Battle of Anzen

Battle of Anzen

The Byzantine and Arab Movements 837–838

date	July 22, 838
place	near Dazman, Turkey
output

Parties to the conflict
Byzantine Empire	Abbasids
Commander
Emperor Theophilus	General Afschin
Troop strength
25,000-40,000	20,000-30,000

The battle of Anzen or Dazimon was fought on July 22, 838 near Anzen or Dazimon ( Greek  Δαζιμῶν , today's Dazman, Turkey ) between the troops of the Byzantine Empire and those of the Abbasid Caliphate . The Abbasids had raised a large force in retaliation for the successes of the Byzantine emperor Theophilus the previous year. Their goal was the conquest of Amorion , one of the largest cities of the Byzantine Empire at the time. At Dazimon, Theophilus met a smaller army under General Afschin . The outnumbered Byzantine army was initially successful, but when the emperor took personal command of an attack, his disappearance from his usual post caused panic among the Byzantines, who feared his death. At the same time, Afschin's Turkish mounted archers attacked, causing many Byzantine contingents to flee. Theophilus was trapped by enemies with his bodyguard on a hilltop for a while, but was able to escape. The defeat paved the way for the Arabs to sack Amorion a few weeks later, one of the Byzantine Empire's worst defeats in battle with the Arabs.

background

At the time of the accession to the throne of the young Theophilos (829), the Byzantine Empire had been at war with the Arabs almost continuously for two hundred years. Theophilos, a staunch iconoclast , tried to secure his religious policy with military success against the Abbasid caliphate, the main enemy in the east of the empire. Through a series of moderately successful campaigns against the caliphate, he was able to move into the tradition of the ancient Roman emperors. In 837, Theophilos personally led a campaign in the area on the upper reaches of the Euphrates , where he plundered the cities of Arsamosata and Sozopetra - the birthplace of the Abbasid caliph al-Mu'tasim - and forced Melitene to pay tribute and to place hostages.

In retaliation, al-Mu'tasim decided to undertake a larger punitive expedition against Byzantium, the aim of which was to conquer the two most important Byzantine cities in Anatolia : Ankyra and Amorion . The latter was probably the largest city in Asia Minor at that time and the place of origin of the imperial family ( Amorian dynasty ) and therefore of symbolic importance; According to the chronicles, al-Mu'tasim's soldiers painted the word "Amorion" on their shields and banners. A large army was assembled in the city of Tarsus , which was split into two divisions: the northern arm under Afshin was to attack the subject of the Armeniakon from Melitene, for which he was to connect his troops with those of the city's emir, Omar al-Aqta . The southern part was to cross the Cilician Gate to Cappadocia under the leadership of the caliph and march on Ankyra. After the fall of the city, both armies were to unite and march on to Amorion. According to Skylitzes , Afschin's army comprised the entire Arab field army of Armenia and was about 20-30,000 men strong, of which about 10,000 were Turkish mounted archers.

Theophilus was informed early on of the caliph's plans and marched in turn from Constantinople in June. His army included the thematic troops of Anatolikon , possibly also of European themes, as well as the imperial elite Tagmata , as well as a group of Persian and Kurdish churramites . Under their leader Nasr (who had converted to Christianity and baptized as Theophobus ), this people had escaped religious persecution by the Muslims and defected to the Byzantine Empire. The so-called “Persian Turma ” was recruited from him . While he was setting up camp in Dorylaion , the emperor sent a strong army to reinforce the garrison of Amorion, while he himself set out with the rest of the troops (about 25,000 men) to block the way for the Arabs behind the Cilician Gate.

battle

The Byzantine army withdraws towards a mountain: Madrid's illuminated manuscript of the Skylitzes .

In mid-June, Afschin crossed the Anti-Taurus Mountains and camped at Fort Dazimon, between Amaseia and Tokate , a strategic area that the Byzantine army also used as a meeting place ( Aplekton ). A few days later, on June 19, the vanguard of the main Abbasid army advanced into Byzantine territory. Theophilus was informed of these movements in mid-July. Although Afschin's contingent was smaller than that of the emperor, it threatened to cut off the supply lines of the main Byzantine army. Therefore, Theophilus left only a small force to hold back the caliph's army and then marched east to intercept Afshin. On July 21st, the Byzantine army came within sight of the Arabs and gathered on a hill in the plain of Dazimonitis (south of Dazimon) called Anzen ( Greek  Ἀνζῆν ).

Although the emperor's most important commanders, Theophobos and the Domestikos ton scholon Manuel , both advised a surprise attack at night, the emperor kept the troops waiting until dawn the next morning. The Byzantine army attacked at dawn and was initially successful: they were able to drive back a wing of the enemy army and kill 3000 Arabs in the process. At noon, Theophilus decided to strengthen the other wing and commanded 2000 Byzantines and the "Persian" regiment to this side, giving up his place behind the central battle line. At that moment Afshin began a savage counterattack, which threw back the attacking Byzantines. When they noticed at the same time the absence of the emperor, they withdrew in disorder on a broad front; some even fled to Constantinople, bringing with them the rumor of the emperor's death. However, some units were apparently able to withdraw in an orderly manner and gather again at a place called Chiliokomon.

Theophilos found himself with his bodyguards Tagmata and the Churramites circled on the hill of Anzen. The Arabs began to siege the hill, but the Byzantines were saved by a sudden rain that made the Turkish arches unusable. Afschin now ordered catapults to be brought in to bombard the Byzantine position. At the same time Theophilus was persuaded by his officers to retreat because they feared a betrayal of the Churramites. After breaking through the Arab lines and paying a heavy toll in blood (the sources name either Manuel or Theophobos as the emperor's savior in mortal danger), Theophilus and his troops were able to reach Chiliokomon, where the emperor rearranged his remaining army.

aftermath

The emperor Theophilos and his court, from the Madrid illuminated manuscript of the Skylitzes

After this defeat, and with the rumors of Theophilus' death, his position as emperor was in danger. He broke off the campaigns and retired to Dorylaion; from there he made his way to Constantinople. Ankyra was left to its own devices and was sacked by the Arabs a little later on July 27th. The united Abbasid army could march unhindered to Amorion and take the city after two weeks. The population that survived the siege and pillage (little more than half of the former 70,000 inhabitants) were enslaved. Although the fall of the city marked one of the greatest Byzantine catastrophes in the 9th century, both materially and symbolically, there were no immediate military and political consequences for Byzantium, as the Abbasids had to retreat due to domestic political problems and were therefore unable to take advantage of their success .

At the same time, Theophilus had to face a revolt by Theophobos and his Kurds. When rumors of Theophilos' death reached the capital, Theophobos was traded as the new candidate. He was related by marriage to Theophilus and apparently an iconodule . When the emperor reached Constantinople, he summoned his general, but he fled to Sinope out of fear , where he was made emperor. Nevertheless, Theophobos was convinced to give up and his Persian troops were disbanded and distributed over the empire.

Iconoclasm suffered damage because it relied on the military successes of its agitators. Shortly after Theophilos' sudden death in 842, Orthodoxy prevailed and the worship of images was restored.

Also worth mentioning in the Battle of Anzen were the problems of the Byzantines against mounted archers. It was also the first encounter between the Byzantines and Turkish soldiers, whose descendants were to become Byzantium's main enemy in the east from the 11th century.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Whittow: The Making of Byzantium. 1996, SS 152-153; Treadgold: A History of the Byzantine State and Society. 1997, pp. 437-440.
2. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Kiapidou: Battle of Dazimon, 838. 2003, Chapter 1 .
3. ^ Treadgold: A History of the Byzantine State and Society. 1997, pp. 440-441.
4. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g} Treadgold: A History of the Byzantine State and Society. 1997, p. 441.
5. ↑ Haldon: The Byzantine Wars. 2001, pp. 78, 80.
6. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Haldon: The Byzantine Wars. 2001, p. 80.
7. ↑ ^{a b} Haldon: The Byzantine Wars. 2001, p. 78.
8. ^ Treadgold: A History of the Byzantine State and Society. 1997, pp. 439, 441.
9. ↑ ^{a b} Kazhdan (Ed.): The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium. Volume 3. 1991, p. 2067.
10. ↑ ^{a b c d} Kiapidou: Battle of Dazimon, 838. 2003, Chapter 2 .
11. ↑ Haldon: The Byzantine Wars. 2001, pp. 80, 82.
12. ↑ ^{a b c} Haldon: The Byzantine Wars. 2001, p. 82.
13. ↑ Kazhdan (Ed.): The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium. Volume 3. 1991, pp. 2067-2068.
14. ^ Treadgold: A History of the Byzantine State and Society. 1997, pp. 442-443; Kazhdan (Ed.): The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium. Volume 3. 1991, p. 2068.
15. ↑ Whittow: The Making of Byzantium, 600-1025. 1996, pp. 153-154.
16. ↑ Kiapidou: Battle of Dazimon, 838. 2003, Chapter 3 .
17. ↑ Haldon: The Byzantine Wars. 2001, pp. 82-83.

literature

• John Haldon: The Byzantine Wars. Battles and Campaigns of the Byzantine Era . Tempus, Stroud et al. 2001, ISBN 0-7524-1795-9 .
• Alexander P. Kazhdan (Ed.): The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium . 3 volumes. Oxford University Press, New York NY et al. 1991, ISBN 0-19-504652-8 .
• Irini-Sofia Kiapidou: Battle of Dazimon, 838 . In: Encyclopedia of the Hellenic World, Asia Minor . Foundation of the Hellenic World. January 17, 2003. Retrieved October 19, 2013.
• Warren Treadgold: The Byzantine Revival. 780-842 . Stanford University Press, Stanford CA 1988, ISBN 0-8047-1462-2 .
• Warren Treadgold: A History of the Byzantine State and Society . Stanford University Press, Stanford CA 1997, ISBN 0-8047-2630-2 .
• Mark Whittow: The Making of Byzantium, 600-1025 . University of California Press, Berkeley CA 1996, ISBN 0-520-20496-4 .