The Komnenian Restoration: A Legacy of Rome ARR

Chapter VII: Triumph​

With the peaceful succession of the Empire now seemingly assured, Manuel once again turned his eyes east, to the few remaining infidel strongholds in Syria. The Ḥashshāshīn still had a toehold in Masyaf, and their attacks were becoming increasingly desperate as the Imperial noose closed ever tighter around them. The Bey’s of Edessa and Amida were also separated by hundreds of miles from their Sultan in Persia, and the Emir of Tigris was locked in a bitter struggle with his uncle for the right to rule. But first, Manuel needed to secure the eastern border. The independent Bey’s of Kermanshah and Luristan had been raiding Imperial Baghdad for months, and now Manuel decided to deal with them permanently.



He gave the newly acquired counties too his second son John, to the great anger of Alexios. His eldest son, after raging through the palace for weeks after his sister had been named heir, now demanded to be reinstated by his father. Manuel, having observed his sons behavior after the succession changes, now knew he had made the right choice in naming Sophia. Alexios was arrogant, prone to rage at those who crossed him, and unable to see how anyone could know more than himself. Still, he was a child of the purple, and Manuel decided to grant him the county of Sarqihya in Egypt, with a promise to make him Despot after the Fatimid’s had been removed from Cairo. Sophia may have played a hand in this, perhaps fearing her brother would take rash action against her or her father if his desires were not satisfied. Alexios himself seemed to be satisfied with his new position, at least until he arrived at his ‘palace.’ His anger was only assuaged at the news that his father had officially declared himself to be King of Egypt, finally dethroning the Fatimid Caliph and dividing his lands for further conquest.



Meanwhile, the armies of the Empire had been gathering to march to the counties of Edessa, Amida and Qazwin, located on the Persian boarder. Masyaf, Al Bichri and Karbala were also targeted, but Manuel expected his only resistance to come from Persia. Sultan Selcuk, after fighting his own vassals for nearly twenty years, had finally united his kingdom. This long and bloody struggle had begun when Selcuk had seized the throne from the decadent Seljuk family, and had bled Persia dry as the armies of the Empire pressed ever deeper into Moslem lands. Manuel did not intend to invade Persia proper, but he could not allow these infidel enclaves to remain so far behind the Imperial frontier. He hoped the Sultan would surrender these outlying territories without much bloodsheD, but decided to lead twelve thousand of the Emperors Legion to the border of Persia, just in case.

Armies for Anatolia and Palestine marched on Maysayf, while twenty thousand men from Armenia and Georgia marched on Edessa and Amida. The garrisons for each castle numbered no more than a thousand, and most swiftly surrendered. Even the vaunted Assassins, known for never being taken alive, tired to abandon their fortress when it became clear no help was coming. Most were captured and summarily executed, but a few surrendered and the local commander was wise enough to keep these, as a gift for the Emperor. With all objectives met in the west, the huge armies began the long trek to the Persian border, where Sultan Selcuk had managed to scrape together twelve thousand men to stand against the Empire.



Despite the Empire’s vast numerical superiority, the Sultans army posed a grave threat. While the reinforcements marched from Syria, the Emperors Legion stood alone, with the Emperor himself leading them. Sultan Selcuk decided to risk it all, in a desperate gamble to capture or kill the ‘Infidel’ Emperor and end the war. He sent his army to re-occupy the castles of Qazwin, hoping to lure the Emperor into an ambush there. Unfortunately for Selcuk, Imperial spies learned of this plot, and Manuel decided to prepare an ambush of his own for the Sultan



The following is an excerpt of a letter from Strategos Methodios to his wife Maria, describing the events of that battle

"April 15th, 1159
Four days since the battle, the first chance I have had to write. By now you have heard of our great victory, but I doubt you have heard the specifics. We knew the Turks would be coming south through the Alborz mountains, hoping to take Lambsar while our backs were turned. Thankfully, our spies kept us well informed of these moves, and we had time to set up a little surprise for our enemy. We stationed the infantry and cavalry at the base of the valley, with reserves stationed behind them. The heavy cataphract’s brought up the rear, as they would be charging straight into spears in this narrow plain. Our skirmishers we hid in the crags overlooking the field, and we had also done a little digging in front of our lines, placing stake traps and Greek fire pits far ahead of our men. Even so, the Turk had us matched man for man, and this was no peasant rabble. These men had been fighting in this terrain their whole lives, and most had seen more action than even I have. Of course, they had never faced the Imperial Army before.

They came on quickly, their skirmishers loosing volley after volley into our ranks. We sent catapult stone in reply, but held our hidden arrows for the infantry. Slowing the mass of men advanced spears in front to ward of out cavalry. They crossed over a thick line of pitch we had spread on the ground, and then hit our stake pits. The screams of dying men could be heard, but the Turks came on. Finally, the Emperor raised his arm, and then let it fall as four thousand arrows flew at once. Many had been set alight, and soon the entire pitch soaked field was alight. Three thousand men burned alive, as many as that shot with arrows or slings. Now the wind picked up, blowing the fire back into the enemies faces. At the same time, our heavy cavalry surged forward, and the infantry made perfect isles for them to pass at speed. Charging into the shattered lines of Persian infantry, the cataphract’s were unstoppable. Right behind them came the solid mass of Roman infantry, led by your loving husband. We merely had to mop up the remaining infantry as the cavalry pursed the rapidly fleeing rearguard of the Sultans army. A more complete tactical victory could not be found in all the history of the Empire, and I hope it will lead to a swift conclusion to this war…”



Formal peace would follow within two months, but not before Manuel set his massive army loose on the Persian countryside. Town after town was sacked, with slaves and plunder galore sent back to The City. Celebrations raged throughout the Empire, not only for the victory over the infidel but for the final liberation of an Imperial province. Syria Palaestina had been in infidel hands for centuries, but now Imperial might was unquestioned once more. A great Triumph was held in Constantinople in celebration, the first such Triumph in generations. Overshadowing all this however, was a grim message from Prince Alexios. The Fatimid’s were attacking the Imperial holdings in Egypt, along with every other Shia lord in the east. It seemed there was no rest from war for the armies of the Empire…



Victory!!!

The Fatimid wars continue...
​