Battle of Beroia

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the 1122 battle between the Pechenegs and the Byzantine Empire. For the 250 battle between the Romans and the Goths, see Battle of Beroe.
Battle of Beroia
Part of
Byzantium under the Komnenos dynasty

Emperor John II Komnenos, commander of the Byzantine forces in the battle.
Date1122
Location
Beroia (today Stara Zagora), Bulgaria 42°26′N 25°39′E / 42.433°N 25.650°E / 42.433; 25.650
Result Byzantine victory
Belligerents
Byzantine Empire Pecheneg Khanates
Commanders and leaders
John II Komnenos Unknown
Strength

Unknown

Unknown
Casualties and losses
Unknown Unknown

The Battle of Beroia (modern

Emperor John II Komnenos (r. 1118–1143) in what is now Bulgaria
. The Byzantine army won the battle, resulting in the disappearance of the Pechenegs as a distinct, independent people.

Background

In 1091, the Pechenegs invaded the Byzantine Empire and were crushingly defeated by John II's father Alexios I Komnenos (r. 1081–1118) at the Battle of Levounion. This defeat had meant the elimination of the Pechenegs who had taken part in the expedition as an independent force, as the male survivors were enrolled in the Byzantine army; however, some Pecheneg groups had not been involved in the invasion. Attacked in 1094 by the Cumans, many of the remaining Pechenegs were slain or absorbed. Nevertheless, some bands continued to exercise autonomy.

In 1122, Pechenegs from the

Seljuk Turks) to Europe
, and prepared to march north.

Battle

Horse-archer in action. North Italian illustration, 10th century.

The Byzantine emperor gathered his forces near Constantinople and set out to meet the Pecheneg army as soon as possible. Meanwhile, the Pechenegs had crossed the Haemus Mountains (

Danish axes, hacked their way through the Pecheneg wagon fort, collapsing the Pecheneg position and causing a general rout in their camp. The Byzantine victory was complete, and the Pecheneg survivors were taken captive and enlisted into the Byzantine army.[4]

Aftermath

Roman amphitheatre in the city of Beroia

The Byzantine victory effectively destroyed the Pechenegs as an independent force. For some time, significant communities of Pechenegs remained in

Magyars. For the Byzantines, the victory did not immediately lead to peace since the Hungarians attacked Braničevo, the Byzantine outpost on the Danube, in 1128.[5] Yet, the victory over the Pechenegs, and later the Hungarians, ensured that much of the Balkan peninsula would remain Byzantine, allowing John to concentrate on extending Byzantine power and influence in Asia Minor and the Holy Land
.

See also

  • Komnenian Byzantine army

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b Angold 1997, p. 184.
  2. ^ Curta 2006, p. 312.
  3. ^ Birkenmeier 2002, p. 90.
  4. ^ Cinnamus 1976, p. 16; Choniates & Magoulias 1984, p. 11.
  5. ^ Angold 1984, p. 154.

Sources

  • Angold, Michael (1984). The Byzantine Empire, 1025–1204: A Political History (First ed.). London, United Kingdom: Longman.
    ISBN 978-0-58-249060-4
    .
  • Angold, Michael (1997). The Byzantine Empire, 1025–1204: A Political History (Second ed.). London, United Kingdom: Longman.
    ISBN 978-0-58-229468-4
    .
  • Birkenmeier, John W. (2002). The Development of the Komnenian Army: 1081-1180. Boston, Massachusetts: Brill.
    ISBN 90-04-11710-5
    .
  • Choniates, Niketas; Magoulias, Harry J. (trans.) (1984). O City of Byzantium: Annals of Niketas Choniates. Detroit, Michigan: Wayne State University Press.
    ISBN 978-0-81-431764-8
    .
  • ISBN 978-0-23-104080-8
    .
  • Curta, Florin (2006). Southeastern Europe in the Middle Ages 500-1250. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.
    ISBN 978-0-52-181539-0
    .
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Beroia&oldid=1208727539"