A major Byzantine victory over Aghlabid forces in Sicily that could not ultimately reverse the ongoing Muslim conquest of the island.
Key Facts
- Date
- 881 or 882 CE (AH 268)
- Aghlabid survivors reported
- 7 men
- Byzantine commander
- Mosilikes
- Aghlabid commander
- Abu Thawr
- Conflict context
- Muslim conquest of Sicily
- Name origin
- Qalʿat Abī Thawr (Castle of Abū Thawr)
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following Byzantine naval successes under admiral Nasar in 880, Emperor Basil I sought a counter-offensive in Sicily. In spring 881, the Aghlabid governor al-Hasan ibn al-Abbas raided Byzantine territories and defeated the local Byzantine commander Barsakios near Taormina, prompting a Byzantine response.
In 881 or 882, a Byzantine force under the commander Mosilikes engaged an Aghlabid army led by Abu Thawr near present-day Caltavuturo in Sicily. The Byzantines inflicted a decisive defeat on the Aghlabid force, with sources reporting that only seven of the enemy survived the battle.
Following the defeat, Aghlabid governor al-Hasan ibn al-Abbas was recalled and replaced by Mohamed al-Fall. Despite this setback, the Aghlabids continued raiding Byzantine strongholds in Sicily and southern Italy in subsequent years, and the broader Muslim conquest of Sicily was not reversed.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Mosilikes.
Side B
1 belligerent
Abu Thawr.