The Byzantine defeat at Manzikert in one of the decisive battles in history led to the victorious Seljuks advancing westward to the Bosporus. The Byzantine calls for help triggered the First Crusade, while the Byzantines and Seljuks continued their own war for control of the Anatolian peninsula (modern-day Turkey). In this report, Si Sheppard examines the men fighting on both sides of this decisive conflict as the Byzantine armies stabilised the eastern border of their empire and regained control of the coast, while the Seljuk forces consolidated their influence in the interior. He looks at the struggle between the two sides in the larger political and military context and shows how this war regularly escalated from raids and counterattacks into full-scale military engagements between the two sides. The outcome of this stalemate was uncertain and depended on a single misstep, a single decisive victory.
Group
Books (first-hand)
Author
Sheppard, Si, Robie/Rava, Giuseppe (Illustr.)
Title
Byzantine Soldier vs Seljuk Warrior
Details
English text, paperback, numerous black-and-white and colour illustrations, several colour plates. 80 pages.
