Siege of Medina (1053–1054)
| Siege of Medina | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Arab–Byzantine wars | |||||||
A possible reconstruction of medieval Medina (model by Richard Azzopardi and Stephen C. Spiteri, displayed at the Fortifications Interpretation Centre) | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Byzantine Empire | Muslim inhabitants of Medina and their slaves | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Many ships and many men |
c. 400 men c. 500–600 slaves | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Heavy (most men killed and almost all ships captured) | Unknown | ||||||
The siege of Medina was an unsuccessful Byzantine attack on the Muslim city of Medina (modern Mdina), Malta in 1053 or 1054. The Muslim inhabitants of the city and their slaves managed to repel a superior Byzantine force, which retreated with heavy losses. After the siege, the slaves who helped the Muslims against the invaders were freed, and the Byzantines never attempted to retake the island.