Battle of Kalavrye
The Battle of Kalavrye was fought in 1078 between the Byzantine imperial forces and the rebellious governor of Dyrrhachium, Nikephoros Bryennios the Elder. It is one of the few Byzantine battles described in detail, and hence a valuable source for studying the tactics of the Byzantine army of the late 11th century. The outcome of the battle is not known, but it is believed to have been a decisive factor in the fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans.
About Battle of Kalavrye in brief
The Battle of Kalavrye was fought in 1078 between the Byzantine imperial forces of general Alexios Komnenos and the rebellious governor of Dyrrhachium, Nikephoros Bryennios the Elder. It is one of the few Byzantine battles described in detail, and hence a valuable source for studying the tactics of the Byzantine army of the late 11th century. After the defeat at the Battle of Manzikert in 1071 against the Seljuk Turks and the overthrow of Romanos IV Diogenes, the Byzantine Empire experienced a decade of near-continuous internal turmoil and rebellions. The constant warfare depleted the Empire’s armies, devastated Asia Minor and left it defenceless against the increasing encroachment of the Turks. The battle is known through two detailed accounts, Anna Komnene’s Alexiad, and her husband Nikephoris Bryennio the Younger’s Material for History. The Byzantine Empire was ruled by Michael VII Doukas until 1078, when he was forced to abdicate and retire as a monk. In 1077, two of the Empire’s leading generals were proclaimed emperors by their troops. The rebel forces soon retired, and the new emperor, Nikephoros Botaneiates, was accepted into the city as emperor.
The rebels continued their revolt, and threatened Constantinople. After failed negotiations, Botaneiate sent the young general Alexio Komneno with whatever forces he could gather to confront him. The two armies clashed at Kalvrye on the Halmyros River in what is now European Turkey. Alexios barely managed to break through with his personal retinue, but succeeded in regrouping his scattered men. Despite having seemingly won the battle, Bryennos’s army fell into disorder after its own Pecheneg allies attacked its camp. The Rebel army broke and Bryennarios was captured. The Battle of Kedoktos on the plain of Hetia on the coast of the Kedaktos peninsula is the only Byzantine battle to be described in such detail. It was won by Alexios, who was later killed in a battle with the Turks in the Peloponnese, in 1081. The outcome of the battle is not known, but it is believed to have been a decisive factor in the fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans in 1083. The Ottomons were eventually driven out of Asia Minor by the Byzantine forces.
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This page is based on the article Battle of Kalavrye published in Wikipedia (as of Oct. 30, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
