Other History of Islam in southern Italy

1 other

1.1 emirate of bari (847–871)
1.2 latium , campania
1.3 sardinia
1.4 invasion of otranto

other
emirate of bari (847–871)


the joint capture of bari german , franco-lombard troops led emperor louis ii in 871.

the adriatic port city of bari, in apulia region of southern italy, captured muslim army in 847, remained under muslim control next 25 years. became capital of small independent islamic state emir , mosque of own. first ruler of bari khalfun, berber leader had come sicily. after death in 852, succeeded mufarraq ibn sallam, strengthened muslim conquest , enlarged boundaries. asked official recognition baghdad caliph al-mutawakkil s governor in egypt wāli (i.e., prefect ruling on province of abbasid empire). third, , last, emir of bari sawdan, came power around 857 after murder of mufarraq. invaded lands of lombard duchy of benevento, forcing duke adelchis pay tribute. in 864, obtained official investiture asked mufarrag. town embellished mosque, palaces , public works.

in 870 german emperor louis organised response, fighting way deep apulia , calabria bypassing major population centres bari or taranto. few towns freed of muslim control , various muslim bands encountered universally defeated. encouraged these successes, louis attacked bari ground force of germans, franks , lombards , aided croatian fleet (of sclavini). in february 871 citadel fell , sawdan captured , taken benevento in chains. in 1002 last attempt of saracen conquest stopped, when venetian fleet defeated muslims besieging bari.

latium , campania

throughout ninth century, arab ships dominated tyrrhenian sea. pirates prowled italian coast launching hit , run attacks against cities of amalfi, gaeta, naples, , salerno. during period, cities took command of own defences, duchies of gaeta , amalfi gained independence duchy of naples. christian states of campania not yet prepared, however, ally against new saracen threat. amalfi , gaeta regularly teamed saracens , naples hardly better, chagrin of papacy. in fact, naples first brought saracen troops south italian mainland when duke andrew ii hired them mercenaries during war sicard, prince of benevento, in 836. sicard responded own saracen mercenaries , usage became tradition.

in 846 duchy of naples, in alliance maritime powers of gaeta, amalfi , sorrento, defeated saracen fleet near licosa. before battle, alliance had recaptured ponza, felt in possession of saracens in glimpse of year. 3 years later, same coalition of maritime cities, supported papal states, defeated arabic fleet near refortified ostia. saracen survivors made prisoners, enslaved , sent work in chain gangs building leonine wall encompass vatican hill. rome never again threatened arab army.

in 880 or 881, pope john viii, encouraged vigorous policy against muslim pirates , raiders, rescinded grant of traetto docibilis of gaeta , gave instead pandenulf of capua. patricia skinner relates:

[pandenolf] began attack gaeta s territory, , in retaliation against pope docibilis unleashed group of arabs agropoli near salerno on area around fondi. pope filled shame , restored traetto docibilis. agreement seems have sparked off saracen attack on gaeta itself, in many gaetans killed or captured. peace restored , saracens made permanent settlement on mouth of garigliano river.

in 898 abbey of farfa sacked saracens , burned ground. abbot peter of farfa managed organise community s escape , salvaged library , archives. in 905, monastery again attacked , destroyed saracens . other areas of historical saracen presence in central , southern italy include, saracinesco, ciciliano , nocera inferiore.

the saracen camp @ minturno (in modern-day lazio) garigliano river became perennial thorn in side papacy , many expeditions sought rid of them. in 915, pope john x organised vast alliance of southern powers, including gaeta , naples, lombard princes , byzantines; though, amalfitans stood aloof. subsequent battle of garigliano successful, , saracens captured , executed, ending presence of muslims in lazio or campania permanently. in 999 last saracen attempt of conquest of salerno thwarted alliance of lombards, led prince guaimar iii, , band of norman pilgrims returning jerusalem.

sardinia

starting 705–706, saracens north africa (recently conquered arab armies) harassed population of coastal cities. details political situation of sardinia in following centuries scarce. due saracen attacks, in 9th century tharros abandoned in favor of oristano, after more 1,800 years of occupation; caralis, porto torres , numerous other coastal centres suffered same fate. in 805, imperial patrician of sicily constantine signed ten-year truce ibrahim ibn al-aghlab, emir of ifriqiya, not impediment pirates africa , muslim spain attack repeatedly sardinia between 806 , 821.

in 1015 , again in 1016 emir mujahid al- Āmirī of denya (latinized museto) taifa of denia, in east of muslim spain (al-andalus), attacked sardinia , attempted establish control on it. twelfth-century pisan liber maiolichinus, history of 1113–1115 balearic islands expedition, records mujāhid controlled of sardinian coastal plain. local sardinian ruler, salusio, judge of cagliari, killed in fighting , organised resistance broke down. in both these years joint expeditions maritime republics of pisa , genoa repulsed invaders , preserved sardinia part of christendom. these pisan–genoese expeditions sardinia approved , supported papacy, making them precursors of crusades, began eighty years later. in 1022 new attempts made other saracens, until in 1052 people of pisa, after long , bloody fighting in alliance genoa , sardinian giudicati, able drive them island.

invasion of otranto

in 1480, ottoman turkish fleet invaded otranto, landing nearby city , capturing along fort. pope sixtus iv called crusade, , massive force built ferdinand of naples, among them notably troops of hungarian king matthias corvinus, despite frequent italian quarreling @ time. neapolitan force met turks in 1481, thoroughly annihilating them , recapturing otranto.

in 1537, famous turkish corsair , ottoman admiral barbarossa tried again conquer otranto , fortress of castro, turks repulsed city.

ottoman incursions on south , west coasts of italy continued 17th-century.

pozzuoli , castellamare in bay of naples attacked in 1548; ischia in 1544; reggio in calabria in 1594 (cathedral destroyed); , vieste, vasto , manfredonia raided , sacked in 1554, 1560, , 1620 respectively.