Medieval Warfare Vol III-3 - The Seljuk Turks Advancing

Indulge in Medieval Warfare Vol III-3 - The Seljuk Turks Advancing

Medieval Warfare - iii.3



Topic: The advance of the Seljuk Turks: Byzantine power in decline



Introduction: James Gilmer, 'Historical Introduction: A Gathering Storm'. Illustrated by Carlos Garcia.



By the death of Basil II in 1025, the Byzantine Empire was the strongest it had been in centuries. To the west, the Byzantines had achieved some control over all the land south of the Danube River and east of the Alps. In the east, Byzantine forces had occupied a line stretching south from the Black Sea along the Taurus Mountains, briefly extending into Syria to include the territory around Antioch. Militarily, the empire outstripped any of its contemporaries, with a available force of nearly a quarter of a million men.



Topic: Lukasz Rozycki, 'The Works of Bryennios and Attaleiates - The Art of Byzantine Historiography'.



The work of every historian depends on good sources. Historians of the Byzantine Empire, both medievalists and specialists in antiquity, cannot rely on as much material as those specializing in modern times. As such, each Byzantine historical source is of great value in providing information. In attempting to recreate the past from such sources, we must bear in mind that each author had different motives for writing. It might have been to ingratiate themselves with the ruler, to keep the memory of their ancestors alive, or to fulfill the duty of a chronicler. Accounting for the motives that guided the authors, their sympathies and antipathies, allows us to identify unreliable sections of historical texts. The best results can be achieved by analyzing several accounts of a given event.



Topic: Joshua Gilbert, 'The Battle of Dandanaqan: We Won It in Marv and We Lost It in Marv'.



The Battle of Dandanaqan, fought in 1040 between the Seljuq Turks and the forces of the Ghaznavid Sultanate, is one of the most decisive battles in Eastern Islamic history. As a result, the Ghaznavids lost control of Khorasan and its western domains, which became the core of the great Seljuq Empire.



Subject: Murat özveri & Nils Visser, 'Technological Advantages of the Seljuk Armies - Arrows, Arrows, Everywhere!' illustrated by Graham Sumner.



The roots of Seljuk archery date back to the first millennium BC and to the practices of the Scythians, Huns and other early Asian traditions. Horse archers of the Central Asian steppe have used very similar archery equipment and battle tactics throughout the centuries. This can sometimes lead to confusion when contemporary chroniclers have had to record the identity of one tribe or another.



Subject: dr. konstantin nossov, 'fortified seljuk caravanserais in anatolia: protection of travel and trade'. illustrated by vladimir golubev.



Caravanserai means a building intended to house a caravan. The word 'caravan' is derived from karban ('one who protects trade'). To protect themselves against highwaymen, travelling merchants often grouped together; hence the word 'caravan', which in European languages ​​designates a group of merchants travelling together. The word 'caravanserai', however, was rarely used in the East. The word used in Arabic was khan, which can also mean house and small inn. In Turkish-speaking areas, a caravanserai is called han. Saray, a Turkish word of Persian origin (sarai), means palace or large house. Thus, caravanserai can be translated as 'house/palace for caravans'.



Theme: Raffaele D'Amato and Kenneth Cline, 'When Anatolia was lost forever: the battle of Manzikert'. Illustrated by Jason Jutaña and José Antonio Gutiérrez López.



It was getting late and his men were tired, having spent most of the day in frustrated pursuit of the wily Turkish horsemen. As shadows lengthened over the parched plain near the town of Manzikert in Anatolia, the Holy Roman Emperor Diogenes IV considered his options. He could continue the fruitless march to meet the main body of the enemy army, or he could retreat to his camp to try again tomorrow. The approaching twilight and the general exhaustion of his troops settled the matter and Romanus ordered the imperial standard reversed, a message to his troops to begin an orderly retreat. At that signal, the Roman army began to disintegrate and the Battle of Manzikert, until then a virtual draw, would culminate in a catastrophic defeat, resulting in the loss, within a decade, of much of Anatolia, the heart of the Empire.



Subject: Stephen Bennett, 'The Development of the Byzantine Army: The Komnenian Response to Seljuk Victories'. Illustrated by Julia Lillo.



Between the mid- and late 11th century, a combination of internal imperial politics and a new strategic context demanded substantial changes in the fiscal and military organization of the Eastern Roman Empire.



Subject: Sidney Dean, 'The Battle of Myriokephalon - The Final Offensive of Byzantium'. Illustrated by Milek Jakubiec.



Following the Byzantine defeat at Manzikert (1071), Constantinople lost control of most of Anatolia to the Rum Seljuqs. Towards the end of the 11th century, Byzantium resumed an aggressive policy of expansion, reconquering (over decades) territories on various borders of the empire. In 1161, Sultan Kilij Arslan II agreed to a peace treaty that favoured Byzantium. The Seljuks retained control over central Anatolia, but the Sultan accepted pro forma Byzantine vassal status. However, this peace was not to last.



Characteristics



The Campaign: Sean McGlynn, 'The Scottish Invasion of England in 1138: A War Without Quarter'. Illustrated by Ru-Mor



For centuries, Anglo-Scottish relations were marked by invasions from south to north and vice versa. Two of the largest Scottish raids came after the Middle Ages: in 1651, a large army marched as far as Worcester, before being crushed there by Oliver Cromwell’s republican forces; and, in 1745, the Scottish Jacobite army reached Derby before turning back. However, the medieval period saw the most frequent Scottish invasions of England.



The Warrior: Arnold Blumberg, 'A New Generation of Professional Soldiers (1250-1475): Medieval Irish Warriors'. Illustrated by Marc Grunert.



Forged in the crucible of Viking raiding and then Anglo-Norman invasion and conquest, the Irish adapted to the changing mode of warfare their enemies brought to their shores, forming professional mercenary armies.
At Tienda Medieval we have thousands of medieval and other period products. Discover them!