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The Arab siege of Constantinople in 717-718, (commonly known as the second Arab siege) is regarded as one of the most important battles in European history. This was the most determined effort by the Caliphs to conquer the Byzantine Empire. Emperor Leo III managed to defeat the besieging Muslims army and navy. This had the following important consequences it saved the successor state to the Roman Empire and it was to continue in one form or another for over 600 years. It ended the Arab campaign to conquer the Byzantines and helped to undermine the Umayyad Caliphate. Moreover, the Byzantine victory prevented the Muslims from entering Eastern Europe, therefore preventing the Islamization of the region. Finally, the siege also indirectly led to a religious revolution known as Iconoclasm.

====Background====

The followers of Muhammad had invaded the Byzantine Empire in the mid-seventh century. The Muslims defeated the army of the Christian Emperor at the Battle of Homs. After this victory, the Arabs conquered the Byzantine territories in the Near East and North Africa. A Muslim navy and army besieged Constantinople between 674-678 in alliance with the Avars but were ultimately defeated.<ref> Treadgold, Warren T. A History of the Byzantine State and Society (Stanford, Stanford University Press, 1997), p 16</ref> There then followed several decades of an uneasy peace, between the two superpowers. However, by 700 AD the Umayyad Caliphs were at the peak of their power and ruled an Empire from Spain to Central Asia. They began large-scale incursions into the Byzantine heartland and also conquered the Christian allies of the Empire in the Caucuses.