Battle of Prinitza
Battle of Prinitza | |
---|---|
Part of the Elis , Greece | |
Result | Decisive Achaean victory |
few thousand (modern estimates)
The Battle of Prinitza was fought in 1263 between the forces of the
Background
At the
The agreement was bound to be of short duration, however: the establishment of a small province in the Morea was for Palaiologos but the first step towards reclaiming all of the peninsula, and William likewise was involved in the Latin efforts to counter the emperor and regain
In late 1262, William visited the region of
Sources
The subsequent events, including the battle, are described only in the Greek and
Byzantine landings and campaign in Laconia
This first major Byzantine expedition to the Morea is traditionally considered to have comprised two waves, one in autumn 1262 and one in the following spring.
After arriving at Monemvasia, the sebastokrator Constantine proceeded to cement and expand imperial authority in Laconia: he erected a number of forts to keep the Slavs of Taygetos in check, and then laid siege to Lacedaemon, while the imperial fleet seized the southern coasts of Laconia.
The battle
During William's absence, Andravida had been left in the charge of John of Katavas, a man known for his bravery but now old and suffering from gout. Although the general outline of the subsequent events is confirmed from the report of the Venetian historian Marino Sanudo, the only detailed account available is the narrative of the Chronicle of the Morea, whose accuracy has been questioned.[10] According to the Chronicle, upon learning of the approach of the imperial army, Katavas took the 300 or 312 men available and marched out to meet the Byzantines, whose numbers are variously given in the Chronicle as fifteen, eighteen, or twenty thousand. It is certain that these figures are greatly inflated, and the Byzantine army must have numbered a few thousand at most. Either way, it considerably outnumbered the Latin force.[17][10]
The Byzantines were confident of their own strength, and were reportedly dancing and singing. At a narrow defile at Prinitza (near
Aftermath
Constantine Palaiologos regrouped his forces, and in the next year launched another campaign to conquer Achaea. His efforts, however, were thwarted, and the Turkish mercenaries, complaining of lack of pay, defected to the Achaeans. William II then attacked the weakened Byzantines and achieved a major victory at the Battle of Makryplagi.[18][20][21] The two battles of Prinitza and Makryplagi thus put an end to Michael Palaiologos's efforts to recover the entirety of the Morea, and secured Latin rule over the Morea for over a generation.[3][22]
References
- ^ a b c Bartusis 1997, p. 49.
- ^ Geanakoplos 1959, pp. 154–155.
- ^ a b c Nicol 1993, p. 47.
- ^ Geanakoplos 1959, pp. 155–156.
- ^ a b c Longnon 1969, p. 253.
- ^ Geanakoplos 1959, p. 157.
- ^ Wilskman 2012, p. 169.
- ^ Wilskman 2012, pp. 169–170.
- ^ Wilskman 2012, pp. 170–171.
- ^ a b c d Geanakoplos 1959, p. 159.
- ^ Wilskman 2012, pp. 167–168, 171.
- ^ Wilskman 2012, p. 176.
- ^ Wilskman 2012, p. 174.
- ^ a b Wilskman 2012, p. 175.
- ^ a b c Geanakoplos 1959, p. 158.
- ^ Wilskman 2012, pp. 176–177.
- ^ Bartusis 1997, p. 263.
- ^ a b Bartusis 1997, p. 50.
- ^ Longnon 1969, pp. 253–254.
- ^ Geanakoplos 1959, pp. 171–174.
- ^ Longnon 1969, p. 254.
- ^ Hooper & Bennett 1996, p. 104.
Sources
- Bartusis, Mark C. (1997). The Late Byzantine Army: Arms and Society, 1204–1453. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 0-8122-1620-2.
- OCLC 1011763434.
- Hooper, Nicholas; Bennett, Matthew (1996). The Cambridge Illustrated Atlas of Warfare: The Middle Ages, 768–1487. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-44049-1.
- Longnon, Jean (1969). "The Frankish States in Greece, 1204–1311". In Wolff, Robert Lee; Hazard, Harry W. (eds.). A History of the Crusades, Volume II: The Later Crusades, 1189–1311. University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 234–275. ISBN 0-299-06670-3.
- ISBN 978-0-521-43991-6.
- Wilskman, Juho (2012). "The Battle of Prinitsa in 1263". .