Battle of Larissa
Battle of Larissa | |||||||
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Part of the First Norman invasion of the Balkans | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Byzantine Empire |
Duchy of Apulia and Calabria | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Alexios I Komnenos Nikephoros Melissenos Basil Kourtikios |
Bohemond of Taranto Count of Brienne | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
15,000
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The Battle of Larissa was a military engagement between the armies of the
Background
The
By 1071, Robert, together with his brother
Robert conscripted all men of a fighting age into the army, which he refitted.
When the ambassador returned, he urged Robert to make peace, claiming that Alexios wanted nothing but friendship with the Normans. Robert had no intention of peace; he sent his son Bohemond with an advance force towards Greece and Bohemond landed at Aulon, with Robert following shortly after.[8][13][14][15]
On 18 October 1081, the Byzantines under Alexios suffered a devastating defeat at the Battle of Dyrrhachium. Historian Jonathan Harris states that the defeat was "every bit as severe as that at Manzikert."[16] Alexios lost about 5,000 of his men, including most of the Varangians. Norman losses are unknown, but John Haldon claims they too were substantial as both wings broke and fled.[17] Historian Robert Holmes states: "The new knightly tactic of charging with the lance couched—tucked firmly under the arm to unite the impact of man and horse—proved a battle-winner.[18]
In February 1082, Dyrrhachium fell after a Venetian or Amalfitan citizen opened the gates to the Normans.[21] The Norman army proceeded to take most of northern Greece without facing much resistance. While Guiscard was in Kastoria, messengers arrived from Italy, bearing news that Apulia, Calabria, and Campania were in revolt. He also learned that the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry IV, was at the gates of Rome and besieging Pope Gregory VII, a Norman ally.[22][23] Alexios had negotiated with Henry and given him 360,000 gold pieces in return for an alliance. Henry responded by invading Italy and attacking the Pope. Guiscard rushed to Italy, leaving Bohemond in command of the army in Greece.[14][23][24][25]
Alexios, desperate for money, ordered the confiscation of all the church's treasure.[23][24] With this money, Alexios mustered an army near Thessalonica and went to fight Bohemond. However, Bohemond defeated Alexios in two battles: one near Arta and the other near Ioannina. This left Bohemond in control of Macedonia and nearly all of Thessaly.[23][26]
Battle
On 3 November 1082, Bohemond advanced from his encampment in
The Byzantines avoided a direct engagement with the Normans, passing south-west of Larissa and arriving at Trikala in early April, without encountering any resistance. Byzantine scouts managed to apprehend a local man, who provided them with crucial information about the topography of the areas surrounding Larissa. The poor morale and lack of military experience of the Byzantine troops necessitated the use of guile to defeat the Normans. A day later, the generals
Aftermath
Discord continued to spread in the Norman army, as its officers demanded two and half years' worth of payment arrears, a sum Bohemond did not possess. The bulk of the Norman army returned to the coast and sailed back to Italy, leaving only a small garrison at Kastoria.[14][30][31]
Alexios granted the Venetians a commercial colony in Constantinople, as well as exemption from trading duties in return for their renewed aid. They responded by recapturing Dyrrhachium and Corfu and returning them to the Byzantine Empire. These victories returned the Empire to its previous status quo and marked the beginning of the Komnenian restoration.[23][32]
See also
Footnotes
- ^ Theotokis 2020, p. 69.
- ^ Brown 1984, p. 85.
- ^ Norwich 1995, p. 13.
- ^ Holmes 1988, p. 33.
- ^ Brown 1984, p. 93.
- ^ a b Norwich 1995, p. 14.
- ^ Anna Comnena. The Alexiad, 1.12.
- ^ a b c Treadgold 1997, p. 614.
- ^ Anna Comnena. The Alexiad, 1.12.
- ^ Norwich 1995, p. 15.
- ^ a b Norwich 1995, p. 16.
- ^ Anna Comnena. The Alexiad, 1.15.
- ^ Norwich 1995, p. 17.
- ^ a b c Gravett & Nicolle 2006, p. 108.
- ^ Anna Comnena. The Alexiad, 1.15.
- ^ Harris 2003, p. 34.
- ^ Haldon 2001, p. 137.
- ^ Holmes 1988, p. 34.
- ^ Anna Comnena. The Alexiad, 4.8.
- ^ Vranousi 1962, pp. 5–26.
- ^ Anna Comnena. The Alexiad, 5.1.
- ^ Norwich 1995, p. 20.
- ^ a b c d e Treadgold 1997, p. 615.
- ^ a b Norwich 1995, p. 21.
- ^ Anna Comnena, The Alexiad, 5.3.
- ^ Anna Comnena. The Alexiad, 5.4.
- ^ Theotokis 2014, pp. 26–30.
- ^ Theotokis 2014, pp. 172–174.
- ^ Theotokis 2014, pp. 174–175.
- ^ Anna Comnena. The Alexiad, 5.7
- ^ Theotokis 2014, p. 175.
- ^ Norwich 1995, p. 22.
References
- Brown, Reginald Allen (1984). The Normans. Woodridge: Boydell Press. ISBN 0-85115-199-X.
- ISBN 0-14-044215-4.
- ]
- ISBN 0-7524-1795-9.
- ISBN 1-85285-298-4.
- ISBN 0-670-81967-0.
- ISBN 0-670-82377-5.
- Theotokis, Georgios (2014). The Norman Campaigns in the Balkans 1081–1108 AD. Boydell Press. ISBN 978-1843839217.
- Theotokis, Georgios (2020). War in Eleventh-Century Byzantium. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-0429576881.
- ISBN 0-8047-2421-0.
- Vranousi, Era A. (1962). "Κομισκόρτης ο έξ Αρβάνων": Σχόλια εις Χωρίον της Άννης Κομνηνής (Δ' 8,4) (in Greek). Ioannina: Εταιρεία Ηπειρωτικών Μελετών.