Battle of Anzen

Significance

The Battle of Anzen (Dazimon) on 22 July 838 was fought in the context of a large-scale Abbasid retaliatory expedition launched in response to Byzantine emperor Theophilos's military successes the previous year. The Abbasid campaign was organized as two separate armies with the strategic objective of sacking Amorion, one of Byzantium's largest cities. Theophilos moved to confront one of those armies — the smaller force commanded by the Iranian vassal prince Afshin — at Dazimon, while the broader Abbasid operation continued to target the Byzantine heartland. The battle thus forms a critical episode within the wider Abbasid offensive of 838, which culminated in the assault on Amorion and represented one of the most significant Arab military thrusts into Byzantine Anatolia during the long Arab–Byzantine conflict.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (5)