More than 200,000 Roman troops fought in front of 30,000 Seljuk warriors on this day in 1071.
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| [Battle of Manzikert] |
More than 200,000 Roman troops fought in front of 30,000 Seljuk warriors on this day in 1071 (August 26). Emperor Romanos has stepped forward in collaboration with Christian power in order to remove the Seljuks' name from history. Meanwhile, Prince Suleiman and Muhammad Alp Arsalan battled to the death.
Background of Manzikert Battle
The Bagratid (modern-day Armenia) Empire served as a buffer between the Roman and Seljuk empires during the time. Bagratid was conquered by the Roman emperor Constantine X in a surprise invasion in 1045. The Seljuks frightened him. As a result, he proceeded to sign a peace deal with the Seljuks. That's how everything went down.
In 1064, the arrangement came to an end. The Sultan became aware of the Romans' clandestine military preparations. He led a surprise invasion in 1075 and kidnapped Bagratid Emperor Romanos IV, who became Emperor of Rome in 106. When he came to power, he led the Seljuks into Syria and captured Manbij.
The sultan launched an unexpected counter-offensive, routing the Roman army and capturing the commander. In 1079, despite his victory, he signed a peace deal with the Romans. Romanos dispatched an ambassador to the Sultan in February 1061, who proposed to renew and extend the peace pact.
The Shiite Fatimid Empire of Egypt became the Muslims' primary foe at this period. Sultan embarked on a campaign against the Fatimid Empire in Aleppo. Romanos had been looking forward to this chance. He attacked the Seljuk Empire with a massive force. Romanos' adversary, Andronicus Ducas, also joined him.
Incidents of Manzikert Battle
Roman Romanos marched on Van Lake (in eastern Turkey) with almost two million troops to overthrow the Seljuk Empire. The goal was to gain entry to the Seljuk Empire by seizing the Seljuk forts of Manzikert and Ahlat, which were located to the north and west of the lake, respectively. In June 1061, he arrived in Theodosiopolis.
The troops were upset with the Romanos for transporting the emperor's expensive baggage through Asia Minor's lengthy and winding roads. Meanwhile, the locals were enraged by the plundering of the Frank soldiers and the fact that the emperor refused to withdraw them despite their protests.
Romanos headed for Van Lake, assuming Arsalan was absent or unwilling to come forward. Malajgirdah, he believed, would take over. The Sultan received data from the Seljuk spies as soon as he went to war. Without getting to Aleppo, the Sultan turned his horse back.
Before reaching the Romanos Van Lake, Arsalan arrived there. Romanos was unaware of Arsalan's actions, but Arsalan is aware of Romanos' specific position. Romanos dispatched a force of 30,000 soldiers to Ahlat, led by General Joseph Tarkeniotes.
Their mission was to take the fort of Ahlat and stop the Sultan from advancing from Aleppo. However, the Sultan had already crossed that region and was approaching the thirty thousand troops from behind. General Joseph's soldiers were assaulted in the south and defeated from the north by the sultan.
There was no one left to inform Romanos since there was so much chatter. On August 23, Romanos easily assaulted Malajgird's stronghold. Seljuk archers retaliated with a hail of arrows. Bryannis' scout squad fled from the fort the next day after spotting the Seljuk force.
But Romanos got a brilliant idea: it's not Arsalan's entire army. He dispatched General Basilakis, along with some cavalry, to the front lines. The cavalry was decimated as it unexpectedly collapsed in front of the Seljuks. General Basilakis was apprehended and imprisoned. On August 25, 1061, the two troops confronted one another.
The sultan sent peace to Romanos once more. Emperor Romanos, who was marching in weapons, turned down the offer of peace since the Sultan's army had just 30,000 soldiers while he had more than two lakh of his own. The two troops lined up on the ground as soon as the morning light of August 26 arrived.
The Sultan gathered his soldiers and gave a speech while dressed in a white shroud. “Anyone who wants to go back can go back,” he added in his speech. Because there is no sultan to command or forbid today. This is the message: he is prepared to die in war.
Romanos authorized an all-out attack at the start of the conflict. To assault the Sultan, he advanced in the center of the Muslim soldiers. General Nikephoras, on the right flank, assaulted Prince Suleiman. General Theodore Alaetis attacked General Artuk Beg on the left wing.
The Muslim soldiers retreated farther. The Romans attempted to encircle and attack the Muslim soldiers in one location. Instead of battling in specific locations, the Muslim fighters dispersed the Romans over the desert. The fighting spanned a distance of more than 6 kilometers. The Sultan's tent was seized by Roman soldiers before dusk.
Romanos realized that in the dead of night, his army would not be able to stand up against the Sultan's soldiers. His fighters were instructed to return to the camp. However, the army's right wing misinterpreted his orders and violated the Ducas emperor's orders. When the emperor fled, he did so outside the field, leaving him unprotected.
The Roman army dispersed after seeing the Ducas reserve leave, believing they had been defeated. As reports circulated that Romanos had been slain in the middle of the pandemonium, the reserve soldiers withdrew from the battlefield. Meanwhile, as the Christians followed the Muslim forces all day, there was a lot of space between each unit.
It was impossible for them to learn the truth about Romanos' situation. With his wing, the crafty Prince Suleiman swooped down on General Nikephorus' troops. General Nikephorus' troops were wiped out in less than an hour. The rest of the Roman army dispersed in large numbers.
On the battlefield, only Emperor Romanos and his faithful troops survived. Even even then, their numbers much outnumbered the Seljuks. The combined attack of General Artuk Bay, Prince Sulaiman, and the Sultan's soldiers, however, was too much for them to handle. Some managed to flee, some surrendered, and still others were slain.
On the battlefield of Manzikert, the Seljuks triumphed. A Roman emperor was also captured alive in combat for the first and last time in history. Emperor Romanos was captured after losing his sword in the subsequent combat. The capture of Manzikert was a watershed moment in Islamic history.
The Seljuk Muslims captured all of Anatolia as a result of this battle. Roman Christian Anatolia gradually gave way to Seljuk Muslim Anatolia. Three continents were covered by the Ottoman Empire. The Roman Empire was about to fall apart. The Seljuk Empire continues to exist.
Captivity of Romanos
The sultan brought Romanos, the most arrogant and arrogant monarch, before him. Because of the prisoner's filthy state, the Sultan was hesitant to accept that the prisoner was Emperor Romanos at first. During this period, Arsalan had a famous conversation: "What would you do if I were brought before you as a prisoner?"
Romanos: I'd murder you and parade your body around Constantinople's streets.
Arsalan: My penalty is far more harsh. I forgive you and release you.
Romanos was held captive for a week. He used to sit and dine with the Sultan at this time. Antioch, Edessa, Hierapolis, and Monzikert were taken as war compensation and fined ten million gold coins prior to his ultimate release. It was eventually lowered to 1.5 million gold coins.
The last requirement is Romanos' rule proved difficult after his release. He battled the General Ducas family in three battles and was vanquished each time. Ducas lost his sight and was transported to Pretty Island to live in exile. He succumbed to an eye infection not long after.
Author : Mohammad Salimullah