The Siege of Constantinople in 717 AD was the Umayyad Caliphate's major combined arms offensive against the Roman Empire. And one of the largest sea and land military operations across the entire medieval era.
The decision to lay siege to the city came about mostly as a result of an extended long tug of war over dominating Anatolia between the two regional superpowers, which involved raiding parties into each other's territory. Whilst it isn't clear whether or not the Umayyads actually planned on annexing all of Antolia and Constantinople entirely, it is apparent that the aim was to completely shatter the Roman hold over the region in a single campaign, and solve the entire Anatolian question in one fell swoop.
In effect, a successful siege of the city would secure their northern borders from raids from the Roman Empire, and essentially put the Umayyads in the superior diplomatic position and establish them as the dominant force in Anatolia, by severely weakening Roman control over the region.
What I want to start a discussion about is, considering the geo-political situation at the time, and the nature of the Umayyad state, how might they have capitalised on this victory. What would the short term and if they can be reasonably predicted, the long term consequences be?
The decision to lay siege to the city came about mostly as a result of an extended long tug of war over dominating Anatolia between the two regional superpowers, which involved raiding parties into each other's territory. Whilst it isn't clear whether or not the Umayyads actually planned on annexing all of Antolia and Constantinople entirely, it is apparent that the aim was to completely shatter the Roman hold over the region in a single campaign, and solve the entire Anatolian question in one fell swoop.
In effect, a successful siege of the city would secure their northern borders from raids from the Roman Empire, and essentially put the Umayyads in the superior diplomatic position and establish them as the dominant force in Anatolia, by severely weakening Roman control over the region.
What I want to start a discussion about is, considering the geo-political situation at the time, and the nature of the Umayyad state, how might they have capitalised on this victory. What would the short term and if they can be reasonably predicted, the long term consequences be?