Today in History S4 E6: December 23, 962 A.D. The Sack of Aleppo

On December 23, 962 A.D. the Eastern Roman Army under the command of future emperor Nicephorus Phocas sacked the city of Aleppo. The city which was captured by the Hamdanid Dynasty nearly two decades earlier in 944 A.D. rebuilt the city and turned into a metropolis as they made it into their capital. Some historians believed that the city's beauty and wealth rivaled those of other large cities in the medieval world. But all that would change when Nicephorus Phocas was appointed Commander-In-Chief of the army of the Anatolian Frontier.

Nicephorus waged a brutal war against the Hamdanid Dynasty in 960 A.D. with the goal of recapturing the city. For the next several years, the Eastern Romans crept into their territory, destroying towns and cities, creating a no mans land buffer zone between the two empires while cutting off supply lines in the region. In 962 A.D., Nicephorus' army marched into the region clearing out more towns and occupying the area while zeroing in on Aleppo. After capturing a nearby city within marching distance, the Eastern Romans negotiated a faux peace treaty luring the Hamdanids into a false sense of security along with the fact that they never wage war in the holy month of December.

The Eastern Romans marched their huge army on December 22, 962 A.D. and attacked the outskirts of Aleppo which was defended by a small Hamdanid Army. The next day, they broke through the defender's lines and stormed into the city and sacked it for several days. By the time they left, the Eastern Romans carted off over 10,000 prisoners, silver and a load of plunder. This incident led to the eventual capture and vassalage of the city and region in 970 A.D.

Listen to the Illustrious Narrator talk about the "Sack of Aleppo."

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