Battle of Dimitritsi
| Battle of Dimitritsi | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Norman invasion of the Balkans of 1185–1186 | |||||||
|
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| General Alexios Branas |
Count Richard of Acerra Count Baldwin |
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| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | 15,000-25,000 men | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | Heavy | ||||||
The Battle of Dimitritsi occurred on November 1185 between the Byzantine Empire and Norman invaders from Sicily (Kingdom of Sicily) who sought to conquer Constantinople. The battle was fought 20 km from the village of Dimitritsi located in northern Greece (Serres), close to Strymon (river).
Background story[edit]
In 1185, during the reign of the Byzantine emperor Andronikos I Komnenos, the Norman Sicilians (descendants of Vikings) invaded Greece with the intention of annexing the city of Constantinople. The motives of the invasion can be in part attributed to the Massacre of the Latins in April 1182 where the Byzantine Empire killed tens of thousands of its Roman Catholic inhabitants in Constantinople. This eventually led to tensions between the Greek Orthodox and Catholic Church.
King William II of Sicily sent a fleet of 200 ships and 80,000 men (including 5000 knights) under the command of counts Baldwin and Richard of Acerra. The Norman force landed in Epirus and occupied the city of Dyrrhachium, then sacked and captured Thessalonica in August 24 (see Sack of Thessalonica (1185)). They killed over 7000 citizens in the chaos and frenzy following the successful capture of Thessalonica and lost 3000 men in the battle.
After their initial success, the Normans split their force in 3 parts. The first stayed in the city, while another part marched up the Strymon valley pillaging the country from Amphipolis to Serres. A third part moved against Constantinople. In the meantime, the emperor Andronikos I Komnenos unsuccessfully tried to stop King William II from reaching Constantinople with five different armies. A fleet of 100 ships was also sent to stop the Normans from entering the Sea of Marmara. The emperor was soon victim of a coup d'État by Isaac II Angelos who forcefully replaced him and became the emperor. Under his commandment, he assigned the war against the Normans to the general Alexios Branas.
The battle[edit]
Alexios Branas ambushed and defeated the dispersed Norman forces in Mosynopolis seizing their horses and equipment. Then he moved on to Amphipolis where he defeated another Norman force. From there he marched toward Serres (near Dimitritsi) where the main Norman army was operating.
The Byzantines met the Normans near Dimitritsi, on Strymon river. The Normans realized their disadvantageous battling position, thus starting negotiations to escape their potential defeat. However, the resentful Greek troops (Byzantium) attacked without a signal from their generals and successfully routed their opponents. The Byzantines pushed the Normans to the Strymon river where many of them were drowned. The two Norman commanders, Baldwin and Richard, were captured.
Aftermath[edit]
Pursued by the Byzantines, the surviving Normans fled to Thessalonica, which was abandoned without battle; the remnants of the Norman army fled to Dyrrhachium on the Adriatic coast, effectively ending the attempted Sicilian conquest of the Empire.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Μανώλης Παπαθανασίου. "Byzantine Battles: Battle of Dimitritsi". Byzantium.xronikon.com. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
- ^ "The Sack of Thessalonica (1185)". forbiddennews.info. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
- ^ "Byzantine Period-The Turkish Domination". serrestown.com. Retrieved 25 May 2016.