Crusading Warfare

Exploring the Military History of the Crusades

William James Hamblin
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Armenian Background,
pt 3: Turkish Conquests
AD 1071-1096
 Fall of Armenia 8: Manzikert
Ku
m a 1071/08/26
Ala
nia Terek

Ter
ek

i
Georgia
ng ur Iron Gate
I
Sinope Bagrat IV
{1027-1072}
Rioni Kutatisi Derbent

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as -1
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a Tiflis
ti zani
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H ab

s
irr
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Byzantine 3- {1071/05-07} IgnoringTrebizond
the treaty, Kura
y
K a
Romanos Diogenes marches his
Halys Empire army to Theodosiopolis (Erzurum), is Kars
Lori
Lori-Tashir Ganja Sharwan ShahsBaku
Iris Neocaesarea ps
planning to retake parts of Turkish am Ani
Romanos Diogenes Yes occupied Byzantine Armenia.
ilir
Ac {799-1382}
ma
k
{1068-1071} Coruh Yerevan Kura
3 Theodosopolis 5- {1071/08/26}ArBattle
as of
Ankyra Teleboas
Sebastia
)
Manzikert: decisive TurkishDvin
victory. Siwnik
ara Su
(K )
ak t Su
lir
m 5a
Ha izi ur
K
lys
Arcrunid & M
(
Manzikert
Aras
Bagratid Vassals ias

Caesarea Arsan
{1021-1071} Mush Akhlat
Melitene
Van
Iconium
Ti
Ardabil
g
1- {1071/02} Romanos Diogenes
ris
an

and Alp Arslan renew the 1069 Sallarids

yh

Coxon pact.
Se

non-aggression Tabriz
Heraclea
Cilician Gates
n
ey
ha
(Musafirids)
C M
Diyarbakir
arw di {916-1090} Gh
us

Marash {99 anid a

Sar

ww 071}
1s
hrate 01 s ez
Ti
Adana amus E up a el
g

085 R -1
ris
2- {1071/spring}
Pyr Alp Arslan Maragha O
4- {1071/sum} Hearing of } Hadhabani 5 5 za
n
Calycadnus prepares for war with Fatimid
EdessaRomanos advance, Alp Arslan {943-1080?} { 9
Egypt, and to besiege Aleppo.
Tarsis
es

Uqaylids Alamut
ant

marches his army to Armenia

Antioch 2
Or

Belen Pass
{990-1096} Mosul Annazids
Seleucia Aleppo Qazvin
Qirwash {1001-1050} 4 {991-1107}
St Simeon Raqqa Rayy
 Impact of Manzikert

1- Destruction of the Anatolian Byzantine field army: dead, captured, or fled.

2- Absence of Byzantine field army frees Turkish warbands to raid further

into Anatolia

3- Capture of emperor Romanos Diogenes by Alp Arslan destabilizes

Byzantine state and defense

4- Byzantine Civil War {1072-1081} absorbs troops and resources away from
defense against Turks
 Impact of Manzikert

5- Foreign mercenaries attempt to establish independent principalities

Franks: Roussell de Bailleul {1071-1077} in Galatia Crusaders

Armenians: Philaretos {1071-1090} in Antioch and Cilicia

Turks: Sulayman b. Qutalmish {1077-1086} (Seljuq prince) in NW

Anatolia and Nicaea {1081} (mercenary for Nikephoros Melissenos)

6- All three groups create independent principalities in Anatolia

 Impact of Manzikert

7- From 1071 Franks/Crusaders, Armenians and Turks compete to

create independent states in the dismemberment of Byzantine Empire
Anatolia, Italy and Greece

8- From 1092 (death of Seljuq sultan Malikshah), Byzantines,

Crusaders, Turks, Kurds, Arabs and Iranians compete in the
dismemberment of the Seljuq empire.
 Crusader and Turkish Conquests
Traditional interpretation: Turks conquer, Crusaders liberate is inadequate

Turks and Crusaders are both rival outside ethnic invaders of Middle East

Local Christians = Byzantines, Armenians, Georgians

Local Muslims = Arabs, Kurds, Iranians, Berbers (Fatimid Egypt)

Competition between rival indigenous Middle Eastern ethnic groups for the
dismemberment of collapsing Middle Eastern empires

Byzantine empire; Abbasid Caliphate in Syria; Fatimid Caliphate in Egypt

 Fall of Armenia 9: Era of Byzantine Civil War
Ku
m a 1072-1081
Ala
nia Terek

Ter
ek

1- {1072-1081} For a decade after Manzikert i

Georgia
g ur Iron Gate
Byzantine armies in Anatolia are largely engaged n I
in internecine civil wars; many imperial
Sinope Bagrat IV
claimants hired Armenian, Norman, and Turkish {1027-1072}
Rioni Kutatisi Derbent
mercenaries to help them in the civil wars.

H 69
as -1
{8
Al
a Tiflis
ti zani
ur a

hi 07
K
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Byzantine H ab

s
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a x e t
K
Empire Trebizond
2- Turkish raids, migrations, and Kura
lys conquests of Anatolia are undertaken Lori
a
H Civil War {1072-1081}
Iris Neocaesarea largely by independent tribes,is rebels, Kars Lori-Tashir Ganja Sharwan ShahsBaku
ps
am
and rivals of the GreatAcSeljuqs (= Ani
1
Ye s
ilirm Sultans at Baghdad)
{799-1382}
ak
Turkish Coruh Yerevan Kura

Ankyra Roussell Tribes 2 Theodosopolis Aras

Teleboas
{1071-1077}
Sebastia
)
Dvin Siwnik
ara Su
(K )
ak t Su
m
lir ur
a
Ha
K izi M
lys (
Manzikert
Aras
ias
Caesarea Arsan
Mush Akhlat
Melitene
Van
Iconium
Ti
Turkish Ardabil
gris
an

Tribes Sallarids
yh

Coxon
Se

Tabriz
Heraclea
Cilician Gates
Ce
y
an
Principality
h
DiyarbakirM
(Musafirids)
of Philaretos {9 arw di {916-1090} Gh
us

Marash 90 an a
Sar

{1071-1090} Euphrates ww 071} ez

Ti
Adana mu
s
1 id a el
g
a R -1
ris
Pyr
08 s Hadhabani 5 5
Maragha O
za
n
Calycadnus
Edessa 5} {943-1080?} { 9
Tarsis
es

Alamut
ant

Antioch
Or

Belen Pass
Mosul Annazids
Seleucia Aleppo Qazvin
{991-1107}
St Simeon Raqqa Rayy
Turkish Relations with Byzantine Cities

1- Byzantine armies involved in civil wars are no longer available to

defend the cities of Anatolia from the Turks

2- Turks cut off communications between cities & with Constantinople

3- Cities are left alone to defend themselves against the Turks

4- Turkish tribes settle in the countryside for pastures = cut off

agricultural supplies, trade and communication to cities
Turkish Relations with Byzantine Cities
5- Turkmen are weak in siege capabilities

6- Cities make individual treaties with Turkmen tribes in their region

pay tribute and jizya (head tax) to Turks (= replaces Byzantine taxes)

in return for protection and access to supplies and trade

City is left independent in internal civil affairs and religion.

7- Turks as mercenaries or citadel garrisons seize direct control of towns

 Crusading Warfare
(Next time = Armenian Migrations)

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