1. Historical Framework

The first period of the Arab conquests, which started in 634, ended with the long siege of Constantinople by Caliph Muwa'iyah ibn Abi Sufyan in 674-678. With the help of his fleet and the Greek fire Emperor Constantine IV (668-685) managed to repel the repeated Arab attacks and save the capital. Although the Byzantines were in defence, they dealt the Arabs heavy blows, especially during the last years of the siege. When the Arabs had to retreat to the Propontis in the middle of a storm the last parts of their fleet were destroyed. At the same time, an Arab army was ambushed and shattered by the Byzantines in Asia Minor. The heavy losses the Arabs suffered during the conflicts of 674-678 led the caliphate to a domestic crisis. Things were even worse in Syria and Lebanon. Taking advantage of the difficulties the Arabs were facing, the Byzantines counterattacked. The Mardaites, people of debatable origin and possibly identified with the Djaradjima reported by Arab sources, occupied the mountains from the mountain range of Amanus as far as the outskirts of Jerusalem, and launched raids in Syria and Lebanon. They soon became very threatening for the Arabs, as their raids were launched against the very heart of the caliphate. Not being able to confront them successfully, Muwa'iyah sent a delegation to Emperor Constantine in 678 asking for a peace treaty.

2. Presentation and Analysis of the Event

In 678 Caliph Muwa'iyah sent envoys to Emperor Constantine IV in order to discuss his propositions about peace between Byzantines and Arabs. The head Arab representative was the official Phenakes of Byzantine origin, who had also participated in the negotiations that had led to the peace treaty of 659 between Muwa'iyah and Emperor Constans II (641-668). The emperor was sympathetic to the propositions of Muwa'iyah about peace and sent the Arab delegation back to Syria accompanied by the patrikiosJohn Pitzigaudes (or Pitzikaudes, or Pitzigaudios), an experienced and prudent state official, according to the sources,¹ who was assigned by the emperor to negotiate the terms of the peace treaty. The negotiations were held in the caliph’s court in Damascus and resulted in a peace treaty signed for a period of thirty years. According to the terms of the treaty, the Arabs had to pay an annual tax of three thousand librae of gold (216,000 gold coins) to the Byzantines and also give them fifty slaves and fifty thoroughbred horses. In return, the Byzantines should suspend any military activities of the Mardaites in Syria and Lebanon. Both sides should also avoid any armed conflict. The treaty was prepared in two copies attested under oath and exchanged between the two sides. John Pitzigaudes returned triumphantly to Constantinople carrying diplomatic gifts from the caliph.

3. Consequences

The peace treaty of 678 with the Arabs did not put an end to the Arabo-Byzantine conflicts right away. The successor of Muwa'iyah, Yazid (680-685), had to renew the treaty in 680 or 681, while new terms were included in the next renewal of the treaty between Caliph Abd al-Malik and Justinian II (685-695, 705-711). The repetition of the terms concerning the Mardaites shows that the latter were still active, while the Byzantine raids against the Syrian and Phoenician coasts were common and the Arabs were gaining ground in Byzantine northern Africa. However, broadly speaking, the 678 peace treaty (which actually reversed the situation in favour of the Byzantines after their victory in Constantinople, which led to the peace treaty) offered some peaceful years to Asia Minor during which the two sides renewed their efforts. On the other hand, the peace treaty on the Arabo-Byzantine border gave the Byzantine Empire the opportunity to consolidate its position in the Balkans and Italy, where both Slav and Langobard sovereigns hastened to subordinate to the power that intercepted the Arab danger.