Sack of Nicotera (1122)
| Sack of Nicotera (1122) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Map of the Western Mediterranean in 1122 (the year of sack of necotera) | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Almoravid Dynasty |
 County of Sicily | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Mohamed ibn Meïmoun | Unknown | ||||||
Sack of Nicotera (1122) was a maritime raid carried out by an Almoravid fleet in 1122 against the Calabrian coast, more precisely on the city of Nicotera which was under Norman domination in order to lend a hand to the Zirids in Mahdia. [1][2][3]
Background
[edit]There was a conflict between the Zirid ruler Ali ibn Yahya and the governor of Gabes Rafik ibn Makan with who was Normans allie, so they decided to go on his side.[4] In January 1118, the Normans intervened with 24 galleys, putting the Zirid ships to flight, When the Norman crew wanted to go down to a dinner party in Gabes, the Zirids attacked again and won.Now Ali ibn Yahya finally recaptured Gabes, and furious at the Norman support, ordered an attack on all Sicilian ships in the Mediterranean. The Normans retaliated and launched a squadron on the coast of Ifriqiya, capturing some Zirid ships. Ali ibn Yahya then asked for the support of Almoravids , Rulers of Andalusia and the Maghreb (Expect of algeria) to help him face the Norman incursions. The Zirid emir Ali died shortly after.[4]
Tha attack
[edit]On March 11, 1122, on the orders of Emir Ali ibn Yusuf,[5][6] Almoravid fleet of Mohamed ibn Meïmoun launched a raid on the region of Calabria, pillaged the entire coast, and seized Nicotera, where the Moroccans killed many inhabitants,[7][8] and took the rest of the population as slaves[4].
Aftermath
[edit]See also: Mahdia campaign of 1123
Roger I of Sicily, was convinced that the Zirids were behind this attack, so he armed a large fleet and launched an attack against Ifriqiya to avenge the raid.[9] The expedition went badly, and the Normans had to retreat after a sixteen-day siege against Mahdia.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ Matthew, Donald (1992-07-30). The Norman Kingdom of Sicily. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-26911-7.
- ^ Karagoz, Claudia; Summerfield, Giovanna (2015-08-12). Sicily and the Mediterranean: Migration, Exchange, Reinvention. Springer. ISBN 978-1-137-48693-6.
- ^ IslamKotob. ديوان المبتدأ والخبر في تاريخ العرب والبربر ومن عاصرهم من ذوي الشأن الأكبر - ج 6 (in Arabic). IslamKotob.
- ^ a b c Jean, Deuve (1994). L'Épopée des Normands d'Italie. p. 144.
- ^ Société, historique algérienne (1881). Revue africaine : Numéros 145-156. p. 385.
- ^ Christophe, Picard (1997). La Mer et les musulmans d'Occident au Moyen Âge VIIIe-XIIIe siècle. p. 224.
- ^ Francesco, Carbonaro (2021). Logos Verlag, Berlin (ed.). The Norman Admiralty : History of an Office Between Two Worlds. p. 170.
- ^ Jean, Monlaü (1973). Les États barbaresques, Presses universitaires de France. p. 134.
- ^ a b ʻIzz al-Dīn, Ibn al-Athīr (1898). Jourdan, A. (ed.). Annales du Maghreb & de l'Espagne. pp. 548–549.