The Siege of Chandax

 

My new chapter is called "The Siege of Chandax." This city, the capital of the Emirate of Crete (c. 924-961), was under siege by the Byzantine army between July 960 and March 961. Despite the numerical advantage, it took the general Nikephoros Phokas over seven months to take over the fortified location. 

It was a great victory since Crete, the erstwhile Roman enclave, was under Muslim domination for nearly 140 years. The island lay at the crossroads of routes connecting Greece, Anatolia, Cyprus, the Levant, and Egypt, i.e., the eastern Mediterranean. The Cretan navy endangered trade lanes in the Aegean, took control of several islands, and ravaged the mainland. 

The Emirate was a wealthy polity and a convenient way station for Egyptian and Syrian fleets poised against the East Roman Empire. 

There are many blank spots about Muslim Crete and the Byzantine recovery. I am trying to scramble through Byzantine and Arab sources to scribble a readable and trustworthy story. I will add the missing information from modern reports about the Roman and Arab armies. 

I have just uploaded a new article, "Sailing Ships in the Medieval Mediterranean," to Academia: https://www.academia.edu/107397680/Sailing_Ships_in_the_Medieval_Mediterranean

This is the second part of Chapter 1 of my research about shipping in the medieval and Renaissance Mediterranean. The first part is available at https://www.academia.edu/104456432/War_galleys_in_the_Medieval_Mediterranean

Sailing ships took advantage of winds, tides, and currents but struggled with impaired mobility in windless seas. Due to technological imperfections, medieval vessels could not run against the wind. The bigger versions had no trouble crossing deep waters and did not require frequent layovers in ports. The passengers sustained traumatic experiences during the squalls. The Mediterranean was not closed for shipping in the winter.

The Portage of Ships across the Isthmus

 I will devote this chapter to the Byzantine admiral, Niketas Ooryphas's indigenous decision  to transfer his dromons along the long-forgotten land route across the Isthmus of Corinth. He did this unusual deed to catch his opponent, Photios, the admiral of the Cretan Muslim fleet, off guard. I picked up this character because I want to show the tactical depth of medieval naval commanders. 

This chapter belongs to Unit II of my project, The Intricacies of Naval Warfare. Up until now, it has included four chapters:

      1.  Naval Factories, where I describe medieval naval bases.  

       2. The Battle of Ad Decimum. The collision of the Byzantine Empire with the Vandals, without a maritime battle but with the participation of the East Roman fleet, where we, for the first time, discern the use of dromons. 

       3. The Omayyad Siege of Constantinople (August 717-August 718). An amphibian battle with the use of liquid fire and weaponizing food supplies. 

       4. The Portage of Ships across the Isthmus 

       I have plans for four additional battles and more, covering the period 6-15 centuries. For example, the Byzantine reconquest of Crete seems a highly encouraging topic. 

      I recently contacted with my publishing house for online marketing of my second book, "The Enchanting Encounters with the East."