabria and Puglia (konteratoi) under support of the Zirid dynasty based in North Africa. the command of Patrician Michael Sfrondeles, and The Zirids arrived first, and while besieged in 300 cavalrymen led by Katakalon Kekaumenos. the city of Palermo, Emir al-Akhal was murdered. The army included Paulician troops – the “Mani- However, the Zirids were also driven away from the chean Tagma” mentioned in successive sources. In city, and the island was left devoid of political cohe- effect, the Paulicians were a heretic Manichean sect sion.
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