This AAR will try to give a historical medTW version of the Battle of Manzikert between Emperor Romanus IV and Alp Arslan.
During the 1060s the Seljuk Sultan Alp Arslan allowed his Turkish allies to migrate towards Armenia and Asia Minor. In 1064 they conquered the Armenian capital at Ani. In 1068 Romanos IV led an expedition against them, but his slow-moving infantry could not catch the speedy Turkish cavalry, although he was able to capture the city of Hierapolis in Syria.
In 1070 Romanus 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.
The Byzantine Army was commanded by Emperor Romanus IV, Nikephoros Bryennios, Theodore Alyates, Andronikos Doukas and the Armenian general Basilaces.
(1071, June)Romanos ordered his general Joseph Tarchaneiotes to take some of the Byzantine troops and Varangians and accompany the Pechenegs and Franks to Khliat, while Romanos and the rest of the army marched to Manzikert.
This probably split the forces in half, about 20,000 men each.
Turkish Army
Instead of fighting general Joseph Tarchaneiotes fled (nothing is certain of the circumstances)
Emperor Romanus IV moved on to Manzikert unaware of the loss of the general.
Manzikert's gates
Local defence
Fighting
The town of Manzikert was conquered on the 23. August(1071).
Next day some foraging parties led by Bryennios discovered the Seljuk force and were forced to retreat back to Manzikert.
The Armenian general Basilaces was sent out with some cavalry, as Romanos did not believe this was Arslan's full army; the cavalry was destroyed and Basilaces 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.
Fighting
Retreat
The Turks fled and hid among the nearby hills for the night, making it nearly impossible for Romanus to send a counterattack.
Alp Arslan leading his forces away from Manzikert to the nearby hills
On August 25, some of Romanos' Turkish mercenaries came into contact with their Seljuk relatives and deserted.
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. Andronikos Doukas led the reserve forces in the rear.
The Seljuks were four kilometres away
Seljuk archers attacked the Byzantines as they drew closer
Individual units tried to force the Seljuks into a pitched battle
The Byzantines held off the arrow attacks and captured Arslan's camp by the end of the afternoon.
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 an enemy of Romanos, deliberately ignored the emperor and marched back to the camp outside Manzikert, rather than covering the emperor's retreat.
Center Army and the Emperor regroup
Fighting back
Hope is gone...
Emperor Romanus IV is trapped and captured
When the Emperor Romanos IV was conducted into the presence of Alp Arslan, he was treated with considerable kindness, and again offered the terms of peace which he had offered previous to the battle. He was also loaded with presents and Alp Arslan had him respectfully escorted by a military guard to his own forces. But prior to that, when he first was brought to the Sultan, this famous conversation is reported to have taken place:
Alp Arslan: "What would you do if I were brought before you as a prisoner?"
Romanus: "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."
Shortly after his return to his subjects, Romanos was deposed, and then blinded and exiled in the island of Proti; soon after he died as a result of an infection caused by an injury during his brutal blinding.
Byzantine troops: 40.000 (20.000 retreated with general Joseph Tarchaneiotes as the commander)
Seljuk Turkish troops: ~15.000
Byzantine casualties: ~ 8.000
Seljuk Turkish casualties: unknown
Feel free to leave a comment about the AAR in general, the pics etc.
Regards
, you will need to press this link to read my AAR..
Battle of Manzikert (Historical AAR
Re: Battle of Manzikert (Historical AAR
Originally Posted by VindicatorS
Since I am too new to this forum to post an AAR. You don't need to be a full member to post an AAR here, so feel free to repost it.
Re: Battle of Manzikert (Historical AAR
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