Great Byzantine defeats - Part VI - Battle of Pelekanon

Battle of Pelekanon (1329)

After the civil war in Byzantium that occurred between 1321 - 1328, a younger generation of nobles came to power, led by Emperor Andronicus III Palaeologus (Ruled from 1328-1341) and his best friend and collaborator, and later emperor, John Cantacuzenus. 

The new emperor, and his close associates, have properly assessed that the Ottomans are the greatest threat and that the territory of Asia Minor will determine the fate of the Empire.

In the late spring of 1329, that is, the first war season after the takeover, they led a not so large army to Nicaea, the glorious Byzantine city in which two ecumenical councils were held, and which was then under the Turkish siege.

This was the first time that some Byzantine emperor goes into direct conflict with the Ottoman ruler, and in this case, it was Orhan I (ruled from 1324-1361). This heroic endeavor, worthy of all praise, ended unsuccessfully for the Romans.

First, in the skirmish near Pelekanon, one arrow hit Andronicus III in the leg. He was immediately dispatched to Constantinople, and thus, he did not participate in the decisive battle, which took place the next day.

On June 11, 1329, the Turkish troops, situated near Pelekanon, a city on the east coast of the Marmara Sea, encouraged by the confusion among the Byzantines caused by emperor injury, inflicted a heavy defeat to Byzantine troops. John Cantacuzenus remarkable composure didn’t help at all, and he barely saved the rest of the army. He scarcely saved his own head.

However, comparing this defeat with the Byzantine disaster at Manzikert in 1071, that is often done in the scientific writings, in spite of certain similarities that are very appealing, is somewhat unjustified. The collapse of Romanos IV Diogenes and Byzantine troops, like it was said, was an event of global and historic significance, while the failure of Andronicus III Palaeologus and John Cantacuzenus is just one of the final forms of long-weaned historical flows, and as such, it doesn’t have nearly the weight of Manzikert collapse.

It turned out that the campaign from 1329 was, in fact, the last serious effort of the Byzantines on the eastern front. The remaining Byzantine cities in Asia Minor where left to their own fate and temperament the Islamic invaders.

Great Byzantine defeats - Part I - The Battle of Adrianople

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Great Byzantine defeats - Part V - Battle of Myriokephalon

Battle of Myriokephalon (1176)

A century after the battle of Manzikert, Byzantines suffered another heavy defeat by the Seljuks. This time the main actors were the Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Komnenos (ruled from 1143-1180) and Iconium’s sultan Kilij Arslan II (ruled from1156-1192).

During his reign, the Byzantine emperor was able to slightly improve the relationships between the Empire and the Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm. Kilij Arslan visited Istanbul in 1161 as a guest of the Byzantine emperor, and his host organized a magnificent reception for him. He even pledged to Manuel Komnenos that he would send military support and return him some of the cities in the border zone. However, due to emperors many obligations and commitment to Western politics, the sultan "forgot" his obligations and, furthermore, encouraged by the support of the German emperor Frederick I Barbarossa (ruled from 1152-1190), he took hostile attitude towards Byzantium. 

At the head of a huge army, in the summer of 1176, Manuel Komnenos headed towards the Seljuk border. Emperor firmly refused Sultan's peace offer and continued the march.

Kilij Arslan was trying to avoid conflict in the open field, so he only occupied long and narrow Tzibritze pass near the city Myriokephalon in Asia Minor area of Phrygia. In addition, he sent his supporting troops to disturb the progress of emperor’s army. They burned the grass to make it difficult to feed Byzantine horses and poisoned wells by throwing bodies and dirt in them. And indeed, during this campaign a great number of Romans died from stomach diseases.

On September 17, 1176, in Tzibritze pass, the Seljuks surrounded and attacked the Byzantine army, and completely defeated it. The Byzantines were as trapped, powerless to resist properly. In addition, it was not possible to establish any type of connection between the individual Roman troops.

The battle lasted all day. A large number of Byzantine soldiers and several prominent military leaders were killed while Manuel Komnenos, in a moment of despondency, was thinking to leave his army and run for his life. Later, the Byzantine soldiers openly blamed the emperor for the defeat. 

The state and the mood of the Roman army didn’t change even when the darkness of the night surrounded them. Byzantine historian, who lived in those times, Niketas Choniates, wrote that those who managed to escape spent the next few long sleepless hours filled with horror and suspense.

Since the Turkish losses were also significant, in the evening hours Kilij Arslan accepted Manuel’s proposal for the conclusion of peace. According to concluded agreement, the Byzantines were required to destroy their two fortress in the border area.

After two days, the remaining Roman army began to retreat. Manuel Komnenos, himself, compared this loss to the disaster in Manzikert 150 years earlier. 

Great Byzantine defeats - Part VI - Battle of Pelekanon 

Great Byzantine defeats - Part I - The Battle of Adrianople

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Great Byzantine defeats - Part IV - Battle of Manzikert

Battle of Manzikert (1071)

Throughout its history, Byzantium had misfortune to, roughly speaking, constantly fight wars on two fronts, east and west. In the East, the enemies of the Empire were at first the Persians, then Arabs and finally the Turks, Seljuks and Ottomans.

In the 11th century, Byzantium was dangerously threatened by an invasion of Seljuks who easily broke the Arabian forces in Asia, conquered a number of areas, penetrated through Mesopotamia and conquered caliph’s capital Baghdad. Soon, the whole part of Asia to the borders of the Byzantine Empire and the Fatimid Caliphate in Egypt, belonged to the Seljuk. They penetrated Armenia, ravaged Cilicia and with invasion of Cappadocia, they made it clear that they have intensions to occupy Asia Minor.

Precisely at that time, the Emperor Constantine X Doukas (ruled from 1059-1067) died, and his widow Eudokia, under the pressure of one part of the public, married the Roman general Diogenes who was the only one capable to take action against invasive Seljuks.

The new emperor, Romanos IV Diogenes (ruled from 1068-1071) was skilled military leader and he immediately went to the East. His campaigns in 1068 and 1069 could be called relatively successful, but his third campaign ended with heavy defeat.

In the summer of 1071, two armies collided, the Byzantine - which consisted and of many foreigners (Frankish, Russians, Pechenegs, Uz, Normans) - and Seljuk led by sultan Alp Arslan (ruled from 1064-1072). The battle was fought in Armenia, near the town Manzikert, which is near Lake Van. It was thought previously that the battle occurred on August 19, 1071, but based on the data of the Byzantine Short chronicles, the event was placed a whole week back, on August 26, 1071.

The facts from preserved sources - Byzantine, Eastern and Western - are considerable contradictory so it is not easy to discern what has happened. There is no doubt that the Byzantine army was numerically stronger than the Seljuk, but it was also diverse and less disciplined.

The impression is that the Byzantine emperor clearly underestimated the opponents and that he split his army so that one part of it - the Normans, led by Commander Roussel de Bailleul - did not participate in the battle, and were directed on the other side. Furthermore, when the battle began, they have retreated to the west.

In the first phase, the Byzantine cavalry attacked and the Seljuks retreated, pretending to flee, but then they unexpectedly turned and caught their enemies into a trap. However, the majority of the Byzantine army attacked those Turkish detachments, forcing them to retreat, and safely returned to their camp.

The next day, sultan Alp Arslan managed to draw on his side a number of Uz units, a tribe related to the Seljuks, but that was still far from victory. Therefore, he proposed a truce, but the terms offered by the Romanos IV Diogenes were unacceptable.

When the battle began anew, the Byzantine army, under the command of the emperor, struck at the center. Just then, Andronikos Doukas, Emperor's old rival, spread the word that emperor is defeated. He immediately left the battlefield and caused general chaos and retreat. Romanos IV Diogenes found himself surrounded by Seljuks and desperately fought until he was captured.

Today, researchers believe that one of the reasons for Turkey's victory was and the fact that they used their archers more cleverly.

In the beginning, the defeat was not that heavy. Byzantine losses were relatively small, and Alp Arslan treated the captured Byzantine emperor like a true knight and signed an honorable peace with him. However, the Roman disputes turned this event into a disaster with unforeseeable consequences. Opposing party at Constantinople, led by John Doukas, a father of Manzikert’s traitor, and Michael Psellos, performed a sort of coup, and placed Michael VII Doukas (ruled from 1071-1078) on the throne.

Upon his return from Turkish captivity, Romanos IV Diogenes reached out for the protection of his royal rights. This initiated a civil war. Eventually, his opponents captured and blinded him on fraud by not keeping their word.

On news of Romanos blindness and death, in 1072 the Seljuks began to penetrate Asia Minor because the contract that they signed several months ago, was no longer valid. Byzantium didn’t have enough strength to stop the Turkish invasion and, in just few years, they conquered most of Asia Minor. They won even Nicaea, a town not far from Constantinople. The participants of the First Crusade returned it to Byzantium only in 1097.

Battle of Manzikert was a significant turning point in Byzantine history and an event of global historical significance.  It marked the arrival of the Turks in Asia Minor, and the foundation of their Sultanate of Iconium state (Rûm), on one side, and gradual turn of focus of Byzantium on the European area, on the other side.

In 1971, the modern Turkey celebrated this event in a special way, with a great public holiday. They celebrated their ninth centenary.

Great Byzantine defeats - Part V - Battle of Myriokephalon

Great Byzantine defeats - Part I - The Battle of Adrianople

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Great Byzantine defeats - Part III - Battle of Vărbitsa Pass

Battle of Vărbitsa Pass (July 26,  811)

When Charlemagne destroyed the Avar state in Pannonia, at the beginning of the 9th century, the Bulgarians gained their freedom. Soon, the head of Pannonian Bulgars - warlike Krum, took the Bulgarian throne. In 809, he attacked Byzantine Serdica (Sofia), destroyed the fortress and killed everyone who served there.

Emperor Nicephorus I (ruled from 802-811) immediately replied – he penetrated to the Bulgarian capital Pliska, and then restored the destroyed fortifications. However, the main campaign came after two years of extensive preparation, in the spring of 811.

As reported by the chronicler Theophanes, confident emperor ignored the advices of astrologers who warned him that the arrangement of stars is not favorable. With his army, he entered Bulgaria through the mountain passes in July 20, at the time of unfortunate ascent of Sirius, the brightest star in the sky and the main star in the constellation of The Great Dog, when she can be seen at the east, at dawn.

However, the way the campaign was developing, the emperor had every right to think that this time he will completely destroy the Bulgarian state. Frightened Krum begged for peace, but Byzantine emperor refused the offer. He concentrated on the capital Pliska, which he destroyed, and then he took all the valuables from Khan Krum’s court and then burned it. Nicephorus was totally convinced that he holds everything in his hands and that it was now only a matter of time before he breaks the Bulgarian resistance. Therefore, with arrogant disdain he once again rejected Krum’s peaceful offer and moved on.

While the Byzantines were busy devastating their country, the Bulgarians retreated to the canyons of the mountain Balkan. Aware that it could be hard to withstand Roman attack in the open field, they made an ambush in the Vărbitsa Pass and waited quietly.

Byzantine army progressed confidently, not expecting that the Bulgarians would dare get in the battle. However, on July 26, 811, a very fast and sudden attack in Vărbitsa Pass occurred. 

When he saw what happened, emperor Nicephorus, in panic and desperation, allegedly said: "Even if we have had wings we could not have escaped from peril!"

In the chaos that swept of the Byzantines ranks, a horrific massacre occurred. Almost the entire Roman army was killed, the Byzantine nobility elite, and the emperor himself.

Byzantine chronicler Theophanes dejectedly and bitterly concluded that "the flower of Christianity was destroyed!" Let me remind you that, at that time, the Bulgarians were still pagans, and that they received Christianity half a century later.

Krum chopped the head of the dead emperor, put it on the long stick and for days ostentatiously and triumphantly showed it to the tribes that came to him. Then he took the emperor's skull, cleaned it to the bone, lined with silver on the outside and made a cup from which he drank at his feasts.

It was the first time since the battle of Adrianople and Valens' death - after over almost four and a half centuries! - that a Byzantine emperor lost his life in a war battle. Moreover, the king's son and heir, Staurakios, was badly wounded and immediately transferred to Edirne, but it was obvious that he will not recover. He died several months later, on January 11, 812, in Constantinople, but before that, on October 1, 811, he had to relinquish the throne and receive monastic vows.

This was followed by three difficult years for the Byzantine Empire, filled with anxiety and restlessness.

And just when he was preparing to attack Constantinople, the Bulgarian Khan Krum died suddenly from a stroke, in April 814.

Great Byzantine defeats - Part IV - Battle of Manzikert

Great Byzantine defeats - Part I - The Battle of Adrianople

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Great Byzantine defeats - Part II - The Battle of Yarmouk

The Battle of Yarmouk (August, 636)

Until the first decades of the 7th century, Arabs, who have been neighbors of the Byzantine Empire for centuries, were not a very significant political factor. But then, Muhammad united this large group of people, made them a state and brought them Islam. On the wings of the new faith, Arabs have, several years after the prophet's death, started their conquests.

First to be affected were Byzantine Empire and Persia, who just emerged from a long and exhausting war with each other. While Persia succumbed quickly, the Byzantine Empire resisted the invasion of Arabs for a long time.

The fact remains that since their first conflict, in 634, and all the way to the Arabian siege of Constantinople (674-678), therefore almost half a century, Byzantium didn’t have any significant victory.

One of the most important events in that period was the famous battle near the Yarmouk River in August 636, in which the Arabs completely crushed Byzantine army.

After several defeats suffered by Theodore, brother of emperor Heraclius (ruled from 610-641), the emperor sent great but diverse army led by Theodore Trithyrius. In this army there were Armenians, Persians, even Arabian mercenaries.

According to the chronicler Theophanes, each of the two armies had 40,000 troops, but some modern researchers, after reading all the available resources, claim that the Byzantines and their allies were much more: apparently, about 100,000.

The day was warm, a real summer day. The humidity was pressing down while the wind carried the clouds of sand and dust to the one of the driest places in the desert that Arabian military leaders have cleverly chosen.

Aware that, for the first time, they are facing numerous and serious army, the Arabs have shown that they are up for it. Leaving aside the former mutual rivalry, the military leaders have chosen the most competent person among them to be their Commander in Chief of the Muslim army. They have chosen Khalid ibn al-Walid, who, with his intellect and courage, proved to be better than the others were. 

The Battle of Yarmouk was one of the bloodiest in history of Arabian wars.

Under pressure from the Byzantine cavalry, the Muslims had to withdraw three times, but they always returned to the battle because the women who stood behind them didn’t allowed them to flee.

Eventually, Khalid managed to cut the enemy's cavalry from the infantry, and strike with all forces the Byzantine camp, set between the river and nearby hills. With unstoppable rush and thunderous cry "Allahu Akbar" (Allah is the Greatest), which echoed all around, "the sons of the desert" completely shattered the Byzantine troops.

Neither crosses nor chants of Byzantine priests, who were singing church hymns, helped raising the morale of Roman soldiers. Some sources mention and disunity in the colorful Byzantine army, and that in the decisive moment the Arabian mercenaries changed sides.

Christians defeat was complete, since one part of their soldiers drowned in the river, while others were killed by Muslim sword.

With the victory that was won on the Yarmouk river, the Arabs have secured success in the subsequent conquest.

Heraclius, who was already in his sixties and didn’t participate in this battle, was aware of what this defeat means. This confrontation with the Arabs was in fact a battle for Syria, one of the most important Byzantine provinces. With dignity in defeat, in the moments when he saw that his life's work is breaking apart –  just a few years before he succeeded to recover the province from the Persians – the emperor Heraclius had enough strength to utter the proud pathos " Farewell, a long farewell to Syria, my fair province. Thou art an infidel's (enemy's) now. Peace be with you, O Syria – what a beautiful land you will be for the enemy"

Soon most Syrian cities surrendered themselves to the victorious Arabian troops, almost without a struggle, and the very capital Antioch fell into the hands of a new master.

The greatest temptations of Byzantium begin from here.

Great Byzantine defeats - Part III - Battle of Vărbitsa Pass

 
Great Byzantine defeats - Part I - The Battle of Adrianople

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Great Byzantine defeats - Part I - The Battle of Adrianople

Byzantium is the only state that continuously survived from ancient times to the dawn of the modern age. Byzantium existed for more than a thousand years, and experienced great rises and deep crisis.

In this vast period, Byzantium has undergone a long way, from world force that was spread across three continents - Europe, Asia and Africa – to the dwarf state in the eastern Mediterranean, which can be compared to a infirm organism with a huge head - Constantinople.

In comparison to the surrounding nations, the Persians, Goths, Avars, Bulgars, Pechenegs, Russians, Arabs, Cumans, Ugrians, Serbs, Turks (Seljuks and Ottomans), Byzantine history knew many victories, but also a fair number of heavy defeats ...

Here are some of those great defeats.

The Battle of Adrianople (August 9, 378)

In 375, the Huns have started an invasion on the area between the Ural Mountains and the Caspian Sea, and suppressed the Goths, who then lived on that territory (present southern Russia).  Western Goths (Thervings) arrived on the borders of the Roman Empire, and Emperor Valens (ruled from 364-378) allowed them to settle in the Thracian diocese.

Due to constant abuses by the Romans, they soon started an uprising.  Eastern Goths (Greutungs) and a group of Huns joined with the Western Goths, and the whole Thrace was flooded with barbarians.

In those dangerous moments, Emperor Valens left the eastern battlefield, where he was in war with Persia, and rushed to the Balkan Peninsula.

The battle with the barbarians occurred near Adrianople (Edirne), on August 9, 378.  The Roman army was completely defeated.

Ammianus Marcellinus, the best historian of the fourth century, gives an exciting description of this battle: 

“And while arms and missiles of all kinds were meeting in fierce conflict, and (Goddess) Bellona, blowing her mournful trumpet, was raging more fiercely than usual, to inflict disaster on the Romans… Then the two lines of battle dashed against each other, like the beaks (or rams) of ships, and thrusting with all their might, were tossed to and fro, like the waves of the sea. And by this time such clouds of dust arose that it was scarcely possible to see the sky, which resounded with horrible cries… while with mutual blows of battle-axes, helmets and breastplates were dashed in pieces. The plain was covered with carcases, strewing the mutual ruin of the combatants; while the groans of the dying, or of men fearfully wounded, were intense, and caused great dismay all around.”

Valens himself, who lacked no courage, died on that battlefield.  According to some, an arrow dangerously wounded him, and caused his death, but his body was never found. Some say that he was burned in a farmhouse that the Goths put on fire, not knowing that the wounded emperor was inside.

Ammianus Marcellinus compared this defeat with the Roman defeat in the battle of Cannae, the famous battle in ancient history, when on August 2, 216 BC, Hannibal defeated the Romans.

Great Byzantine defeats - Part II - The Battle of Yarmouk

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Zuma Fact: #107: Victim of a Meteorite!

In 1911, in a place called Nakhla in Egypt, a meteorite killed a dog.
 

So far, this is the only known "meteoric" victim to this day.

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Muammar el-Gaddafi's female virgin bodyguards!

Check also this great video of Gaddafi and his bodyguards on You  Tube.

Check also this great video of Gaddafi and his bodyguards on You  Tube.

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Greatest PR disaster – John Prescott

In December 1999, The British newspaper “The Guardian” has announced traditional parliamentary awards.

By unanimous decision, Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, won the “Greatest PR disaster“ award.

Why?

Because he used a car to cross a 150 meters to the conference hall where he gave a speech about how British people should avoid, as frequent as possible, using their cars, in order to protect their environment!

After a huge public criticism, Deputy Prime Minister was forced to explain himself.

He shocked everybody with his unexpected explanation.

Apparently, John Prescott was forced to use a car, to cross those hundred and fifty meters, because his wife was with him. And she had just been at the hairdresser. Since she didn’t want the wind to spoil her hair, Ms. Prescott demanded that they "travel" by car.

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Zuma Fact: #106: Pharaoh Ramesses II!

 

Ramesses II (Ramesses the Great), the third Egyptian pharaoh of the Nineteenth dynasty, and the most powerful pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire, had more than 160 children. 

His successor was Merneptah, his thirteenth son, and forth child of his second wife Isetnofret. Merneptah came to the throne only because all his older brothers died while Ramesses was still alive. He became pharaoh at the age of 60.

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Secret admirer – Gioachino Rossini

"Maestro, since I'm not able to write you what I can tell you in private, be in the theater 'La Scala' tonight, in a box number nine, during the performance of your opera. I will wait for you with impatience in my heart. Your secret admirer."

When the famous Italian composer Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868) received this letter, he immediately began to prepare himself for a date in the theater. He even put a wig to look younger.

As soon as he arrived at the theater, the theater manager told him, casually, that a beautiful lady, who just arrived in Milan, reserved the box number nine and that she is a French ambassador’s wife.

Gioachino's heart started pounding wildly. Otherwise, he was known as a man who doesn’t miss any opportunity for flirting. 

However, the curtain went up, the opera began, but no one came to the box. Rossini was sitting there, lonely and disappointed.

Finally, a doorman came and brought him an envelope. He opened it and found a letter that said:

"Maestro, His Excellency the Ambassador of France has long been a widower. So tonight, you'll be alone in the box. Your eternal admirer – April Fool’s joke. "

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Zuma Fact: #105: Can opener!

Can (tin) opener was invented 45 years after cans. Peter Durand patented tin cans in 1810. The first can openers were patented in 1855, in England.

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A heart of stone – Joseph Stalin

During World War II, the Nazis imprisoned many members of the Red Army. On the other side, the Soviets have also captured many German soldiers. 

However, Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (1878-1953), Soviet President and General Secretary of the Communist Party, refused to exchange prisoners with the Germans.

The Germans were surprised with Stalin's decision since, among the captives, was his son Yakov.

Yakov eventually died in a Nazi camp.

Stalin's second son, Vasiliy, died of alcoholism in 1962.

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Zuma Fact: #104: TIME's Man of the Year 1938!

Since 1927, each year American TIME Magazine is choosing their Man of the Year. 

In 1938, Time has chosen – Adolf Hitler.

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Paradise Lost – John Milton

 When he was sixty years old, famous English poet John Milton (1608-1674) completely lost his sight, and fell into extreme poverty.

To get some money, in 1669 he sold the publishing rights of his epic poem "Paradise Lost" to London printer and bookseller Samuel Simmons, for just ten pounds. Five pounds immediately, and five pounds after the sale of three editions of "Paradise Lost" (four and a half thousand copies).

After her husband's death, Milton's third wife, Elizabeth, sold all publishing rights of "Paradise Lost" to the same printer – for just eight pounds.

And this skillful bookseller eventually became rich. He invested money in just one work - and that was only eighteen pounds.

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Zuma Fact: #103: Sneeze!

In the Middle Ages, many people believed that the devil could jump into the mouth of a person who sneezes. 

That is why they said "God bless you” and “To your health” to the one who sneezed.

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NBA's highest-scoring game - Detroit Pistons vs. Denver Nuggets

Basketball fans still call this game historic. It was played on December 13, 1983.

Kiki Vandeweghe, former star of "Denver Nuggets", scored fifty-one points!  That was also his personal best score in his sports career.


Despite Kiki’s enormous efforts, his team lost. “Detroit Pistons” won with two point’s difference: 186 : 184! 

This was the highest-scoring game in the history of NBA (National Basketball Association). Other NBA records that were set with this game:

-    Most points scored by one team - 186, Detroit
-    Most points scored by a losing team - 184, Denver
-    Most field goals by two teams – 142
-    Most field goals by one team - 74, Detroit
-    Most assists by two teams – 93
-    Most players in one game with 40+ points - 4

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Zuma Fact: #102: Cecilia Bartoli!

Cecilia Bartoli (1966), famous Italian opera diva, was only eight years old when she first appeared on the stage - in the opera "Tosca" she interpreted the role of a shepherd boy.

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Opera is not a thriller – Alfred Hitchcock

“What is drama but life with the dull bits cut out”, claimed famous British film director Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980).

When he was asked why he never wrote some operatic piece, the creator of "Psycho" answered:

- “Well, after the second act all the main characters would certainly have been murdered. Who would then remain to sing?”

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