Battle of Mamistra
Battle of Mamistra | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Kingdom of Cilician Armenia | Byzantine Empire | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Manuel I Komnenos Andronikos Komnenos | |||||||
Strength | |||||||
7,500 | 12,000 | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
Light | Heavy |
The Battle of Mamistra took place in 1152 between the forces the
Background
Battle
Byzantine writer Niketas Choniates and the Armenian writer Grigor Erets claim that the Armenian troops, under the leadership of Thoros and his brothers, Stephen and Mleh, launched a surprise attack from the besieged city during a rainy night and defeated the Byzantines.[1] Andronikos left his army and went to Antioch.
Niketas Choniates claims that the Armenian soldiers were braver and more skilled than those of the Byzantine army. The Byzantines had to ransom their captured soldiers and generals. Surprisingly, Thoros gave the reward to his soldiers. Most of the Armenian noblemen who joined the Byzantine troops were killed during the battle.
Aftermath
The battle had a large impact on the independence of Armenian Cilicia, as the battle strengthened the position of the Armenians in Cilicia and created realistic opportunities for the creation of a new, formally and factually independent Armenian state in Cilicia.
Notes
- ISBN 978-5-9901129-5-7
References
- Ghazarian, Jacob G: The Armenian Kingdom in Cilicia during the Crusades: The Integration of Cilician Armenians with the Latins (1080–1393); RoutledgeCurzon (Taylor & Francis Group), 2000, Abingdon; ISBN 0-7007-1418-9
- Runciman, Steven: A History of the Crusades – Volume II.: The Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Frankish East: 1100–1187; Cambridge University Press, 1988, Cambridge; ISBN 0-521-06162-8