Atlas of Battles

siege, medieval

Siege of Melite

Siege of Melite was a siege conducted in AD 870 at Melite, in what is now Malta. It was part of the Muslim conquest of Sicily, which ran from AD 827 to AD 902. The recorded result: Aghlabid victory.

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Domus Romana, Wesgħa tal-Mużew in Mdina, Malta
Domus Romana, Wesgħa tal-Mużew in Mdina, Malta. Frank Vincentz, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
FoughtAD 870
WhereMelite, Malta35.883N, 14.400E
OutcomeAghlabid victory
BelligerentsAghlabidsagainstByzantine Empire
Casualties and lossesUnknownandHeavy
Part ofMuslim conquest of SicilyAD 827 to AD 902

Where it sits in the Muslim conquest of Sicily

Siege of Syracuse, AD 827Battle of Mazara del Vallo, AD 827Battles of Enna, AD 829Siege of Palermo, AD 830Battle of Enna, AD 835Siege of Cefalù, AD 837Siege of Messina, AD 842Battle of Butera, AD 845Siege of Lentini, AD 846Battle of Syracuse, AD 859Siege of Enna, AD 859Siege of Melite, AD 870Siege of Syracuse, AD 877Battle of Caltavuturo, AD 881Battle of Polizzi, AD 882Battle of Milazzo, AD 888Battle of Reggio, AD 901Siege of Taormina, AD 902Siege of Taormina, AD 962AD 827AD 962Siege of Melite, AD 870
19 placed engagements of the Muslim conquest of Sicily in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

DateAD 870 (year precision)
PlaceMelite, Malta
35.883N, 14.400E
KindSiege, medieval
Casualties and lossesUnknownHeavy
Siege of MeliteSiege of MeliteSiege of MaltaSiege of MedinaSiege of MaltaSiege of MaltaBattle of the Malta ConvoySiege of MaltaSiracusaRagusa100 km35.883N, 14.400E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 8 times between AD 870 and 1940.

In the same war

Elsewhere in AD 870

Siege of Melite is one of 169 engagements of the 9th century in the atlas and one of 9 in present-day Malta.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q28162861, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Siege of Melite (870), revision 1370743430, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.