Battle of Akroinon
Akroinon (modern Afyonkarahisar), western Turkey
What happened
Byzantine Emperor Leo III and his son Constantine fought an Umayyad Arab army led by Abdallah al-Battal and al-Malik ibn Shu'aib. For decades, Umayyad armies had raided deep into Byzantine Anatolia every year. In 740 a large Arab force met the Byzantine army near the fortress of Akroinon. Few details survive, but the Byzantines won clearly, and both Arab commanders fell.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It was the first major Byzantine victory in open battle against the Arabs in decades. Major Arab raids into Anatolia stopped for about thirty years, though historians debate how much this battle was the cause.
What came next
Leo III renamed the city Nicopolis, 'city of victory'. His son, later Emperor Constantine V, campaigned into Syria.
Did you know?
The defeated commander, al-Battal, later became a great hero of Arab and Turkish legends under the name Sayyid Battal Ghazi.
Timeline
- 740The Byzantines win at Akroinon.
- 741The Byzantines attack the Arab base at Melitene.
- 742-743A Byzantine civil war lets Arab raiders return briefly.
- 770sByzantium holds the advantage on its eastern frontier.