History of War – October 2019

As for the Seljuks, they deployed for battle in
their traditional crescent formation. Sultan Alp
Arslan led the centre, and Turkish Chief Of Staff
Sav-Tekin commanded the wings and rearguard.
Believing that he would suffer heavy
casualties by remaining in a fixed position,
Romanos ordered his army to advance against
the Turks. His goal was to force the Turks to
engage in close combat.
His best hope of doing this was to pin the
Turks against a cliff, gorge, or river that would
force them to stand their ground.
In the face of the slow and steady advance
of the tightly packed Byzantine troops, the
Turks fell back but remained close enough to
continue their arrow volleys. Arslan’s tactic that
day consisted of luring the Byzantines into a
grand ambush. Once his mounted bowmen had
weakened the Byzantines, he planned to swiftly
counterattack his foe.
By mid-afternoon the Byzantine centre had
overrun the Seljuk forward command post. As
the Byzantine troops continued south, they
entered broken ground that rose in elevation.
The hit-and-run attacks by the Turkish
mounted bowmen who unleashed volley after
volley into the Byzantine wings began to take
its toll on the Byzantines.
The Turks had plenty of room in which to
continue their steady withdrawal. With darkness
approaching, Romanos could ill afford to have
his troops bivouac overnight in the valley where
the troops would have no access to water for
themselves or their horses.
Romanos therefore decided to return to his
fortified camp. As a signal to the Byzantine
wings, he ordered the standards reversed. This
signified they were to countermarch.
As the Byzantines tried to withdraw, the Turks
redoubled their harassing volleys. Romanos
grew weary of the storm of arrows, and he
ordered his troops to attack. To his shock, the
rearguard continued to march north towards
Manzikert. The result was that a wide swath of
ground opened up between the Byzantine main
force and the reserve. The Turks moved quickly Images:

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Manzikert

to fill the gap in order to attack the Byzantine

main body from two sides. In all likelihood,

Dukas deliberately abandoned Romanos to his

fate in order to hasten his downfall.

Seljuk counterattack

Arslan had waited patiently for the optimum

moment to launch his counterattack. Seeing

the confusion in the Byzantine ranks, he

led his troops forward. The well-armoured

Turkish ghulams of Arslan’s askar rode for

the Byzantine imperial standard marking

Romanos’s position. They crashed into the

Byzantine centre. Even as they did so, Turkish

horse archers swept around the Byzantine

centre sending flights of arrows into the ranks

of the isolated division.

Chaos and confusion reigned as the

Byzantine army completely unravelled under

the relentless charges of the Turkish ghulams

and the continued hit-and-run attacks of the

mounted bowmen in the final phase of the

battle. “It was like an earthquake with howling,

sweat, a swift rush of fear, clouds of dust, and

not the least Turks riding all around us,” wrote

Byzantine historian Michael Attaleiates.

Byzantine troops from both demoralised

wings streamed north towards Manzikert with

swift-riding Turkish horsemen on their heels.

As most of his army deserted him, Romanos

climbed atop a rock outcrop so that his

Varangian bodyguards and the stout-hearted

Armenian infantry of his division could see

that he was still alive. The Varangians and

Armenians formed a wall of shields around his

position. The shield wall served to deflect the

spear thrusts of the Turkish ghulams, but they

could not stop the rain of arrows.

When it seemed all was lost, Romanos

mounted his horse and waded into the ranks

of the enemy. After slaying several opponents,

he found himself completely surrounded. He

eventually received a severe wound to his hand

that left him defenceless.

Not long afterwards, his horse was slain by

a Turkish arrow. Horse and rider crashed to the

ground. The Turks grabbed Romanos, bound

him, and dragged him before Arslan. Although

he was spared, the Turks gave no quarter to his

VarangianandArmeniandefenders.

masters of Anatolia

The Turks began celebrating their victory

even before they had finished overrunning the

Byzantine encampment at Manzikert. Their

victory had far-reaching consequences for

the Christian world in the years to come. The

desperate need to assist the hard-pressed

Byzantines is considered one of the leading

reasons for the Latin Crusades–the First

Crusade was launched in 1096.

Arslan freed Romanos after eight days on

the promise that he pay an exorbitant ransom.

The defeated emperor learned on his return

journey that Michael VII Dukas had claimed the

throne for himself. Two pitched battles ensued

between the rival emperors. Romanos, who lost

both, was blinded and sent to a monastery. He

died a broken man in July 1072.

Emperor Michael VII could not hold back

the victorious Seljuks. They quickly overran

the Anatolian plateau. As for Alp Arslan, he

returned shortly afterwards to Khwarazm to

deal with an uprising. Although he succeeded

in crushing the rebellion, he was stabbed to

death on 24 November 1072.

His great victory at Manzikert ensured that

the Seljuks would remain a powerful force in

the Near East for the next 150 years.

Byzantine heavy cavalry

protected the emperor in battle

Alp Arslan,

who was more

interested

in defeating

Muslim rivals

than the

Byzantines,

released

Emperor

Romanos after

holding him

captive for just

eight days