Siege of Mahdia (1159–1160)
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The siege of Mahdia was a seven month siege led by the Almohad Caliph Abd al-Mu’min against the Norman forces of King William I of Sicily.
| Siege of Mahdia (1159–1160) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Almohad conquest of Norman Africa | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Almohad Caliphate | Normans | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Abd al-Mu'min | William I of Sicily | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 100,000 | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
History
The people of Ifriqiya sought help from Abd al-Mu’min against Norman occupation.[1] Abd al-Mu’min led a large army into Tunisia and took Tripoli, Sfax and other cities from the Normans.[2] Abd al-Mu’min besieged Mahdia for seven months, eventually the Almohad navy defeated the Normans and Abd al-Mu’min negotiated with them which resulted in the Normans surrendering Mahdia thus ending Norman rule in Africa.[3][2][1]
