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Elateia managed to maintain its independence from other istroyan states well into the 8th century. The unexpected arrival of a new threat from the east caught the leaders of the city flat footed. Crossing the [[Sea of Istroya]], [[Oduniyyad Caliphate|Oduniyyad]] invaders espousing a new faith bore down on the island. The Elateians mustered their fleet to see off the invasion of their shores without realizing the size of the enemy fleets. Winning an engagement against an Oduniyyad scouting force, the emboldened Elateian fleet sailed further east pursuing the survivors only to find themselves enveloped by the enemy. At the Battle of Katerion, the Elateian fleet was decisively smashed by the Oduniyyads. Of three hundred ships that had sailed mere weeks before, only fifteen escaped the disaster to limp back home with the news. | Elateia managed to maintain its independence from other istroyan states well into the 8th century. The unexpected arrival of a new threat from the east caught the leaders of the city flat footed. Crossing the [[Sea of Istroya]], [[Oduniyyad Caliphate|Oduniyyad]] invaders espousing a new faith bore down on the island. The Elateians mustered their fleet to see off the invasion of their shores without realizing the size of the enemy fleets. Winning an engagement against an Oduniyyad scouting force, the emboldened Elateian fleet sailed further east pursuing the survivors only to find themselves enveloped by the enemy. At the Battle of Katerion, the Elateian fleet was decisively smashed by the Oduniyyads. Of three hundred ships that had sailed mere weeks before, only fifteen escaped the disaster to limp back home with the news. | ||
News of the defeat at sea sent shockwaves through the Elateian political and military establishment. At a single stroke the city had lost thousands of experienced sailors and navigators and the bulk of its expensive fleet. A debate in the assembly ensued on whether to surrender or fight on, with the surrender party being decisively outvoted. An officer named Hipponax was placed in charge of organizing the defense of the city. Hipponax levied every available men for the defense, teenagers and old men included, had the city walls repaired and ordered all the crops secreted inside to deny food to the enemy. He also sent envoys to [[Athiva]] hoping to convince them to send some support but on this they were not successful. | News of the defeat at sea sent shockwaves through the Elateian political and military establishment. At a single stroke the city had lost thousands of experienced sailors and navigators and the bulk of its expensive fleet. A debate in the assembly ensued on whether to surrender or fight on, with the surrender party being decisively outvoted. An officer named Hipponax was placed in charge of organizing the defense of the city. Hipponax levied every available men for the defense, teenagers and old men included, had the city walls repaired and ordered all the crops secreted inside to deny food to the enemy. He also sent envoys to [[Athiva]] hoping to convince them to send some support but on this they were not successful. As the Muslim fleet approached the island a last ditch attempt to stop them from landing troops was made. Several ships equipped with spigots that expelled a combustible liquid attacked the enemy fleet, burning a dozen ships before being rammed and succumbing to the waves. Fireships had been used in other battles by Elateia but only in very small numbers, probably due to the difficulty of procuring the combustion agent. Forty thousand muslim warriors under general Ahmed Ben Ghazi stormed the island, quickly overrunning every village and hamlet in their way. The swiftness of the attack prevented Hipponax from razing the surrounding area to deprive the invaders of supplies. | ||
====Patriarchate of Elateia==== | ====Patriarchate of Elateia==== | ||
====Emergence of Qustantism==== | ====Emergence of Qustantism==== | ||