The battle of Manzikert occurred in 1071 was one of the most significant turning points in medieval history.
The Eastern Roman Empire, was facing nomadic conquerors as it had done so many times in the past. But this invasion-
was different. It caused a cascade of events that made the west and the east, the Christian and the Muslim-
worlds clash violently but in a way that truly connected Europe and Asia for the first time.
The initial contact between the Byzantine Empire and Islam did not go in the former's favor.
The emperors started losing territories to the Caliphate in the first part of the 7th century.
The Umayyads and then the Abbasids were pushing their advantage and even threatened the capital, Constantinople on a few occasions.
Fortunately for the successors of Rome, the balance of power changed drastically in the middle of the 9th century.
The Abbasid Caliphate was struggling to keep centralized rule over its holdings. The-
Byzantines used this to strengthen their position and restore their control over the Balkans, Anatolia and Northern Syria.
In 1045 they conquered the capital of the Armenian Bagratids in modern Western Turkey, Ani.
Controlling Ani was strategically crucial. On the other hand-
Losing the traditional buffer zone between the Muslim world and the empire created-
New problems, and they manifested themselves in the new, warlike nomadic force of the Seljuq Turks.
The Seljuqs were a tribe from Central Asia that adopted Sunni Islam at the beginning of the 11th century.
Through a series of wars they became the masters of this region by the year 1040.
Their conquests continued and in the next 15 years they took control of modern-day Iraq and Iran.
The Seljuq Sultanate came into contact with the Fatimid Caliphate and the Byzantine Empire. At the same time Transcaucasia-
Was vassalized, and that opened a new lane into the Byzantine Empire.
In 1054 the Seljuqs attacks the Byzantines for the first time by raiding Trebizond. The new-
and vicious sultan Alp Arslan, used this weakness in 1064 to capture ever-important Ani.
The empire's defensive strategy relied on a chain of fortresses stretching from the Caucasus to Syria.
The fall of Ani opened up territory from Kars to Edessa and surely after the fortresses of Manzikert and Ahlat-
near Lake Van were conquered, becoming operational bases for future invasions.
in 1067,
Antiochia, Melitene and Caesarea were razed by the Seljuqs. The gates to Anatolia were now wide open.
Emperor Constantine of the Doukas Dynasty passed away in 1067.
His widow Eudokia
Recognized the dire situation the empire faced and was eager to limit the power of the Doukas.
So she married a member of a Cappadocian military family, General Romanos Diogenes.
The new emperor was anxious to drive the Seljuqs away, and even planned to take Iran, Iraq and Syria.
In March of 1068, Romanos amassed a new army and marched towards Caesarea.
He received news that Neocaesarea had been raised by the Turks and was able to intercept part of their army-
near Tephrike, where he gained a complete victory.
By 1069 the situation started to get out of hand as a new raiding army attacked-
Melitene and then Iconium deep in Byzantine territory.
Romanos knew that he had to end the problem, and started gathering a large force.
At the same time, Alp Arslan was fighting against the Fatimids across the Levant.
The sultan was not sure that he could fight on two fronts, so he sent an emissary to the Byzantines.
The Seljuqs promised to stop their raiding, but the sultan was not able to control every vassal tribe, so minor raids continued.
Romanos kept recruiting troops and adding new mercenaries to his force.
Historical sources diverged wildly from the very modest 40 000, to the fantastic 400 000,
but it doesn't seem possible that he could've gathered more than 100 000.
20,000 troops stayed in Constantinople and Thrace, as the Empire was
Also at war with the Normans of Sicily, making an attack on its Balkan holdings possible.
The Byzantine army was truly multinational as it included Normans, Cumans, Bulgars, Syrians, Armenians and Slavs.
Serving in the Byzantine army, was both prestigious and profitable, so emperors were able to choose from the best the Medieval World had to offer.
In February of 1071,
Romanos sent an emissary to Alp Arslan to renew the treaty, and as the latter
was besieging Fatimid-controlled Aleppo, he happily agreed.
However the emperor's plan was more cunning and he embarked on the campaign against the Seljuqs in March, which probably
means that his ambassadors were spies, judging the strength of Alp Arslan's army.
The Byzantine Emperor planned to take control of Seljuq fortresses near Van to stop future raids.
In July, reminders reached Theodosiopolis.
The Sultan learned that a significant Byzantine force was on the move towards strategic Manzikert and Ahlat.
He abandoned the Siege of Aleppo and moved into modern-day Iran,
where 10,000 warriors joined his army. This swift movement allowed Alp Arslan to hide from the Byzantine
scouts and travel via a route unknown to them.
Romanos ignored his generals' advice to await reconnaissance on Seljuq forces and moved towards Manzikert.
The Emperor divided his army and sent 30,000 to defend
the passage to the west of Lake Van as that was the direction from which he expected the Seljuqs to counter-attack.
He was sorely mistaken.
Alp Arslan used his army's mobility and advantage in scouting to move around the eastern banks of Van.
The mountains to the north of the lake helped cover this man oeuvre,
and he was able to attack the secondary Byzantine force from the north.
We don't know much about this short battle near Ahlat,
but it seems that the Byzantines were surprised, as they expected the attack from the south and their positions were not
suited to defend against an attack from another direction.
As Seljuq spies were able to spread the news that the Emperor's army was already defeated, the Byzantine force near Ahlat
began its retreat to Central Anatolia despite not suffering many losses.
Meanwhile, Romanos took Manzikert on the 23rd of August, and began moving towards Ahlat.
The Byzantines still suffered from lack of reconnaissance while Alp Arslan was informed about the fall of Manzikert.
On the 24th of August, the Seljuqs destroyed a few Byzantine units sent to scout ahead.
Alp Arslan, again moved around the mountain to get a battlefield more favorable to his cavalry heavy army.
The two forces finally encountered each other on the 25th of August.
Sources claimed that the Seljuq Sultan sent envoys to negotiate a peace, but Romanos
was confident in his numbers and also thought that his secondary force would soon return and help surround the enemy.
So the emperor stated that he would talk peace only in the Seljuq capital of Ray.
Romanos sent a messenger to the second army with an order to attack the next day, and ordered his forces to build camp fortifications.
Seljuq horse archers harassed this camp throughout the night.
On the next day, Romanos formed up his army to begin the battle.
The 50,000 strong Byzantine force was divided into four groups:
The Varangian Guard and Armenians were in the center, under the Emperor's command.
Turkic, Syrian, and European mercenaries formed the flanks, while the Byzantine feudal levy, led
by Andronicus Doukas were in reserve, with orders to support the position that was put in the most danger.
The Seljuq army had only around 30,000 troops, so it created a crescent with its
extreme flanks protruding forward, while its center, commanded by Alp Arslan, stayed back.
Romanos continually moved forward, trying to get into a pitch battle, but the Seljuqs were avoiding him
And used the usual nomadic tactic of Hit-and-Run.
The Seljuq center moved back, while the flanks were trying to encircle the Byzantine wings.
By the end of the afternoon,
Romanos captured Alp Arslan's camp, but as dusk was getting closer, he ordered a retreat to his fortified camp.
The Emperor's order created confusion and in the dark it seems, that his standard had fallen.
The Seljuqs used this distraction to attack the enemy's right flank with all of their forces, Andronicus Doukas-
was meant to help, but his family was feuding with the emperor so reserve forces never arrived,
and the Byzantine right flank was utterly destroyed.
By advancing so much against the Seljuqs the Byzantine flanks and centre had lost their cohesion, so Romanos himself
also failed to support against the attack.
The Byzantine left was convinced that the emperor was dead and so retreated towards Manzikert, while all of Alp Arslan's-
Forces attacked, and surrounded the center.
Although, the emperor's Varangian Guard defended valiantly, and killed many enemies, this group was also crushed by nightfall.
An ordinary Seljuq soldier made the emperor his hostage
and Alp Arslan troops chased the remainder of the Byzantine army throughout the next day.
Sources claim that after the symbolic humiliation of Romanos, Alp Arslan treated the Emperor with kindness.
They signed a peace treaty in which Antioch, Edessa, Herapolis and Manzikert-
were to be surrendered to the Seljuqs, and the Emperor promised to pay
1.5 million gold pieces in reparations right away, and three hundred and sixty thousand gold pieces annually.
Both sides agreed to a dynastic marriage between the Sultan's son and the Emperor's daughter.
A few days after the battle, Alp Arslan released Romanos with gifts and an honorary escort.
However, the Doukas family had already, installed the new emperor and in a short
civil war in 1072, Romanos was defeated and blinded, and soon after died from his wounds.
Alp Arslan passed away shortly after, but his descendants managed to take control of most of Anatolia in the next two decades.
The, Seljuq conquests brought the Byzantine Empire to the brink of collapse, and sparked the Crusades from Western Europe.
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