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Battle of Manzikert (1071)

Type Event Region Anatolia Time 1071

On 26 August 1071 near Manzikert in eastern Anatolia, Sultan Alp Arslan's Seljuk forces decisively defeated the Byzantine army of Emperor Romanos IV …

Timeline

  1. 1071Constantinople · Byzantine EmpireEmperor Romanos IV Diogenes assembled a large multinational army and marched east from Constantinople to restore the Armenian frontier after years of Seljuk raiding.
  2. 1071Manzikert · Eastern AnatoliaAlp Arslan abandoned his Fatimid campaign and rushed to meet Romanos. Seljuk horse archers harassed the divided Byzantine columns; mercenaries and provincial troops deserted before the main clash.
  3. 1071Manzikert · Eastern AnatoliaAfter a day of fighting, Romanos IV was wounded and captured—the first Byzantine emperor taken alive by a Muslim commander since antiquity. The eastern field army was broken, though casualties were not catastrophic.

Sources