Editing 1030 (section)

==== Byzantine Empire ====
* Emperor [[Romanos III Argyros]] decides to retaliate upon the incursions of the Muslims on the eastern frontier. He leads a Byzantine expeditionary force (20,000 men) to secure [[Antioch]]. The [[Mirdasid]] emir [[Shibl al-Dawla Nasr]] of [[Aleppo]] sues for peace, but Romanos refuses to negotiate and leads his army against Aleppo, against the advice of his generals. The Byzantine army encamped near [[Azaz]], [[Battle of Azaz (1030)|where they were encircled]] by the Mirdasids' [[Bedouin]] troops, who cut off the Byzantines from food and water. 
* [[August 10]] &ndash; Romanos orders a retreat to Antioch. As the army is exhausted from the heat and the lack of supplies, the retreat soon turns into a flight in panic. Romanos returns to Constantinople in humiliation, but his generals on the eastern frontier manage to salvage the situation: a [[Fatimid]] attack on [[Maraclea]] is repulsed, and Azaz itself is captured in December after a brief siege. In April/May 1031, Emir Nasr of Aleppo agreed to vassal and tributary status with Byzantium.<ref>{{cite book | last=Halm | first=Heinz | authorlink = Heinz Halm | title = Die Kalifen von Kairo: Die Fatimiden in Ägypten, 973–1074 | language = German | trans-title = The Caliphs of Cairo: The Fatimids in Egypt, 973–1074 | publisher = C. H. Beck | location = Munich | year = 2003 | isbn = 3-406-48654-1 | pages=341–343}}</ref>