959) sent another expedition in 949. This too was routed in a surprise attack, a defeat which Byzantine chroniclers attribute to the incompetence and inexperience of its leader, the eunuch chamberlain Constantine Gongyles. Constantine VII did not give up, and during the last years of his reign he began preparing another expedition. It would be carried out under his successor, Romanos II (r. 959<unk>63), who entrusted its leadership to the general Nikos Phokas. At the head of a huge army and Phokas, in June 960, Constantine VII (r. 913<unk>959) sailed on the land and defeated the Muslim prince in 949. This too was routed in a surprise attack, a defeat which Byzantine chroniclers attribute to the incompetence and inexperience of its leader, the eunuch chamberlain Constantine Gongyles. Constantine VII did not give up, and during the last years of his reign he began preparing another expedition. It would be carried out under his successor, Romanos II (r. 959<unk>63), who entrusted its leadership to the general
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