Battle of Enna (835)
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| Battle of Enna (835) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Muslim conquest of Sicily Arab–Byzantine wars | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Aghlabid dynasty | Byzantine Empire | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Al-Fadhl ibn Ya'qub | Byzantine Strategos (WIA) | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
The Battle of Enna was a military engagement between the Aghlabid Arabs and the Byzantines near Castrogiovanni. The Aghlabids raided Castrogiovanni and defeated a Byzantine army that came to meet them.
After the Aghlabid success at capturing Palermo in 831, their activity stopped for another 2 years. The Aghlabids were busy organizing their new city. The Byzantines never used this to act quickly. This time, the Aghlabids focused their military attention towards the city of Enna or Castrogiovanni. Early in 835, the governor of Palermo, Abu Fihr, personally led a raid against Enna and defeated a Byzantine force, which forced them to retreat behind fortifications. Later, Abu Fihr dispatched more raids towards Taormina. However, a conflict rose between Muslim ranks. Some of the raiders on their return to Palermo assassinated Abu Fihr and took refuge with the Byzantines. The Aghlabid emir, Ziyadat Allah I, quickly dispatched Al-Fadhl ibn Yaqub as the new governor of Sicily.[1][2][3]