|
( Battle of Manzikert)
In this 15th-century French miniature depicting the Battle of Manzikert, the combatants are clad in contemporary Western European armour.
The battle marked the high point of the initial Turkish incursions and was followed up two years later with a large influx of Turkish settlers and soldiers, many at the request of the crumbling Byzantine Empire. However, the battle was not the slaughter that many historians, including contemporary writers, have stressed it to be — large numbers of mercenaries and Anatolian levies fled and survived the battle, thanks in part to Alp Arslan's refusal to pursue them.[6] All the Byzantine commanders, including Romanos, survived to participate in the numerous civil conflicts that wrecked Anatolia.[7] Nonetheless, the Byzantine Empire would never be able to muster a force as large, nor as distantly projected as that which took part in the fateful battle. Although the Byzantine Empire had remained a strong and powerful entity in the Middle Ages,[3] the Empire began to decline under the reign of the militarily incompetent Constantine IX and again under Constantine X — a brief two year rule of reform under Isaac I Komnenos only delaying the decay of the Byzantine military.[8] It was under Constantine IX's reign that the Byzantines first came into contact with the Seljuk Turks, the latter attempting to annex Ani in Armenia. Rather than deal with the problem by force of arms, Constantine IX signed a truce. The truce did not last; in 1063 the Great Seljuk Sultan Alp Arslan came to power and thus the invasion of Armenia, halted in 1045, began again. During the 1060s, the Seljuk Sultan Alp Arslan allowed his Turkish allies, as well as the Kurds, to migrate towards Armenia and Asia Minor. In 1064, they conquered the Armenian capital at Ani.[3] Constantine X (successor to Isaac Komnenos) did much discredit to his predecessor — in 1067 Armenia was taken by the Turks, followed by Caesarea.[9] In 1068, Romanos IV took power and after a few speedy military reforms led an expedition against the Seljuks, allowing him to capture the city of Hierapolis Bambyce in Syria. A Turkish attack against Iconium was thwarted when a Byzantine counter from Syria ended in victory.[4] In 1070, Romanos led a second expedition towards Malazgirt (then known as Manzikert) in the eastern end of Anatolia (in today's Mus Province), where a Byzantine fortress had been captured by the Seljuks, and offered a treaty with Alp Arslan; Romanos would give back Hierapolis if Arslan gave up the siege of Edessa (Urfa). Romanos threatened war if Alp Arslan did not comply, and prepared his troops anyway, expecting the sultan to decline his offer, which he did.
|
Battle of Manzikert Subcategories
Battle of Manzikert Articles
Learn Genuine State of The Art Top Secret Battle Proven Training Books and Personal Training Videos by Martin Day
Thank goodness, health and fitness is at the forefront of everyone’s mind these days, however, too many of us, just do not have the stamina to stay with a fitness program. Well, world renowned fitness, martial arts and self defense expert Martin Day ...
Treadmill Desks Battle "Love Handles" & Lower Risk of Death by Steve Bordley
A study recently released and published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that the extra fat around the waist dramatically increased the risk of premature death in individuals. Even individuals with normal BMI Indexes were at higher risks ...
Battle Obesity with the Use of Hoodia Gordonii by Vanessa Doctor
It is a fact that obesity is ruining plenty of lives these days. More and more people are having weight problems.
There are lots of people who are being indulged with delicious foods that are made available to us. There are some people who sa...
Celebrity Diets: Battle of the Bulge goes Hollywood by Holly Cates
As a society, we look up to celebrities and make them our personal idols. There is always something they have that we want, be it their stylish haircut, flawless skin, sparkling smile, or shapely body. We are always eager to learn about the latest ce...
The Battle of Bulimia by Anne Wolski
Copyright 2006 Anne Wolski
In a world where a person?s worth tends to be measured by appearance, it is little wonder that we have so many young women falling into the trap of eating disorders. This obsession with achieving the perfect figure ha...
|
|
