(A short Practical Lobster tale of Constantinople and the Ummayads)
It is said that when Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik became Khalif, he was told by many wise men in his court at Ramla that the name of the Khalif who would take Kunstantiniyya should be named for a Prophet. As he was the only member of the Banu Ummaya who bore such a name, he was eagerly desirous of the glory that might come from conquering Kunstantiniyya. And so he dispatched his brother Maslama with a great host from al-Sham and al-Jazirah, and he hired great engineers to construct the engines of war and produce naphtha. In Dabiq the contingents from all corners came and gathered, and Maslama spoke to them, taking command of the multitude of land and sea forces arrayed.
Then, Maslama would march through Mar’ash and wintered in Afik, where he established a great reserve of supplies and left a strong garrison. When he reached ‘Ammuriya, he took the city and established a strong garrison there. In ‘Ammuriya, he met an ambassador from a Prince of Rum named Leo, who agreed to support him in his campaign against Kunstantiniyya, which then was ruled by the King Bidus.
Now Leo was a capable man, and he was aligned with the partisans of Bastas. Many of the partisans of Bastas had betrayed Bastas when Bidus became King in Kunstantiniyya, and had sent him into exile among the Bulgars, and accordingly the Romans did not trust Leo, and their government was in confusion and disorder. God the Most High had required that Rome fell into disorder, and behold! it came to pass that it did. When Leo became an insurgent against Rome, Maslama gave him aid and comfort, but in private Leo planned to betray Maslama and knew that Rome would not be subordinate to the ‘Umawiyyun.
Maslama crossed the Khalig at its narrowest point and came into the country of Marakiya, which was not well provisioned because of the wars of the Romans amongst themselves. He was forced to bring provision from Abidus to feed his army, collecting grain from the provender and corn from the exposed lands of the Romans. Grain was brought to him in great quantity, such that it was piled like mountains which could be seen from the walls. Maslama, in utter confidence, set his machines of war against the walls of Kunstantiniyya.
When the siege pressed heavily upon the Romans, Bidas came to the camp of the faithful and begged that he should be given some reprieve, making great promises of submission. But Maslama rebuffed him, saying that he would not negotiate with anyone so clearly vanquished. Maslama claimed that he would make Leo King in Kunstantiniyya, and sent for Leo, who was himself besieged in Niqumidiyah with a great host of men. Leo came forthwith by sea, and the Romans despaired to fight their own countrymen when so many Arabs remained without the walls unbloodied.
When it became apparent that the Romans of Leo were bearing the brunt of the fighting, Leo exchanged harsh words with Abd Allah, who was the captain of the guard, and Sulayman ibn Mu’adh, who was master of his fleet. Abd Allah knew that Leo had met in secret with the bishops and patricians of the City, and he knew that Leo intended to take Constantinople and turn against Maslama. And so Abd Allah pressed upon Maslama, and the Prince had Leo strangled and disarmed his soldiers, who were made to decamp to Abidus and then on to ‘Ammuriya.
Sulayman ibn Mu’adh brought the bulk of his ships against the walls, with great machines of war and well-armed and armored men, but were vexed in these attempts by a great chain and the height of the walls. But a soldier, whose name was Muhammad, saw that the city was alight and directed his galley to the walls in such a place where the garrison was distracted fighting a fire – and a section of the walls was taken. The fighting became fierce near the Place of Sufya, and soldiers rushed towards the second hill, slaughtering those who took up arms against them.
The King of the Romans made to flee from the harbor of Prusfuri, and reached Galatia with his picked guards. As word spread that Bidas had deserted the city, the ranks of the Romans collapsed in upon themselves and the city was given over to panic. The gates were taken and the city fell. That same day, Sulayman fell ill and passed away, and his body was carried to Dabiq, where the campaign began, and on that spot he was buried.
Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz became Khalif after the death of the Khalif, and he was a scholar who loved to collect hadith, and sent embassies to the country of Shin, whose King was shown clear evidence and yet refused to revert to Islam and accept the Most High. He brought many in al-Sham and al-Iraq to Islam, by his generous policies and his wise rule. When he heard that Maslama had taken Kunstantiniyya, he praised his brother generously, and gave it to him to govern, sending three hundred ships from Ifriqiya to bolster the army there, and provide grain (as it was a harsh winter in Marakiya).
Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz reduced the weight of the jizaya upon new converts and put upon them instead the burden of kharaj, which was lesser. His coffers overflowed with the wealth of the Kunstantiniyya, and all said he was wise to do so. As Khalif he would order great works constructed in Hurashan and Jurjan, and he became a hero of the dhimmi, whose burdens were lessened and many who were once people of the book reverted to Islam, as was the will of the Most High.
In Kunstantiniyya, Maslama allowed his soldiers a three day sack of the city, as was proper, and in spring when the hard winter was over, he marched on Salaf, which was the second city of the Romans beside Kunstantiniyya, and he took it from the patrician there, who knew that Bidas had fled and that hope was lost. He set the governor of Malatya above the Romans in Quniyah, and with his conquest complete he distributed the spoils of war to every man who had fought alongside him, even those who were Berbers and Christians.
Abd Allah was given authority to pursue the King of the Romans Bidas to Dyrakh, and he did so, investing the city until Bidas fled. The governor of the city rebuked him, saying that he had a moneychanger’s heart and no stomach for war, but resisted Abd Allah through the summer. At the instructions of Maslama, Abd Allah built a stone wall to invest Dyrakh, and fired jars of naphtha into the city until it burned.
Maslama was at the very peak of triumph, and all things had been delivered to him by the Merciful and the Beneficent. He returned to the hunting-lodge that was his dwelling in Dimashq and there he rested in contentment, engaging in sport. One day he came to his mistress, who was dressed in a beautiful green robe, and asked her if he was not immortal. She told him that he was not, and that he would pass from the world as all men did. And he laughed and struck her and said that his name would be eternal though his mother was a slave. For this his slaves turned against him and delivered word of his treasons to the Khalif Umar, who would come to murder him. Allah gives victory to whom he wills, and he is exalted in might, and merciful.
[Future posts will not be written in the style of primary sources, but will cover the ramifications of this event as scholarly “modern” sources. Instead of purely focusing on the impact on Europe, I hope to focus on the implications for the Ummayad Caliphate and the Near East.
That said, this is just a little vinegette, and if anyone else has suggestions or ideas of where this should go or what it should cover, I’d be very eager to hear them!]
It is said that when Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik became Khalif, he was told by many wise men in his court at Ramla that the name of the Khalif who would take Kunstantiniyya should be named for a Prophet. As he was the only member of the Banu Ummaya who bore such a name, he was eagerly desirous of the glory that might come from conquering Kunstantiniyya. And so he dispatched his brother Maslama with a great host from al-Sham and al-Jazirah, and he hired great engineers to construct the engines of war and produce naphtha. In Dabiq the contingents from all corners came and gathered, and Maslama spoke to them, taking command of the multitude of land and sea forces arrayed.
Then, Maslama would march through Mar’ash and wintered in Afik, where he established a great reserve of supplies and left a strong garrison. When he reached ‘Ammuriya, he took the city and established a strong garrison there. In ‘Ammuriya, he met an ambassador from a Prince of Rum named Leo, who agreed to support him in his campaign against Kunstantiniyya, which then was ruled by the King Bidus.
Now Leo was a capable man, and he was aligned with the partisans of Bastas. Many of the partisans of Bastas had betrayed Bastas when Bidus became King in Kunstantiniyya, and had sent him into exile among the Bulgars, and accordingly the Romans did not trust Leo, and their government was in confusion and disorder. God the Most High had required that Rome fell into disorder, and behold! it came to pass that it did. When Leo became an insurgent against Rome, Maslama gave him aid and comfort, but in private Leo planned to betray Maslama and knew that Rome would not be subordinate to the ‘Umawiyyun.
Maslama crossed the Khalig at its narrowest point and came into the country of Marakiya, which was not well provisioned because of the wars of the Romans amongst themselves. He was forced to bring provision from Abidus to feed his army, collecting grain from the provender and corn from the exposed lands of the Romans. Grain was brought to him in great quantity, such that it was piled like mountains which could be seen from the walls. Maslama, in utter confidence, set his machines of war against the walls of Kunstantiniyya.
When the siege pressed heavily upon the Romans, Bidas came to the camp of the faithful and begged that he should be given some reprieve, making great promises of submission. But Maslama rebuffed him, saying that he would not negotiate with anyone so clearly vanquished. Maslama claimed that he would make Leo King in Kunstantiniyya, and sent for Leo, who was himself besieged in Niqumidiyah with a great host of men. Leo came forthwith by sea, and the Romans despaired to fight their own countrymen when so many Arabs remained without the walls unbloodied.
When it became apparent that the Romans of Leo were bearing the brunt of the fighting, Leo exchanged harsh words with Abd Allah, who was the captain of the guard, and Sulayman ibn Mu’adh, who was master of his fleet. Abd Allah knew that Leo had met in secret with the bishops and patricians of the City, and he knew that Leo intended to take Constantinople and turn against Maslama. And so Abd Allah pressed upon Maslama, and the Prince had Leo strangled and disarmed his soldiers, who were made to decamp to Abidus and then on to ‘Ammuriya.
Sulayman ibn Mu’adh brought the bulk of his ships against the walls, with great machines of war and well-armed and armored men, but were vexed in these attempts by a great chain and the height of the walls. But a soldier, whose name was Muhammad, saw that the city was alight and directed his galley to the walls in such a place where the garrison was distracted fighting a fire – and a section of the walls was taken. The fighting became fierce near the Place of Sufya, and soldiers rushed towards the second hill, slaughtering those who took up arms against them.
The King of the Romans made to flee from the harbor of Prusfuri, and reached Galatia with his picked guards. As word spread that Bidas had deserted the city, the ranks of the Romans collapsed in upon themselves and the city was given over to panic. The gates were taken and the city fell. That same day, Sulayman fell ill and passed away, and his body was carried to Dabiq, where the campaign began, and on that spot he was buried.
Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz became Khalif after the death of the Khalif, and he was a scholar who loved to collect hadith, and sent embassies to the country of Shin, whose King was shown clear evidence and yet refused to revert to Islam and accept the Most High. He brought many in al-Sham and al-Iraq to Islam, by his generous policies and his wise rule. When he heard that Maslama had taken Kunstantiniyya, he praised his brother generously, and gave it to him to govern, sending three hundred ships from Ifriqiya to bolster the army there, and provide grain (as it was a harsh winter in Marakiya).
Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz reduced the weight of the jizaya upon new converts and put upon them instead the burden of kharaj, which was lesser. His coffers overflowed with the wealth of the Kunstantiniyya, and all said he was wise to do so. As Khalif he would order great works constructed in Hurashan and Jurjan, and he became a hero of the dhimmi, whose burdens were lessened and many who were once people of the book reverted to Islam, as was the will of the Most High.
In Kunstantiniyya, Maslama allowed his soldiers a three day sack of the city, as was proper, and in spring when the hard winter was over, he marched on Salaf, which was the second city of the Romans beside Kunstantiniyya, and he took it from the patrician there, who knew that Bidas had fled and that hope was lost. He set the governor of Malatya above the Romans in Quniyah, and with his conquest complete he distributed the spoils of war to every man who had fought alongside him, even those who were Berbers and Christians.
Abd Allah was given authority to pursue the King of the Romans Bidas to Dyrakh, and he did so, investing the city until Bidas fled. The governor of the city rebuked him, saying that he had a moneychanger’s heart and no stomach for war, but resisted Abd Allah through the summer. At the instructions of Maslama, Abd Allah built a stone wall to invest Dyrakh, and fired jars of naphtha into the city until it burned.
Maslama was at the very peak of triumph, and all things had been delivered to him by the Merciful and the Beneficent. He returned to the hunting-lodge that was his dwelling in Dimashq and there he rested in contentment, engaging in sport. One day he came to his mistress, who was dressed in a beautiful green robe, and asked her if he was not immortal. She told him that he was not, and that he would pass from the world as all men did. And he laughed and struck her and said that his name would be eternal though his mother was a slave. For this his slaves turned against him and delivered word of his treasons to the Khalif Umar, who would come to murder him. Allah gives victory to whom he wills, and he is exalted in might, and merciful.
[Future posts will not be written in the style of primary sources, but will cover the ramifications of this event as scholarly “modern” sources. Instead of purely focusing on the impact on Europe, I hope to focus on the implications for the Ummayad Caliphate and the Near East.
That said, this is just a little vinegette, and if anyone else has suggestions or ideas of where this should go or what it should cover, I’d be very eager to hear them!]