Battle of Andrassos

Depiction of the Sayf al-Dawla's flight in the Madrid Skylitzes

Date	8 November 960
Location	Andrassos or Adrassos, pass of Kylindros
Result	Decisive Byzantine victory

Belligerents

Byzantine Empire

Hamdanid Emirate of Aleppo

Commanders and leaders

Leo Phokas the Younger
Constantine Maleinos

Sayf al-Dawla

Casualties and losses

Light

Very heavy

The Battle of Andrassos or Adrassos was an engagement fought in autumn 960 in an unidentified mountain pass on the Taurus Mountains, between the Byzantines, led by Leo Phokas the Younger, and the forces of the Hamdanid Emirate of Aleppo under the emir Sayf al-Dawla. Taking advantage of the absence of much of the Byzantine army on campaign against the Emirate of Crete, the Hamdanid prince invaded Asia Minor and raided widely. On his return, however, his army was ambushed by Leo Phokas at the pass of Andrassos. Sayf al-Dawla himself barely escaped, but his army was annihilated. Following a series of Byzantine defeats in the previous years, this battle finally broke the power of the Hamdanid emirate.

In the middle of the 10th century, after a period of expansion on its eastern frontier at the expense of the Muslim border emirates, the Byzantine Empire was confronted by the power of the Hamdanid prince Sayf al-Dawla. In 945, Sayf al-Dawla made Aleppo his capital and soon established his authority across northern Syria, much of the Jazira and the surviving frontier districts (Thughur). Committed to the spirit of jihad, the Hamdanid ruler would emerge as the main enemy of the Byzantines, who derided him as the "impious Hamdan", during the next two decades: by the time of his death in 967, he was said to have fought against them in over forty battles.

After his establishment in Aleppo, in winter 945–946, Sayf al-Dawla resumed the old Muslim custom of launching annual raids into Byzantine territory. This first operation was of limited scope and was followed by a prisoner exchange. Warfare on Byzantium's eastern frontiers then subsided for a couple of years, and recommenced only in 948. Initially, the Byzantines were led by the Domestic of the Schools (commander-in-chief) Bardas Phokas the Elder, but although he was capable enough as a subordinate commander, his tenure as commander-in-chief proved largely a failure. In 948–950 the Byzantines scored a few successes, sacking the border fortresses of Hadath and Marash. Bardas' second son, Leo, distinguished himself in these years, especially in November 950, when he ambushed Sayf al-Dawla, who had previously defeated his father in battle, in a mountain pass; Sayf al-Dawla lost 8,000 men and barely escaped himself.

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