The Syrian campaign of Romanos III Argyros in 1030 CE

Abstract

The paper discusses various aspects of Romanos III Argyros’ expedition in Syria, such as its objectives and route. It is argued that Romanos’ goal was to not just replace the Mirdāsids with Manṣūr Ibn Lu’lu’ in Aleppo, but to annex the city and then lend his support to the Ṭayyi’ in Palestine, thus profiting from Fāṭimid problems and eventually conquering Syria. The defeat of the Byzantines before they reached Fāṭimid territory allowed for the later amelioration of relations with Fāṭimids. A solution to the issue surrounding the personality of Ibn Dūqs is also presented.

Keywords

• byzantium
• arabs
• syria
• aleppo
• argyros