Certainty: 2 Diplomatic negotiations at Antioch after the battle Certainty: 2
Certainty: 2 Commanders named to continue war in Syria after Romanos returned home Certainty: 2
Certainty: 2 Muslim coalition to attack Maraqiyya, which was saved by Niketas of Mistheia Certainty: 2
Certainty: 3 Campaign of Symeon protovestiarios & Niketas of Mistheia ended in the capture of 'Azaz Certainty: 3
1031
Certainty: 3 After negotiations, peace with Aleppo sealed by exchange of gifts Certainty: 3
Certainty: 2 Successes of Niketas of Mistheia followed by failure to capture al-Maniqa Certainty: 2
Certainty: 3 Capture of al-Maniqa by Byzantines & allies
Niketas of Mistheia and his allies prepared another campaign against al-Maniqa. He first captured Rafaniyya, together with 10,000 prisoners, who were given safe passage. He pulled down the town's six towers. He then besieged and captured Safita, rescuing a Byzantine commander imprisoned there, who had been trying to gain his freedom by ransom. At al-Maniqa he filled in the deep ravine in front of it, installed siege machines, breached the walls, demolished some towers and captured the fort after a 13-day siege with 810 prisoners. Among them were the wife and four daughters of Nasr ibn Musharraf, who abandoned them to their fate. Niketas burned the stone with which he had filled the ravine, making lime with which to repair the damaged walls. He established a garrison with equipment and supplies, and left
Certainty: 3 Attacks on Bikisra'il & Jaririn Certainty: 3
1032
Certainty: 3 Aggression of Druzes stopped in a battle by Niketas, katepano of Antioch Certainty: 3
Certainty: 3 Niketas, katepano of Antioch, captured Bikisra'il Certainty: 3
Certainty: 2 Complex preliminaries to negotiations over Byzantine-Fatimid peace treaty
Niketas of Mistheia, the doux of Antioch, who was trying to reduce all the new Muslim forts, and al-Dizbiri, the Fatimid commander, who was on the defensive, were moving towards direct war between the two powers. Niketas was gathering troops at Antioch, while al-Dizbiri was under pressure from the defenders of the forts to attack and divert the Byzantine forces. In an exchange of letters they decided to try negotiations between envoys from the two sides. After more approaches by letter, Romanos III agreed to send two envoys to Antioch, and the caliph al-Zahir was to dispatch two envoys of his own to Damascus. They met near Tortosa to discuss a renewal of their treaty