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{{Infobox military conflict
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict = Battle of Manzikert
| conflict = Battle of Manzikert
| partof = the [[Waaagh Grimgor]]
| partof = the [[Byzantine–Seljuq wars]]
| image = [[File:Warhammer Armies Orcs & Goblins cover2.jpeg]]
| image = [[Image:131 Bataille de Malazgirt.jpg|300px]]
| caption = Grimgor Ironhide leading the attack into the Seljuk right flank
| caption = In this 15th-century French miniature depicting the Battle of Manzikert, the combatants are clad in contemporary Western European armour.
| date = August 26, 1071
| date = August 26, 1071
| place = near Manzikert, [[Armeniac Theme|Byzantine Armenia]]
| place = near Manzikert, [[Armeniac Theme|Byzantine Armenia]]<br />(present-day [[Malazgirt]], [[Turkey]])
| result = * Decisive Orc victory
| result = * Decisive Seljuk victory
* [[Turkification]] of Anatolia
* Death of [[Alp Arslan]]
| combatant1 = [[Byzantine Empire]] {{br}}
* Beginning of [[Orcish Conquest of Anatolia]]
* Frankish, English, Norman, Georgian, Armenian, Bulgarian, Turkic [[Pecheneg]] and [[Cuman]] mercenaries
| combatant1 = [[Waaagh Grimgor]] {{br}}
| combatant2 = [[Seljuk Empire]]{{br}}
* Orcs, Goblins, Boars, Wolves, Trolls
| combatant2 = [[File:Seljuqs Eagle.svg|25px]][[Seljuk Empire]]{{br}}
* [[Pecheneg]] and [[Cuman]] mercenaries{{refn|Pechenegs and Cumans defected to the Seljuq side when the war began.|group="note"}}
* [[Pecheneg]] and [[Cuman]] mercenaries{{refn|Pechenegs and Cumans defected to the Seljuq side when the war began.|group="note"}}
| commander1 = [[Romanos IV]]{{POW}}{{br}}[[Nikephoros Bryennios the Elder|Nikephoros Bryennios]]{{br}}[[Theodore Alyates]]{{br}}[[Andronikos Doukas (cousin of Michael VII)|Andronikos Doukas]]
----
| commander2 = [[File:Seljuqs Eagle.svg|25px]] [[Alp Arslan]]<br/>[[File:Seljuqs Eagle.svg|25px]] [[Afshin]]<br/>[[File:Seljuqs Eagle.svg|25px]][[Artuk]]<br/>[[File:Seljuqs Eagle.svg|25px]] [[Suleiman Shah]]
'''Co-belligerent:''' <br />{{flagicon|Byzantine Empire}} [[Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)|Byzantine Empire]]<sup>1</sup>
| strength1 = 40,000<ref name="Haldon173">{{Harvnb|Haldon|2001|p=173}}</ref> to 70,000<ref>Norwich 1991, p. 238.</ref>
| commander1 = [[Grimgor Ironhide]]{{br}}[[Gitluk Facestabba]]{{br}}[[Shaman Blacktoof]]
| strength2 = 20,000<ref name="Markham">{{Cite web |last=Markham |first=Paul |date= |title=Battle of Manzikert: Military Disaster or Political Failure? |url=http://www.deremilitari.org/resources/articles/markham.htm |ref=harv |postscript=<!--None--> }}</ref> to 30,000<ref name="Haldon173">{{Harvnb|Haldon|2001|p=172}}</ref>
| commander2 = [[File:Seljuqs Eagle.svg|25px]] [[Alp Arslan]] (Killed)<br/>[[File:Seljuqs Eagle.svg|25px]] [[Afshin]]<br/>[[File:Seljuqs Eagle.svg|25px]] [[Artuk]]<br/>[[File:Seljuqs Eagle.svg|25px]] [[Suleiman Shah]]<br/>{{flagicon|Byzantine Empire}} [[Romanos IV]]{{br}}{{flagicon|Byzantine Empire}} [[Nikephoros Bryennios the Elder|Nikephoros Bryennios]]
| strength1 = 70,000<ref name="Haldon173">{{Harvnb|Haldon|2001|p=173}}</ref> to 200,000<ref>Norwich 1991, p. 238.</ref>
| casualties1 = '''Killed:''' 2,000<ref name="Haldon180">{{Harvnb|Haldon|2001|p=180}}.</ref> to 8,000<ref name="Markham"/>
| strength2 = 50,000 Byzantines <br> 20,000 <ref name="Markham">{{Cite web |last=Markham |first=Paul |date= |title=Battle of Manzikert: Military Disaster or Political Failure? |url=http://www.deremilitari.org/resources/articles/markham.htm |ref=harv |postscript=<!--None--> }}</ref> to 30,000<ref name="Haldon173">{{Harvnb|Haldon|2001|p=172}}</ref> Seljuks
| casualties1 = ''unknown''
| casualties2 = '''Killed:''' 12,000<ref name="Haldon180">{{Harvnb|Haldon|2001|p=180}}.</ref> to 20,000<ref name="Markham"/>
* Arp Aslan
* nearly the entire Varangian Guard (Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon mercenaries)
* nearly the entire Varangian Guard (Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon mercenaries)
* 2,000 Turkish mercenaries who remained loyal
'''Deserted:''' 10,000 to 15,000
'''Captured:''' 4,000<ref name="Haldon180" />
'''Deserted:''' 20,000 to 35,000
*mainly Frankish and Norman mercenaries who avoided almost the entire battle
*mainly Frankish and Norman mercenaries who avoided almost the entire battle
| casualties2 = ''unknown''
}}
}}
{{Campaignbox Byzantine-Seljuk War}}

The '''Battle of Manzikert''' ({{lang-tr|Malazgirt Muharebesi}}) was fought between the [[Byzantine Empire]] and the [[Great Seljuq Empire|Seljuq Turks]] on August 26, 1071 near Manzikert (modern [[Malazgirt]] in [[Muş Province]], [[Turkey]]). The decisive defeat of the [[Byzantine army]] and the capture of the Emperor [[Romanos IV Diogenes]]<ref name="Grant77" /> played an important role in undermining Byzantine authority in [[Anatolia]] and [[Medieval Armenia|Armenia]],<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Holt |first=Peter Malcolm |last2=Lambton |first2=Ann Katharine Swynford |last3=Lewis |first3=Bernard |lastauthoramp=yes |title=The Cambridge History of Islam |year=1977 |publisher= |location= |isbn= |pages=231–232 |url= |ref=harv |postscript=<!--None--> }}</ref> and allowed for the gradual [[Turkification]] of Anatolia.

The brunt of the battle was borne by the professional soldiers from the eastern and western [[Tagma (military)|tagmata]], as large numbers of mercenaries and Anatolian [[Conscription|levies]] fled early and survived the battle.<ref name= "Norwich240"/> The fallout from Manzikert was disastrous for the Byzantines, resulting in civil conflicts and an economic crisis that severely weakened the Byzantine Empire's ability to adequately defend its borders.<ref name="Norwich241">{{cite book |last=Norwich|first=John Julius|title=A Short History of Byzantium|location=New York|publisher= Vintage Books|year=1997|pages=241 |isbn=0-679-45088-2}}</ref> This led to the mass movement of Turks into central Anatolia—by 1080, an area of {{convert|78000|km2|sqmi}} had been gained by the Seljuk Turks. It took three decades of internal strife before [[Alexios I Komnenos|Alexius I]] (1081 to 1118) restored stability to Byzantium. Historian [[Thomas Asbridge]] says: "In 1071, the Seljuqs crushed an imperial army at the Battle of Manzikert (in eastern [[Asia Minor]]), and though historians no longer consider this to have been an utterly cataclysmic reversal for the Greeks, it still was a stinging setback."<ref>Thomas S. Asbridge ''The Crusades'' (2010) p 27</ref> It was the first time in history a Byzantine Emperor had become the prisoner of a [[Muslim]] commander.<ref name="lion">[http://www.arabnews.com/news/764091 Alp Arslan, the lion of Manzikert]</ref>

==Background==
Although the [[Byzantine Empire]] had remained strong and powerful in the Middle Ages,<ref name="Konstam40">{{cite book|last=Konstam|first=Angus|authorlink=Angus Konstam|title = The Crusades|location=London|publisher=[[Mercury Books]]|year=2004|pages=40|isbn=0-8160-4919-X}}</ref> it began to decline under the reign of the militarily incompetent [[Constantine IX Monomachos|Constantine IX]] and again under [[Constantine X]]—a brief two-year period of reform under [[Isaac I Komnenos|Isaac I]] merely delayed the decay of the Byzantine army.<ref>{{cite book|last=Norwich|first=John Julius|authorlink=John Julius Norwich |title=A Short History of Byzantium|location=New York|publisher= [[Vintage Books]]| year=1997|pages=236|isbn=0-679-45088-2}}</ref> Under Constantine IX the Byzantines first came into contact with the [[Great Seljuq Empire|Seljuk]] Turks when these attempted to annex [[Ani]], the Armenian capital. Constantine made a truce with the Seljuks that lasted until 1064, but they then took Ani, and in <ref name="Konstam40"/> 1067 the rest of Armenia, followed by [[Kayseri|Caesarea]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Norwich|first=John Julius|title=A Short History of Byzantium|location=New York|publisher= Vintage Books|year=1997|pages=237|isbn=0-679-45088-2}} — "The fate of Caesarea was well known."</ref>

In 1068 Romanos IV took power, and after some speedy military reforms entrusted Manuel Comnenus (nephew of [[Isaac I Komnenos|Isaac I Comnenus]]) to lead an expedition against the Seljuks. Manuel captured [[Manbij|Hierapolis Bambyce]] in [[Syria]], next thwarted a Turkish attack against [[Iconium]] with a counter-attack,<ref name="Grant77"/> but was then defeated and captured by the Seljuks under the [[Sultan]] [[Alp Arslan]]. Despite his success Alp Arslan was quick to seek a peace treaty with the Byzantines, signed in 1069; he saw the [[Fatimid Caliphate|Fatimids]] in Egypt as his main enemy and had no desire to be diverted by unnecessary hostilities.<ref name="Markham"/>

In February 1071, Romanos sent envoys to Alp Arslan to renew the 1069 treaty, and keen to secure his northern flank against attack,
Alp Arslan happily agreed.<ref name="Markham"/> Abandoning the siege of Edessa, he immediately led his army to attack Fatimid-held Aleppo. However, the peace treaty had been a deliberate distraction: Romanos now led a large army into Armenia to recover the lost fortresses before the Seljuks had time to respond.<ref name="Markham"/>

==Prelude==
Accompanying Romanos was [[Andronikos Doukas (cousin of Michael VII)|Andronicus Ducas]], his co-emperor and rival. The army consisted of about {{formatnum:5000}} professional Byzantine troops from the western provinces and probably about the same number from the eastern provinces; 500 [[Franks|Frankish]] and [[Normans|Norman]] mercenaries under [[Roussel de Bailleul]]; some Turkic ([[Oghuz Turks|Uz]] and [[Pecheneg]]) and [[Bulgaria]]n [[mercenary|mercenaries]]; infantry under the [[duke]] of [[Antioch]]; a contingent of [[Kingdom of Georgia|Georgian]] and [[Armenia]]n troops; and some (but not all) of the [[Varangian Guard]], to total around 40,000 to 70,000 men.<ref name="Haldon180">J. Haldon, ''The Byzantine Wars'', 180</ref><ref name="Norwich238">{{Harvnb|Norwich|1991|p=238}}.</ref> The quantity of the provincial troops had declined in the years prior to Romanos, as the government diverted funding to mercenaries who were judged less likely to be involved in politics and could be disbanded after use to save money.

[[Image:AlpArslan.PNG|thumb|left|Alp Arslan led [[Seljuq Turks]] to victory against the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] annexation of Manzikert in 1071.]]

The march across [[Asia Minor]] was long and difficult, and Romanos did not endear himself to his troops by bringing a luxurious baggage train along with him; the local population also suffered some plundering by his Frankish mercenaries, whom he was obliged to dismiss. The expedition rested at [[Sivas|Sebasteia]] on the [[Halys River|river Halys]], reaching [[Erzurum|Theodosiopolis]] in June 1071. There, some of his generals suggested continuing the march into Seljuk territory and catching Alp Arslan before he was ready. Others, including [[Nikephoros Bryennios the Elder|Nicephorus Bryennius]], suggested they wait and fortify their position. It was decided to continue the march.

Thinking that Alp Arslan was either further away or not coming at all, Romanos marched towards [[Lake Van]], expecting to retake Manzikert rather quickly, as well as the nearby fortress of [[Ahlat|Khliat]] if possible. Alp Arslan was already in the area, however, with allies and {{formatnum:30000}} cavalry from [[Aleppo]] and [[Mosul]]. Alp Arslan's scouts knew exactly where Romanos was, while Romanos was completely unaware of his opponent's movements.

[[File:Malazkirt Manzikert battle campaign map 1071.png|thumbnail|Having made peace with the Byzantines the Seljuks intended to attack Egypt, until Alp Arslan learned in Aleppo of the Byzantine advance. He returned north and met the Byzantines north of Lake Van.]]

Romanos ordered his general [[Joseph Tarchaneiotes|Joseph Tarchaniotes]] to take some of the regular troops and the Varangians and accompany the Pechenegs and Franks to [[Khliat]], while Romanos and the rest of the army marched to Manzikert. This split the forces in half, each taking about {{formatnum:20000}} men. It is unknown what happened to the army sent off with [[Joseph Tarchaneiotes|Tarchaniotes]] — according to Islamic sources, Alp Arslan smashed this army, but Roman sources make no mention of any such encounter, whilst Attaliates suggests that Tarchaniotes fled at the sight of the Seljuk Sultan — an unlikely event considering the reputation of the Roman general. Either way, Romanos' army was reduced to less than half his planned 40,000 to 70,000 men.<ref name="Haldon180" /><ref name="Norwich238">J. Norwich, ''Byzantium: The Apogee'', 238</ref>

==Battle==
Alp Arslan summoned his army and delivered a speech by appearing in a white robe, as in an Islamic funeral shroud, in the morning of the battle.<ref>[https://books.google.com.tr/books?id=leqqBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA214&dq=alp+arslan+before+battle&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CBoQ6AEwAGoVChMIgf787LTGxwIVQzoUCh3HUw-k#v=onepage&q=alp%20arslan%20before%20battle&f=false Carole Hillenbrand (2007), ''Turkish Myth and Muslim Symbol: The Battle of Manzikert'']</ref> This was an encouraging message that he was ready to die in battle. Romanos was unaware of the loss of Tarchaneiotes and continued to Manzikert, which he easily captured on August 23; the Seljuks responded with heavy incursions by [[bowmen]].<ref name = "Norwich238"/> The next day some foraging parties under Bryennios discovered the Seljuk army and were forced to retreat back to Manzikert. The Armenian general Basilakes was sent out with some cavalry, as Romanos did not believe this was Alp Arslan's full army; the cavalry was destroyed and Basilakes taken prisoner. Romanos drew up his troops into formation and sent the left wing out under Bryennios, who was almost surrounded by the quickly approaching Turks and was forced to retreat once more. The Seljuk forces hid among the nearby hills for the night, making it nearly impossible for Romanos to counterattack.<ref name= "Grant77" /><ref name="Konstam41">{{cite book|last=Konstam|first=Angus|title=The Crusades|location=London|publisher=Mercury Books|year=2004|pages=41|isbn=0-8160-4919-X}}</ref>

[[File:Byzantium vs Seljuk c 1071.png|thumb|300px|[[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine territory]] (purple), Byzantine attacks (red) and [[Great Seljuq Empire|Seljuk]] attacks (green)]]

On August 25, some of Romanos' [[Turkic peoples|Turkic]] mercenaries came into contact with their Seljuk kin and deserted. Romanos then rejected a Seljuk peace [[embassy]]. He wanted to settle the eastern question and the persistent Turkic incursions and settlements with a decisive military victory, and he understood that raising another army would be both difficult and expensive. The Emperor attempted to recall Tarchaneiotes, who was no longer in the area. There were no engagements that day, but on August 26 the Byzantine army gathered itself into a proper battle formation and began to march on the Turkish positions, with the left wing under Bryennios, the right wing under [[Theodore Alyates]], and the centre under the emperor. At that moment, a Turkish soldier said to Alp Arslan, "My Sultan, the enemy army is approaching", and Alp Arslan is said to have replied, "Then we are also approaching them". Andronikos Doukas led the reserve forces in the rear—a foolish mistake, considering the loyalties of the Doukids. The Seljuks were organized into a [[crescent]] formation about four kilometres away.<ref name = "Norwich239">{{cite book|last=Norwich|first=John Julius|title=A Short History of Byzantium |location=New York|publisher= Vintage Books|year = 1997|pages=239|isbn=0-679-45088-2}}</ref> Seljuk [[archery|archers]] attacked the Byzantines as they drew closer; the centre of their crescent continually moved backwards while the wings moved to surround the Byzantine troops.

The Byzantines held off the arrow attacks and captured Alp Arslan's camp by the end of the afternoon. However, the right and left wings, where the arrows did most of their damage, almost broke up when individual units tried to force the Seljuks into a pitched battle; the Seljuk cavalry simply disengaged when challenged, the classic [[Hit-and-run tactics|hit and run tactics]] of steppe warriors. With the Seljuks avoiding battle, Romanos was forced to order a withdrawal by the time night fell. However, the right wing misunderstood the order, and Doukas, as a rival of Romanos, deliberately ignored the emperor and marched back to the camp outside Manzikert, rather than covering the emperor's retreat. With the Byzantines thoroughly confused, the Seljuks seized the opportunity and attacked.<ref name="Grant77">{{cite book|last=Grant|first=R.G.|title= Battle a Visual Journey Through 5000 Years of Combat|location=London|publisher= Dorling Kindersley|year=2005|pages=77|isbn=1-74033-593-7}}</ref> The Byzantine right wing was almost immediately [[rout]]ed, thinking they were betrayed either by the [[Armenians]] or the army's Turkish auxiliaries. In fact the Armenians were the first to flee and they all managed to get away, while by contrast the Turkish auxiliaries remained loyal to the end.<ref>{{cite book |title=Byzantine Armies, 886–1118 |first=Ian |last=Heath |first2=Angus |last2=McBride |year=1979 |location=London |publisher=Osprey |page=27 |isbn=0-85045-306-2 |url={{Google books |plainurl=yes |id=RgkpDKYvb48C |page=27 }} }}</ref> The left wing under Bryennios held out a little longer but was also soon routed.<ref name="Norwich240">{{cite book|last=Norwich|first=John Julius|title=A Short History of Byzantium|location=New York|publisher= Vintage Books|year=1997|pages=240|isbn=0-679-45088-2}}</ref> The remnants of the Byzantine centre, including the Emperor and the [[Varangian Guard]], were encircled by the Seljuks. Romanos was injured and taken prisoner by the Seljuks. The survivors were the many who fled the field and were pursued throughout the night, but not beyond that; by dawn, the professional core of the Byzantine army had been destroyed whilst many of the peasant troops and levies who had been under the command of Andronikus had fled.<ref name="Norwich240"/>

===Captivity of Romanos Diogenes===
[[Image:BnF Fr232 fol323 Alp Arslan Romanus.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Alp Arslan]] humiliating Emperor [[Romanos IV]]. From a 15th-century illustrated French translation of [[Boccaccio]]'s ''[[De Casibus Virorum Illustrium]]''.]]

When Emperor Romanos IV was conducted into the presence of Alp Arslan, the Sultan refused to believe that the bloodied and tattered man covered in dirt was the mighty Emperor of the Romans. After discovering his identity, Alp Arslan placed his boot on the Emperor's neck and forced him to kiss the ground.<ref name="Norwich240"/> For Romanos had humiliated an [[Arab people|Arab]] truce delegation sent by the [[Caliph]] from [[Baghdad]]. He made them bow down before him and kiss the ground in the formal Roman ritual called ''proskynesis'', which was decreed to be required of [[barbarians]] in the presence of the emperor.<ref>[https://books.google.com.tr/books?id=wVGrAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA204&dq=alp+arslan+before+battle&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CCcQ6AEwAmoVChMIgf787LTGxwIVQzoUCh3HUw-k#v=onepage&q=alp%20arslan%20before%20battle&f=false N J Holmes, ''Trebizond'']</ref> A famous conversation is also reported to have taken place:<ref name="kings">Peoples, R. Scott (2013) ''Crusade of Kings'' Wildside Press LLC, 2008. p. 13. ISBN 0-8095-7221-4, ISBN 978-0-8095-7221-2</ref><ref>[https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Alp_Arslan Wikiquote: Alp Arslan]</ref>

:Alp Arslan: "What would you do if I were brought before you as a prisoner?"
:Romanos: "Perhaps I'd kill you, or exhibit you in the streets of [[Constantinople]]."
:Alp Arslan: "My punishment is far heavier. I forgive you, and set you free."

Alp Arslan treated Romanos with considerable kindness and again offered the terms of peace that he had offered prior to the battle.<ref name="lion"/>

Romanos remained a captive of the Sultan for a week. During this time, the Sultan allowed Romanos to eat at his table whilst concessions were agreed upon: Antioch, Edessa, Hierapolis, and Manzikert were to be surrendered.<ref name="Norwich241"/> This would have left the vital core of Anatolia untouched. A payment of 10 million gold pieces demanded by the Sultan as a ransom for Romanos was deemed as too high by the latter, so the Sultan reduced its short-term expense by asking for 1.5 million gold pieces as an initial payment instead, followed by an annual sum of {{formatnum:360000}} gold pieces.<ref name="Norwich241"/> Plus, a marriage alliance was prepared between Alp Arslan’s son and Romanos’ daughter.<ref name="Markham"/> The Sultan then gave Romanos many presents and an escort of two emirs and one hundred [[Mamluk]]s on his route to Constantinople.

Shortly after his return to his subjects, Romanos found his rule in serious trouble. Despite attempts to raise loyal troops, he was defeated three times in battle against the Doukas family and was deposed, blinded, and exiled to the island of [[Kınalıada|Proti]]. He died soon after as a result of an infection caused by an injury during his brutal blinding. Romanos' final foray into the Anatolian heartland, which he had worked so hard to defend, was a public humiliation.<ref name="Norwich241"/>

==Aftermath==
[[File:Aftermath of Manzikert.png|300px|thumb|The Turks did not move into [[Anatolia]] until after Alp Arslan’s death in 1072.]]

While Manzikert was a long-term strategic catastrophe for Byzantium, it was by no means the massacre that historians earlier presumed. Modern scholars estimate that Byzantine losses were relatively low,<ref>{{cite book|last=Haldon|first=John|title=Byzantium at War 600–1453|location=New York|publisher= Osprey|year = 2000|pages=46|isbn=0-415-96861-5}}</ref><ref name="conflict">{{cite book|last=Mikaberidze|first=Alexander|title=Conflict and Conquest in the Islamic World: A Historical Encyclopedia|publisher= ABC-CLIO|year = 2011|pages=563|isbn=1-59884-336-2}}</ref> considering that many units survived the battle intact and were fighting elsewhere within a few months, and most Byzantine prisoners of war were later released.<ref name="conflict"/> Certainly, all the commanders on the Byzantine side (Doukas, Tarchaneiotes, Bryennios, [[de Bailleul]], and, above all, the Emperor) survived and took part in later events.<ref>{{cite book|last= Norwich|first=John Julius|title=A Short History of Byzantium|location=New York|publisher= Vintage Books|year=1997|pages=240–3|isbn= 0-679-45088-2}}. Andronikus returned to the capital, Tarchaneiotes did not take part, Bryennios and all the others, including Romanos, took part in the ensuing civil war.</ref> The battle did not directly change the balance of power between the Byzantines and the Seljuks, however the ensuing civil war within the Byzantine Empire did, to the advantage of Seljuks.<ref name="conflict"/>

Doukas had escaped with no casualties and quickly marched back to Constantinople, where he led a coup against Romanos and proclaimed [[Michael VII]] as ''basileus''.<ref name="Norwich241"/> Bryennios also lost a few men in the rout of his wing. The Seljuks did not pursue the fleeing Byzantines, nor did they recapture Manzikert itself at this point. The Byzantine army regrouped and marched to [[Dokeia]], where they were joined by Romanos when he was released a week later. The most serious loss materially seems to have been the emperor's extravagant baggage train.

The result of this disastrous defeat was, in simplest terms, the loss of the Eastern Roman Empire's Anatolian heartland. [[John Julius Norwich]] says in his trilogy on the Byzantine Empire that the defeat was "its death blow, though centuries remained before the remnant fell. The themes in Anatolia were literally the heart of the empire, and within decades after Manzikert, they were gone." In his smaller book, ''A Short History of Byzantium'', Norwich describes the battle as "the greatest disaster suffered by the Empire in its seven and a half centuries of existence".<ref name="Norwich242"/> [[Sir Steven Runciman]], in his "History of the Crusades", noted that "The Battle of Manzikert was the most decisive disaster in Byzantine history. The Byzantines themselves had no illusions about it. Again and again their historians refer to that dreadful day."

[[Anna Komnene]], writing a few decades after the actual battle, wrote:

{{quote|...the fortunes of the Roman Empire had sunk to their lowest ebb. For the armies of the East were dispersed in all directions, because the Turks had over-spread, and gained command of, countries between the Euxine Sea <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Black Sea]]<nowiki>]</nowiki> and the [[Hellespont]], and the [[Aegean Sea]] and Syrian Seas <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Mediterranean Sea]]<nowiki>]</nowiki>, and the various bays, especially those which wash [[Pamphylia]], [[Cilicia]], and empty themselves into the Egyptian Sea [Mediterranean Sea].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/AnnaComnena-Alexiad01.html |title=Medieval Sourcebook: Anna Comnena: The Alexiad: Book I |accessdate=2008-08-26| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20080914032134/http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/annacomnena-alexiad01.html| archivedate= 14 September 2008 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref>}}

Years and decades later, Manzikert came to be seen as a disaster for the Empire; later sources therefore greatly exaggerate the numbers of troops and the number of casualties. Byzantine historians would often look back and lament the "disaster" of that day, pinpointing it as the moment the decline of the Empire began. It was not an immediate disaster, but the defeat showed the Seljuks that the Byzantines were not invincible—they were not the unconquerable, millennium-old Roman Empire (as both the Byzantines and Seljuks still called it). The [[usurpation]] of Andronikos Doukas also politically destabilized the empire and it was difficult to organize resistance to the Turkish migrations that followed the battle. Despite the traditional view of historians that a wave of Turkish immigration 'overran' Anatolia in the decades that followed,<ref name="Norwich242">{{cite book| last= Norwich|first=John Julius|title=A Short History of Byzantium|location=New York|publisher= Vintage Books|year=1997|pages=242| isbn= 0-679-45088-2}}</ref> modern genetic studies show that even with additional centuries of Turkic immigration, the population of Anatolia today has only a small admixture of Central Asian heritage.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.khazaria.com/genetics/anatolian-turks.html |title=Anatolian Turkish Genetics: Abstracts and Summaries |accessdate=2015-05-31}}</ref><ref name=euroasia>{{cite journal |doi=10.1073/pnas.171305098|jstor=3056514|pmc=56946|pmid=11526236|title=The Eurasian Heartland: A continental perspective on Y-chromosome diversity|journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences|volume=98|issue=18|pages=10244|year=2001|last1=Wells|first1=R. S.|last2=Yuldasheva|first2=N.|last3=Ruzibakiev|first3=R.|last4=Underhill|first4=P. A.|last5=Evseeva|first5=I.|last6=Blue-Smith|first6=J.|last7=Jin|first7=L.|last8=Su|first8=B.|last9=Pitchappan|first9=R.|last10=Shanmugalakshmi|first10=S.|last11=Balakrishnan|first11=K.|last12=Read|first12=M.|last13=Pearson|first13=N. M.|last14=Zerjal|first14=T.|last15=Webster|first15=M. T.|last16=Zholoshvili|first16=I.|last17=Jamarjashvili|first17=E.|last18=Gambarov|first18=S.|last19=Nikbin|first19=B.|last20=Dostiev|first20=A.|last21=Aknazarov|first21=O.|last22=Zalloua|first22=P.|last23=Tsoy|first23=I.|last24=Kitaev|first24=M.|last25=Mirrakhimov|first25=M.|last26=Chariev|first26=A.|last27=Bodmer|first27=W. F.|bibcode=2001PNAS...9810244W}}</ref> The conquest of the Seljuk's appears to be one of installing a new political elite. Finally, while intrigue and the deposition of Emperors had taken place before, the fate of Romanos was particularly horrific, and the destabilization caused by it also rippled through the empire for centuries.

[[File:11 13th century Asia Minor Turkish Invasions.png|thumbnail|320px|Settlements and regions affected during the first wave of Turkish invasions in Asia Minor (until 1204).]]
What followed the battle was a chain of events—of which the battle was the first link—that undermined the Empire in the years to come. They included intrigues for the throne, the fate of Romanos, and [[Roussel de Bailleul]] attempting to carve himself an independent kingdom in [[Galatia]] with his {{formatnum:3000}} [[Franks|Frankish]], [[Normans|Norman]], and German mercenaries.<ref name="Norwich243"/> He defeated the Emperor's uncle [[John Doukas, Caesar|John Doukas]], who had come to suppress him, advancing toward the capital to destroy [[Üsküdar#Chrysopolis|Chrysopolis]] ([[Üsküdar]]) on the Asian coast of the Bosphorus. The Empire finally turned to the spreading Seljuks to crush de Bailleul (which they did). However the Turks [[ransom]]ed him back to his wife, and it was not before the young general [[Alexios I Komnenos|Alexios Komnenos]] pursued him that he was captured. These events all interacted to create a vacuum that the Turks filled. Their choice in establishing their capital in [[Nikaea]] ([[Iznik]]) in 1077 could possibly be explained by a desire to see if the Empire's struggles could present new opportunities.

In hindsight, both Byzantine and contemporary historians are unanimous in dating the decline of Byzantine fortunes to this battle. As [[Paul K. Davis (historian)|Paul K. Davis]] writes, "Byzantine defeat severely limited the power of the Byzantines by denying them control over Anatolia, the major recruiting ground for soldiers. Henceforth, the Muslims controlled the region. The Byzantine Empire was limited to the area immediately around Constantinople, and the Byzantines were never again a serious military force."<ref>Paul K. Davis, ''100 Decisive Battles from Ancient Times to the Present: The World’s Major Battles and How They Shaped History'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999), p. 118.</ref> It is also interpreted as one of the root causes for the later [[Crusades]], in that the [[First Crusade]] of 1095 was originally a western response to the Byzantine emperor's call for military assistance after the loss of [[Anatolia]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Madden|first=Thomas|title=Crusades The Illustrated History|location=Ann Arbor|publisher= University of Michigan P|year=2005|pages=35|isbn=0-8476-9429-1}}</ref> From another perspective, the West saw Manzikert as a signal that Byzantium was no longer capable of being the protector of [[Eastern Christianity]] or of Christian pilgrims to the Holy Places in the [[Middle East]]. Delbrück considers the importance of the battle to be exaggerated, but the evidence makes clear that it resulted in the Empire being unable to put an effective army into the field for many years to come.<ref name=Delbrueck>{{cite encyclopedia|last=Delbrück|first=Hans|encyclopedia=Geschichte der Kriegskunst im Rahmen der politischen Geschichte|year=1923|edition=2nd|publisher=Walter de Gruyter|location=Berlin|volume=3. Teil: Das Mittelalter|pages=209–210|url=http://www.zeno.org/Geschichte/M/Delbrück,+Hans/Geschichte+der+Kriegskunst/3.+Teil.+Das+Mittelalter/2.+Buch.+Der+vollendete+Feudalstaat/7.+Kapitel.+Byzanz/Schlacht+bei+Manzikert|authorlink=Hans Delbrück|accessdate=22 April 2012|language=German|title=7. Kapitel: Byzanz|trans_title=Chapter 7: Byzantium}}</ref>

The [[Battle of Myriokephalon]], also known as the Myriocephalum, has been compared to the Battle of Manzikert as a pivotal point in the decline of the Byzantine Empire.<ref>For example, {{cite book |first=Speros |last=Vryonis |title=The Decline of Medieval Hellenism in Asia Minor: and the process of Islamization from the eleventh through the fifteenth century |location=Berkeley |publisher=University of California |year=1971 |page=125 |isbn=0-520-01597-5 }}</ref> In both battles, separated by over a hundred years, an expansive Byzantine army was ambushed by a more elusive Seljuk opponent. The implications of Myriocephalum were initially limited, however, thanks to [[Manuel I Komnenos]] holding on to power. The same could not be said of Romanos, whose enemies "martyred a courageous and upright man", and as a result "the Empire&nbsp;... would never recover".<ref name="Norwich243">{{cite book|last=Norwich|first = John Julius |title=A Short History of Byzantium|location=New York|publisher= Vintage Books|year=1997|pages=243|isbn=0-679-45088-2}}</ref>

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==Further reading==
*{{Cite book |last=Haldon |first=John |title=The Byzantine Wars: Battles and Campaigns of the Byzantine Era |year=2001 |publisher=Tempus |location=Stroud |isbn=0-7524-1795-9 |ref=harv |postscript=<!--None--> }}
*{{Cite book |last=Treadgold |first=Warren |title=A History of the Byzantine State and Society |year=1997 |publisher=Stanford University Press |location=Stanford |isbn=0-8047-2421-0 |ref=harv |postscript=<!--None--> }}
*{{Cite journal |last=Runciman |first=Steven |authorlink=Steven Runciman |title=A History of the Crusades |volume= One |year=1951 |publisher=Harper & Row |location=New York |ref=harv |postscript=<!--None--> }}
*{{Cite book |last=Norwich |first=John Julius |title=Byzantium: The Apogee |year=1991 |publisher=Viking |location=London |isbn=0-670-80252-2 |ref=harv |postscript=<!--None--> }}
*{{Cite book |last=Carey |first=Brian Todd |last2=Allfree |first2=Joshua B. |last3=Cairns |first3=John |lastauthoramp=yes |title=Warfare in the Medieval World |year=2006 |publisher=Pen & Sword Books |location=Barnsley |isbn=1-84415-339-8 |ref=harv |postscript=<!--None--> }}
*{{Cite book |last=Konstam |first=Angus |title=Historical Atlas of The Crusades |year=2004 |publisher=Mercury |location=London |isbn=1-904668-00-3 |pages= |url= |ref=harv |postscript=<!--None--> }}
*{{Cite book |last=Madden |first=Thomas |title=Crusades The Illustrated History |year=2005 |publisher=The University of Michigan Press |location=Ann Arbor, MI |isbn=0-472-03127-9 |ref=harv |postscript=<!--None--> }}
*{{Cite book |last=Konus |first=Fazli |title=Selçuklular Bibliyografyası |year=2006 |publisher=Çizgi Kitabevi |location=Konya |isbn=975-8867-88-1 |ref=harv |postscript=<!--None--> }}

==External links==
* [http://deremilitari.org/2013/09/the-battle-of-manzikert-military-disaster-or-political-failure/ Battle of Manzikert: Military Disaster or Political Failure?], by Paul Markham
* [http://www.deremilitari.org/news/medievalhistorymagazine.htm Debacle at Manzikert, 1071: Prelude to the Crusades], by Brian T. Carey (Issue 5 – January 2004)

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{{good article}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Manzikert}}
[[Category:Battles involving the Byzantine Empire]]
[[Category:Battles of the Byzantine–Seljuq Wars]]
[[Category:1071 in the Byzantine Empire]]
[[Category:Battles in medieval Anatolia]]
[[Category:History of Muş Province]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1071]]

Revision as of 13:06, 4 September 2015

Battle of Manzikert
Part of the Byzantine–Seljuq wars

In this 15th-century French miniature depicting the Battle of Manzikert, the combatants are clad in contemporary Western European armour.
DateAugust 26, 1071
Location
near Manzikert, Byzantine Armenia
(present-day Malazgirt, Turkey)
Result
Belligerents

Byzantine Empire

  • Frankish, English, Norman, Georgian, Armenian, Bulgarian, Turkic Pecheneg and Cuman mercenaries

Seljuk Empire

Commanders and leaders
Romanos IV (POW)
Nikephoros Bryennios
Theodore Alyates
Andronikos Doukas		 File:Seljuqs Eagle.svg Alp Arslan
File:Seljuqs Eagle.svg Afshin
File:Seljuqs Eagle.svgArtuk
File:Seljuqs Eagle.svg Suleiman Shah
Strength
40,000[1] to 70,000[2] 20,000[3] to 30,000[1]
Casualties and losses

Killed: 2,000[4] to 8,000[3]

  • nearly the entire Varangian Guard (Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon mercenaries)
  • 2,000 Turkish mercenaries who remained loyal

Captured: 4,000[4] Deserted: 20,000 to 35,000

  • mainly Frankish and Norman mercenaries who avoided almost the entire battle
 unknown

The Battle of Manzikert (Turkish: Malazgirt Muharebesi) was fought between the Byzantine Empire and the Seljuq Turks on August 26, 1071 near Manzikert (modern Malazgirt in Muş Province, Turkey). The decisive defeat of the Byzantine army and the capture of the Emperor Romanos IV Diogenes[5] played an important role in undermining Byzantine authority in Anatolia and Armenia,[6] and allowed for the gradual Turkification of Anatolia.

The brunt of the battle was borne by the professional soldiers from the eastern and western tagmata, as large numbers of mercenaries and Anatolian levies fled early and survived the battle.[7] The fallout from Manzikert was disastrous for the Byzantines, resulting in civil conflicts and an economic crisis that severely weakened the Byzantine Empire's ability to adequately defend its borders.[8] This led to the mass movement of Turks into central Anatolia—by 1080, an area of 78,000 square kilometres (30,000 sq mi) had been gained by the Seljuk Turks. It took three decades of internal strife before Alexius I (1081 to 1118) restored stability to Byzantium. Historian Thomas Asbridge says: "In 1071, the Seljuqs crushed an imperial army at the Battle of Manzikert (in eastern Asia Minor), and though historians no longer consider this to have been an utterly cataclysmic reversal for the Greeks, it still was a stinging setback."[9] It was the first time in history a Byzantine Emperor had become the prisoner of a Muslim commander.[10]

Background

Although the Byzantine Empire had remained strong and powerful in the Middle Ages,[11] it began to decline under the reign of the militarily incompetent Constantine IX and again under Constantine X—a brief two-year period of reform under Isaac I merely delayed the decay of the Byzantine army.[12] Under Constantine IX the Byzantines first came into contact with the Seljuk Turks when these attempted to annex Ani, the Armenian capital. Constantine made a truce with the Seljuks that lasted until 1064, but they then took Ani, and in [11] 1067 the rest of Armenia, followed by Caesarea.[13]

In 1068 Romanos IV took power, and after some speedy military reforms entrusted Manuel Comnenus (nephew of Isaac I Comnenus) to lead an expedition against the Seljuks. Manuel captured Hierapolis Bambyce in Syria, next thwarted a Turkish attack against Iconium with a counter-attack,[5] but was then defeated and captured by the Seljuks under the Sultan Alp Arslan. Despite his success Alp Arslan was quick to seek a peace treaty with the Byzantines, signed in 1069; he saw the Fatimids in Egypt as his main enemy and had no desire to be diverted by unnecessary hostilities.[3]

In February 1071, Romanos sent envoys to Alp Arslan to renew the 1069 treaty, and keen to secure his northern flank against attack, Alp Arslan happily agreed.[3] Abandoning the siege of Edessa, he immediately led his army to attack Fatimid-held Aleppo. However, the peace treaty had been a deliberate distraction: Romanos now led a large army into Armenia to recover the lost fortresses before the Seljuks had time to respond.[3]

Prelude

Accompanying Romanos was Andronicus Ducas, his co-emperor and rival. The army consisted of about 5,000 professional Byzantine troops from the western provinces and probably about the same number from the eastern provinces; 500 Frankish and Norman mercenaries under Roussel de Bailleul; some Turkic (Uz and Pecheneg) and Bulgarian mercenaries; infantry under the duke of Antioch; a contingent of Georgian and Armenian troops; and some (but not all) of the Varangian Guard, to total around 40,000 to 70,000 men.[4][14] The quantity of the provincial troops had declined in the years prior to Romanos, as the government diverted funding to mercenaries who were judged less likely to be involved in politics and could be disbanded after use to save money.

Alp Arslan led Seljuq Turks to victory against the Byzantine annexation of Manzikert in 1071.

The march across Asia Minor was long and difficult, and Romanos did not endear himself to his troops by bringing a luxurious baggage train along with him; the local population also suffered some plundering by his Frankish mercenaries, whom he was obliged to dismiss. The expedition rested at Sebasteia on the river Halys, reaching Theodosiopolis in June 1071. There, some of his generals suggested continuing the march into Seljuk territory and catching Alp Arslan before he was ready. Others, including Nicephorus Bryennius, suggested they wait and fortify their position. It was decided to continue the march.

Thinking that Alp Arslan was either further away or not coming at all, Romanos marched towards Lake Van, expecting to retake Manzikert rather quickly, as well as the nearby fortress of Khliat if possible. Alp Arslan was already in the area, however, with allies and 30,000 cavalry from Aleppo and Mosul. Alp Arslan's scouts knew exactly where Romanos was, while Romanos was completely unaware of his opponent's movements.

Having made peace with the Byzantines the Seljuks intended to attack Egypt, until Alp Arslan learned in Aleppo of the Byzantine advance. He returned north and met the Byzantines north of Lake Van.

Romanos ordered his general Joseph Tarchaniotes to take some of the regular troops and the Varangians and accompany the Pechenegs and Franks to Khliat, while Romanos and the rest of the army marched to Manzikert. This split the forces in half, each taking about 20,000 men. It is unknown what happened to the army sent off with Tarchaniotes — according to Islamic sources, Alp Arslan smashed this army, but Roman sources make no mention of any such encounter, whilst Attaliates suggests that Tarchaniotes fled at the sight of the Seljuk Sultan — an unlikely event considering the reputation of the Roman general. Either way, Romanos' army was reduced to less than half his planned 40,000 to 70,000 men.[4][14]

Battle

Alp Arslan summoned his army and delivered a speech by appearing in a white robe, as in an Islamic funeral shroud, in the morning of the battle.[15] This was an encouraging message that he was ready to die in battle. Romanos was unaware of the loss of Tarchaneiotes and continued to Manzikert, which he easily captured on August 23; the Seljuks responded with heavy incursions by bowmen.[14] The next day some foraging parties under Bryennios discovered the Seljuk army and were forced to retreat back to Manzikert. The Armenian general Basilakes was sent out with some cavalry, as Romanos did not believe this was Alp Arslan's full army; the cavalry was destroyed and Basilakes taken prisoner. Romanos drew up his troops into formation and sent the left wing out under Bryennios, who was almost surrounded by the quickly approaching Turks and was forced to retreat once more. The Seljuk forces hid among the nearby hills for the night, making it nearly impossible for Romanos to counterattack.[5][16]

Byzantine territory (purple), Byzantine attacks (red) and Seljuk attacks (green)

On August 25, some of Romanos' Turkic mercenaries came into contact with their Seljuk kin and deserted. Romanos then rejected a Seljuk peace embassy. He wanted to settle the eastern question and the persistent Turkic incursions and settlements with a decisive military victory, and he understood that raising another army would be both difficult and expensive. The Emperor attempted to recall Tarchaneiotes, who was no longer in the area. There were no engagements that day, but on August 26 the Byzantine army gathered itself into a proper battle formation and began to march on the Turkish positions, with the left wing under Bryennios, the right wing under Theodore Alyates, and the centre under the emperor. At that moment, a Turkish soldier said to Alp Arslan, "My Sultan, the enemy army is approaching", and Alp Arslan is said to have replied, "Then we are also approaching them". Andronikos Doukas led the reserve forces in the rear—a foolish mistake, considering the loyalties of the Doukids. The Seljuks were organized into a crescent formation about four kilometres away.[17] Seljuk archers attacked the Byzantines as they drew closer; the centre of their crescent continually moved backwards while the wings moved to surround the Byzantine troops.

The Byzantines held off the arrow attacks and captured Alp Arslan's camp by the end of the afternoon. However, the right and left wings, where the arrows did most of their damage, almost broke up when individual units tried to force the Seljuks into a pitched battle; the Seljuk cavalry simply disengaged when challenged, the classic hit and run tactics of steppe warriors. With the Seljuks avoiding battle, Romanos was forced to order a withdrawal by the time night fell. However, the right wing misunderstood the order, and Doukas, as a rival of Romanos, deliberately ignored the emperor and marched back to the camp outside Manzikert, rather than covering the emperor's retreat. With the Byzantines thoroughly confused, the Seljuks seized the opportunity and attacked.[5] The Byzantine right wing was almost immediately routed, thinking they were betrayed either by the Armenians or the army's Turkish auxiliaries. In fact the Armenians were the first to flee and they all managed to get away, while by contrast the Turkish auxiliaries remained loyal to the end.[18] The left wing under Bryennios held out a little longer but was also soon routed.[7] The remnants of the Byzantine centre, including the Emperor and the Varangian Guard, were encircled by the Seljuks. Romanos was injured and taken prisoner by the Seljuks. The survivors were the many who fled the field and were pursued throughout the night, but not beyond that; by dawn, the professional core of the Byzantine army had been destroyed whilst many of the peasant troops and levies who had been under the command of Andronikus had fled.[7]

Captivity of Romanos Diogenes

Alp Arslan humiliating Emperor Romanos IV. From a 15th-century illustrated French translation of Boccaccio's De Casibus Virorum Illustrium.

When Emperor Romanos IV was conducted into the presence of Alp Arslan, the Sultan refused to believe that the bloodied and tattered man covered in dirt was the mighty Emperor of the Romans. After discovering his identity, Alp Arslan placed his boot on the Emperor's neck and forced him to kiss the ground.[7] For Romanos had humiliated an Arab truce delegation sent by the Caliph from Baghdad. He made them bow down before him and kiss the ground in the formal Roman ritual called proskynesis, which was decreed to be required of barbarians in the presence of the emperor.[19] A famous conversation is also reported to have taken place:[20][21]

Alp Arslan: "What would you do if I were brought before you as a prisoner?"
Romanos: "Perhaps I'd kill you, or exhibit you in the streets of Constantinople."
Alp Arslan: "My punishment is far heavier. I forgive you, and set you free."

Alp Arslan treated Romanos with considerable kindness and again offered the terms of peace that he had offered prior to the battle.[10]

Romanos remained a captive of the Sultan for a week. During this time, the Sultan allowed Romanos to eat at his table whilst concessions were agreed upon: Antioch, Edessa, Hierapolis, and Manzikert were to be surrendered.[8] This would have left the vital core of Anatolia untouched. A payment of 10 million gold pieces demanded by the Sultan as a ransom for Romanos was deemed as too high by the latter, so the Sultan reduced its short-term expense by asking for 1.5 million gold pieces as an initial payment instead, followed by an annual sum of 360,000 gold pieces.[8] Plus, a marriage alliance was prepared between Alp Arslan’s son and Romanos’ daughter.[3] The Sultan then gave Romanos many presents and an escort of two emirs and one hundred Mamluks on his route to Constantinople.

Shortly after his return to his subjects, Romanos found his rule in serious trouble. Despite attempts to raise loyal troops, he was defeated three times in battle against the Doukas family and was deposed, blinded, and exiled to the island of Proti. He died soon after as a result of an infection caused by an injury during his brutal blinding. Romanos' final foray into the Anatolian heartland, which he had worked so hard to defend, was a public humiliation.[8]

Aftermath

The Turks did not move into Anatolia until after Alp Arslan’s death in 1072.

While Manzikert was a long-term strategic catastrophe for Byzantium, it was by no means the massacre that historians earlier presumed. Modern scholars estimate that Byzantine losses were relatively low,[22][23] considering that many units survived the battle intact and were fighting elsewhere within a few months, and most Byzantine prisoners of war were later released.[23] Certainly, all the commanders on the Byzantine side (Doukas, Tarchaneiotes, Bryennios, de Bailleul, and, above all, the Emperor) survived and took part in later events.[24] The battle did not directly change the balance of power between the Byzantines and the Seljuks, however the ensuing civil war within the Byzantine Empire did, to the advantage of Seljuks.[23]

Doukas had escaped with no casualties and quickly marched back to Constantinople, where he led a coup against Romanos and proclaimed Michael VII as basileus.[8] Bryennios also lost a few men in the rout of his wing. The Seljuks did not pursue the fleeing Byzantines, nor did they recapture Manzikert itself at this point. The Byzantine army regrouped and marched to Dokeia, where they were joined by Romanos when he was released a week later. The most serious loss materially seems to have been the emperor's extravagant baggage train.

The result of this disastrous defeat was, in simplest terms, the loss of the Eastern Roman Empire's Anatolian heartland. John Julius Norwich says in his trilogy on the Byzantine Empire that the defeat was "its death blow, though centuries remained before the remnant fell. The themes in Anatolia were literally the heart of the empire, and within decades after Manzikert, they were gone." In his smaller book, A Short History of Byzantium, Norwich describes the battle as "the greatest disaster suffered by the Empire in its seven and a half centuries of existence".[25] Sir Steven Runciman, in his "History of the Crusades", noted that "The Battle of Manzikert was the most decisive disaster in Byzantine history. The Byzantines themselves had no illusions about it. Again and again their historians refer to that dreadful day."

Anna Komnene, writing a few decades after the actual battle, wrote:

...the fortunes of the Roman Empire had sunk to their lowest ebb. For the armies of the East were dispersed in all directions, because the Turks had over-spread, and gained command of, countries between the Euxine Sea [Black Sea] and the Hellespont, and the Aegean Sea and Syrian Seas [Mediterranean Sea], and the various bays, especially those which wash Pamphylia, Cilicia, and empty themselves into the Egyptian Sea [Mediterranean Sea].[26]

Years and decades later, Manzikert came to be seen as a disaster for the Empire; later sources therefore greatly exaggerate the numbers of troops and the number of casualties. Byzantine historians would often look back and lament the "disaster" of that day, pinpointing it as the moment the decline of the Empire began. It was not an immediate disaster, but the defeat showed the Seljuks that the Byzantines were not invincible—they were not the unconquerable, millennium-old Roman Empire (as both the Byzantines and Seljuks still called it). The usurpation of Andronikos Doukas also politically destabilized the empire and it was difficult to organize resistance to the Turkish migrations that followed the battle. Despite the traditional view of historians that a wave of Turkish immigration 'overran' Anatolia in the decades that followed,[25] modern genetic studies show that even with additional centuries of Turkic immigration, the population of Anatolia today has only a small admixture of Central Asian heritage.[27][28] The conquest of the Seljuk's appears to be one of installing a new political elite. Finally, while intrigue and the deposition of Emperors had taken place before, the fate of Romanos was particularly horrific, and the destabilization caused by it also rippled through the empire for centuries.

Settlements and regions affected during the first wave of Turkish invasions in Asia Minor (until 1204).

What followed the battle was a chain of events—of which the battle was the first link—that undermined the Empire in the years to come. They included intrigues for the throne, the fate of Romanos, and Roussel de Bailleul attempting to carve himself an independent kingdom in Galatia with his 3,000 Frankish, Norman, and German mercenaries.[29] He defeated the Emperor's uncle John Doukas, who had come to suppress him, advancing toward the capital to destroy Chrysopolis (Üsküdar) on the Asian coast of the Bosphorus. The Empire finally turned to the spreading Seljuks to crush de Bailleul (which they did). However the Turks ransomed him back to his wife, and it was not before the young general Alexios Komnenos pursued him that he was captured. These events all interacted to create a vacuum that the Turks filled. Their choice in establishing their capital in Nikaea (Iznik) in 1077 could possibly be explained by a desire to see if the Empire's struggles could present new opportunities.

In hindsight, both Byzantine and contemporary historians are unanimous in dating the decline of Byzantine fortunes to this battle. As Paul K. Davis writes, "Byzantine defeat severely limited the power of the Byzantines by denying them control over Anatolia, the major recruiting ground for soldiers. Henceforth, the Muslims controlled the region. The Byzantine Empire was limited to the area immediately around Constantinople, and the Byzantines were never again a serious military force."[30] It is also interpreted as one of the root causes for the later Crusades, in that the First Crusade of 1095 was originally a western response to the Byzantine emperor's call for military assistance after the loss of Anatolia.[31] From another perspective, the West saw Manzikert as a signal that Byzantium was no longer capable of being the protector of Eastern Christianity or of Christian pilgrims to the Holy Places in the Middle East. Delbrück considers the importance of the battle to be exaggerated, but the evidence makes clear that it resulted in the Empire being unable to put an effective army into the field for many years to come.[32]

The Battle of Myriokephalon, also known as the Myriocephalum, has been compared to the Battle of Manzikert as a pivotal point in the decline of the Byzantine Empire.[33] In both battles, separated by over a hundred years, an expansive Byzantine army was ambushed by a more elusive Seljuk opponent. The implications of Myriocephalum were initially limited, however, thanks to Manuel I Komnenos holding on to power. The same could not be said of Romanos, whose enemies "martyred a courageous and upright man", and as a result "the Empire ... would never recover".[29]

Notes

  1. ^ Pechenegs and Cumans defected to the Seljuq side when the war began.

References

  1. ^ a b Haldon 2001, p. 173 Cite error: The named reference "Haldon173" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  2. ^ Norwich 1991, p. 238.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Markham, Paul. "Battle of Manzikert: Military Disaster or Political Failure?". {{cite web}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  4. ^ a b c d Haldon 2001, p. 180. Cite error: The named reference "Haldon180" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b c d Grant, R.G. (2005). Battle a Visual Journey Through 5000 Years of Combat. London: Dorling Kindersley. p. 77. ISBN 1-74033-593-7.
  6. ^ Holt, Peter Malcolm; Lambton, Ann Katharine Swynford; Lewis, Bernard (1977). "The Cambridge History of Islam": 231–232. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help); Invalid |ref=harv (help); Unknown parameter |lastauthoramp= ignored (|name-list-style= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ a b c d Norwich, John Julius (1997). A Short History of Byzantium. New York: Vintage Books. p. 240. ISBN 0-679-45088-2.
  8. ^ a b c d e Norwich, John Julius (1997). A Short History of Byzantium. New York: Vintage Books. p. 241. ISBN 0-679-45088-2.
  9. ^ Thomas S. Asbridge The Crusades (2010) p 27
  10. ^ a b Alp Arslan, the lion of Manzikert
  11. ^ a b Konstam, Angus (2004). The Crusades. London: Mercury Books. p. 40. ISBN 0-8160-4919-X.
  12. ^ Norwich, John Julius (1997). A Short History of Byzantium. New York: Vintage Books. p. 236. ISBN 0-679-45088-2.
  13. ^ Norwich, John Julius (1997). A Short History of Byzantium. New York: Vintage Books. p. 237. ISBN 0-679-45088-2. — "The fate of Caesarea was well known."
  14. ^ a b c Norwich 1991, p. 238. Cite error: The named reference "Norwich238" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  15. ^ Carole Hillenbrand (2007), Turkish Myth and Muslim Symbol: The Battle of Manzikert
  16. ^ Konstam, Angus (2004). The Crusades. London: Mercury Books. p. 41. ISBN 0-8160-4919-X.
  17. ^ Norwich, John Julius (1997). A Short History of Byzantium. New York: Vintage Books. p. 239. ISBN 0-679-45088-2.
  18. ^ Heath, Ian; McBride, Angus (1979). Byzantine Armies, 886–1118. London: Osprey. p. 27. ISBN 0-85045-306-2.
  19. ^ N J Holmes, Trebizond
  20. ^ Peoples, R. Scott (2013) Crusade of Kings Wildside Press LLC, 2008. p. 13. ISBN 0-8095-7221-4, ISBN 978-0-8095-7221-2
  21. ^ Wikiquote: Alp Arslan
  22. ^ Haldon, John (2000). Byzantium at War 600–1453. New York: Osprey. p. 46. ISBN 0-415-96861-5.
  23. ^ a b c Mikaberidze, Alexander (2011). Conflict and Conquest in the Islamic World: A Historical Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. p. 563. ISBN 1-59884-336-2.
  24. ^ Norwich, John Julius (1997). A Short History of Byzantium. New York: Vintage Books. pp. 240–3. ISBN 0-679-45088-2.. Andronikus returned to the capital, Tarchaneiotes did not take part, Bryennios and all the others, including Romanos, took part in the ensuing civil war.
  25. ^ a b Norwich, John Julius (1997). A Short History of Byzantium. New York: Vintage Books. p. 242. ISBN 0-679-45088-2.
  26. ^ "Medieval Sourcebook: Anna Comnena: The Alexiad: Book I". Archived from the original on 14 September 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-26. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  27. ^ "Anatolian Turkish Genetics: Abstracts and Summaries". Retrieved 2015-05-31.
  28. ^ Wells, R. S.; Yuldasheva, N.; Ruzibakiev, R.; Underhill, P. A.; Evseeva, I.; Blue-Smith, J.; Jin, L.; Su, B.; Pitchappan, R.; Shanmugalakshmi, S.; Balakrishnan, K.; Read, M.; Pearson, N. M.; Zerjal, T.; Webster, M. T.; Zholoshvili, I.; Jamarjashvili, E.; Gambarov, S.; Nikbin, B.; Dostiev, A.; Aknazarov, O.; Zalloua, P.; Tsoy, I.; Kitaev, M.; Mirrakhimov, M.; Chariev, A.; Bodmer, W. F. (2001). "The Eurasian Heartland: A continental perspective on Y-chromosome diversity". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 98 (18): 10244. Bibcode:2001PNAS...9810244W. doi:10.1073/pnas.171305098. JSTOR 3056514. PMC 56946. PMID 11526236.
  29. ^ a b Norwich, John Julius (1997). A Short History of Byzantium. New York: Vintage Books. p. 243. ISBN 0-679-45088-2.
  30. ^ Paul K. Davis, 100 Decisive Battles from Ancient Times to the Present: The World’s Major Battles and How They Shaped History (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999), p. 118.
  31. ^ Madden, Thomas (2005). Crusades The Illustrated History. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan P. p. 35. ISBN 0-8476-9429-1.
  32. ^ Delbrück, Hans (1923). "7. Kapitel: Byzanz". Geschichte der Kriegskunst im Rahmen der politischen Geschichte (in German). Vol. 3. Teil: Das Mittelalter (2nd ed.). Berlin: Walter de Gruyter. pp. 209–210. Retrieved 22 April 2012. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  33. ^ For example, Vryonis, Speros (1971). The Decline of Medieval Hellenism in Asia Minor: and the process of Islamization from the eleventh through the fifteenth century. Berkeley: University of California. p. 125. ISBN 0-520-01597-5.

Further reading

  • Haldon, John (2001). The Byzantine Wars: Battles and Campaigns of the Byzantine Era. Stroud: Tempus. ISBN 0-7524-1795-9. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Treadgold, Warren (1997). A History of the Byzantine State and Society. Stanford: Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-2421-0. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Runciman, Steven (1951). "A History of the Crusades". One. New York: Harper & Row. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help); Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Norwich, John Julius (1991). Byzantium: The Apogee. London: Viking. ISBN 0-670-80252-2. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Carey, Brian Todd; Allfree, Joshua B.; Cairns, John (2006). Warfare in the Medieval World. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Books. ISBN 1-84415-339-8. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help); Unknown parameter |lastauthoramp= ignored (|name-list-style= suggested) (help)
  • Konstam, Angus (2004). Historical Atlas of The Crusades. London: Mercury. ISBN 1-904668-00-3. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Madden, Thomas (2005). Crusades The Illustrated History. Ann Arbor, MI: The University of Michigan Press. ISBN 0-472-03127-9. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Konus, Fazli (2006). Selçuklular Bibliyografyası. Konya: Çizgi Kitabevi. ISBN 975-8867-88-1. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

39°08′41″N 42°32′21″E / 39.14472°N 42.53917°E / 39.14472; 42.53917

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