Siege of Salerno (871–872)

Siege of Salerno
	Part of the history of Islam in southern Italy
	; Landemarius destroying the siege machine, from a 20th-century illustrated history of Italy. The machine depicted, however, is not a traction trebuchet.
Date	871/2–872/3
Location	Salerno
Result	Franco-Lombard victory
Belligerents
Aghlabid Emirate	Frankish Empire; Principality of Salerno; Principality of Benevento; County of Capua; Duchy of Naples
Commanders and leaders
ʿAbd Allāh ibn Yaʿqūb ; ʿAbd al-Malik	Prince Guaifer of Salerno; Emperor Louis II; Count Cuntart †

The siege of Salerno was one of the campaigns of the Aghlabids in southern Italy during their conquest of Sicily. The Lombard city of Salerno had strong defences and, despite the use of stone-throwing artillery, the siege lasted a little over a year from its beginning in late 871 or early 872. Prince Guaifer of Salerno led the defence, but the siege was only lifted by the arrival of an army of Lombards and Franks under the Emperor Louis II.