Battle of Saint George
| Battle of Saint George | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Byzantine–Frankish conflicts of the Frankokratia | |||||||||
 Map of the Peloponnese (Morea) in the Middle Ages. | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Byzantine Empire | Principality of Achaea | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Andronikos Asen |
Knights of St. John | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| unknown | unknown | ||||||||
The Battle of Saint George took place on 9 September 1320 between the
Background
From c. 1315 on, the
Asen's 1320 campaign and the battle at Saint George castle
According to the French and Aragonese versions of the Chronicle of the Morea, in 1320 Asen launched a campaign into Arcadia, the central region of the Morea, and laid siege to the castle of Saint George in Skorta.[4][5] The castle had been built by the Latins in the early 1290s, and was part of a chain of fortresses guarding the passes of the mountains of Skorta. It had already been lost to the Byzantines by treachery in c. 1294, and recovered by the Latins at some unknown date after.[6]
In response, the baillie Trogisio assembled an army to relieve the castle, calling on the vassals of the principality for assistance: among them were the
Learning of the Latins' approach, Asen intensified the siege, and on 9 September, its Greek castellan, Nicoloucho of Patras, surrendered. Taking possession, Asen left the banners of Achaea flying, so as to mislead the relief force. The ruse succeeded, and as the Achaean army approached the castle in the belief that it was still held by their allies and that the Byzantines had abandoned the siege, Asen sprang his trap. The Byzantines were victorious in the battle, and killed many of the Latins, including the commander of the Teutonic Knights. Many others were taken prisoner, including Bartholomew Ghisi and the Bishop of Olena. The latter was immediately set free, while Ghisi and the rest were taken to Constantinople.[4][5]
In the same campaign – the Aragonese and French versions disagree on whether this happened before or after the siege of Saint George[7] – the Byzantines went on to secure, by bribing their commandants, the castles of Karytaina, Akova, and Polyphengos.[4][5]
Aftermath
Asen's 1320 campaign secured the Arcadian plateau for the Byzantines, and reduced the Principality of Achaea to the western and northern coasts of the Morea, encompassing the modern
The Byzantine successes, and the manifest inability of their Angevin suzerains to protect them, led the leading barons of the principality to send the
References
- ^ Bon 1969, p. 202 (note 2).
- ^ Bon 1969, pp. 386–387.
- ^ Topping 1975, pp. 110–117.
- ^ a b c d e f Bon 1969, p. 202.
- ^ a b c d Topping 1975, p. 117.
- ^ Bon 1969, pp. 378–380.
- ^ Bon 1969, p. 202 (note 3).
- ^ a b Topping 1975, p. 118.
- ^ Topping 1975, pp. 117–118.
- ^ Bon 1969, pp. 202–203.
- ^ Bon 1969, pp. 203–204.
- ^ Bon 1969, pp. 204–206.
- ^ Topping 1975, pp. 122–123.
- ^ Bon 1969, p. 206.
- ^ Topping 1975, p. 123.
Sources
- Bon, Antoine (1969). La Morée franque. Recherches historiques, topographiques et archéologiques sur la principauté d'Achaïe [The Frankish Morea. Historical, Topographic and Archaeological Studies on the Principality of Achaea] (in French). Paris: De Boccard. OCLC 869621129.
- Topping, Peter (1975). "The Morea, 1311–1364". In ISBN 0-299-06670-3.