A Byzantine fleet under Niketas Ooryphas defeated Cretan Saracen raiders in the Gulf of Corinth, reportedly by hauling ships across the Isthmus of Corinth.
Key Facts
- Date
- c. 873 (some scholars suggest as late as 879)
- Byzantine commander
- Niketas Ooryphas, droungarios of the Fleet
- Saracen commander
- Photios, a Greek renegade, killed in the battle
- Saracen patron
- Shu'ayb, Arab emir of Crete, son of Abu Hafs
- Key maneuver
- Byzantine fleet hauled overland across Isthmus of Corinth
- Preceding engagement
- Battle of Kardia, c. 872/3, also won by Ooryphas
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Arab emir of Crete, Shu'ayb, dispatched a Greek renegade named Photios to lead raiding expeditions against Byzantine territory. After surviving defeat at the Battle of Kardia around 872/3, Photios launched a subsequent raid, attacking coastal settlements along the Peloponnese including Methone, Pylos, and Patras before entering the Gulf of Corinth.
Byzantine admiral Niketas Ooryphas, learning the Saracens had entered the Corinthian Gulf, chose to portage his fleet across the Isthmus of Corinth rather than circumnavigate the Peloponnese. This maneuver achieved complete surprise. The Byzantine fleet destroyed many Saracen ships, killed Photios, and captured or executed numerous raiders, with Christian renegades reportedly subjected to harsh treatment.
The battle resulted in a decisive Byzantine victory, eliminating Photios and checking Cretan Saracen raiding in Greek waters. Historian David Pettegrew has questioned whether the portage across the Isthmus actually occurred, suggesting the account may be a literary topos modeled on Philip V of Macedon's similar feat in 217 BC rather than a factual record.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Niketas Ooryphas.
Side B
1 belligerent
Photios.