21 magg 737 anni - Siege of Damascus

Descrizione:

After the Battle of Asclepius River, Leo IV keep march to south, and reach Damascus on January 30, 737, while the Caliph pretender was trying desperately to put another army together.
The Imperial Army start the siege on Damascus, after one and half monthes, on March 17, the populace cut off the Caliph’s head and presented it to the Emperor to try to make peace, Leo had it thrown out to the crows, and issued a harsh demand: Damascus have to be evacuated, its wealth would be turned over to Imperial troops, and then it would be burned. The Christian population of the city tried to protest, but when the Emperor would not budge they complied, and the Emperor sent them north to Antioch, where they would be sent to Moesia for resettlement. The zoroastrians population then been forced to return Persia, acorrding to Leo IV's personal military diary, he do this just because he didn't want to wage a war against persia at the same time, because the remainder of the population, which he decided were heathens, that thousands were taken as prisoner, and eventually sold into slavery after the siege.
The siege lasted till May 21, 737, after that, is the big sacking. Besides the populace's fate had been decided, Damascus was looted of all its wealth, including the body of John the Baptist and numerous holy relics captured by the Caliphate. Then the city was set on fire. As it burned Leo is stated to have remarked that it was a shame they had not brought enough salt with them. The city had been destroyed, forever, and only replaced by a new city decades later, Thomopolis, which founded a few miles from the old, which named after the apostle Thomas who had once lived in the ruined city.

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