4 – Battle of Lalakaon (863)
This battle took place near the Lalakaon River in Asia Minor between the Byzantine Empire and an Arab army in the process of invading Paphlagonia, which is modern-day northern Turkey. The Byzantine victory at Akroinon in 739/740 more or less put a halt to the Arab-Byzantine wars until the 780s. At this point, the Arabs began to launch regular raids into Asia Minor and won some important victories such as a complete rout of the Byzantines at Amorium in 838.
However, the Abbasid Caliphate’s power began to diminish in the 840s which enabled the Byzantines to gain a foothold for a short time. Yet the raids of Asia Minor in 860 resulted in the widescale devastation of Byzantine territory. In 863, the Emir of Malatya, Umar al-Aqta, launched yet another raid, this time into Cappadocia. Emperor Michael III defeated the Arabs at a place called Bishop’s Meadow but was unable to prevent them from sacking the city of Amisos.
Once Michael heard about the sack of Amisos, he reacted by assembling a 50,000 man army and placing his uncle, Petronas, in command. There is a suggestion that Michael commanded the army at Lalakaon; the bias against him by sources of the day means it is a possibility. Certainly, they would not have wanted to give him credit for what turned out to be a great victory.
In any case, three separate Byzantine armies were formed and managed to converge on September 2, 863. The combined forces surrounded Umar at Porson near the Lalakaon River, and the battle took place the following day. Umar launched a massive attack on Petronas’ men in the west to try to make a breakthrough but the Byzantines refused to yield, and the other two wings came to the rescue. Umar died on the battlefield, and his army was routed. Umar’s son fled but was soon captured.
The Byzantines took advantage of the victory by launching a counteroffensive across the border and ultimately ended the main threat to their borderlands. The Battle of Lalakaon was the beginning of an era of Byzantine dominance in the East which resulted in a number of significant wins during the 10th century as the empire underwent a revival. Also, the Byzantine Empire was able to focus on Europe, and it eventually forced the Bulgarians into accepting Byzantine Christianity as their religion.