Legacy of the last Roman Emperor – Final battle of Basil II (Part 7)

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🚩 Basil became one of the strongest Byzantine emperors, winning territory in the Balkans, Mesopotamia, Armenia, and Georgia. He crushed rebellions, subdued feudal landowners and conquered the enemies of the Empire. Italy was reorganized and a campaign to retake Sicily was prepared. The might of Roman armies was again respected and feared.

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🎼 Music:
Epidemic Sounds
Filmstro
Impact Allegretto – Kevin MacLeod

📚 Sources:
John Haldon – Byzantium at War AD 600 – 1463
Ian Heath & Angus McBride – Byzantine Armies 886-1118
Ian Heath & Angus McBride – Byzantine Armies 1118 – 1461
Judith Herring – Byzantium: The Surprising Life of a Medieval Empire
David Nicholle – Manzikert 1071: The Breaking of Byzantium
John Julius Norwich – The Normans in the South
Paul Stephenson – The Legend of Basil the Bulgar Slayer

#romanempire #documentary #medieval

By the close of the first decade of the 11th  century, Emperor Basil II has held the ultimate   power in Constantinople, for three decades. In that time, he pushed the Roman Empire’s borders   back to their ancient line on the Danube  River, entering places where the Roman  

Standards have not been seen in centuries. Simultaneously, he has campaigned in the   south and east against the Islamic caliphates,  winning great success and keeping the empire’s   thousand-year presence in Syria alive. The realm was at its greatest size in almost  

400 years, and its treasury full due to  prudent economic policies. Basil was now   in his 50s – no other emperor was revered as  highly as him since the time of Justinian.   But no Caesar is ever without his challengers,  however, and two youthful upstarts at opposite  

Ends of the empire are stalking the old  lion, looking for signs of weakness.   Could the Lombard Melus of Apulia and the newly  crowned King George I from the Caucasus mountains   overthrow the longest reigning Roman emperor in  history, a man so noted for his prowess in battle  

That he became known as “the Bulgar Slayer”… In Italy, the southern lands are still firmly in  imperial hands, along with the western coastal  areas around Gaeta, Napoli, and Amalfi.   But in 1009, nearly all Lombard principalities  of the Mezzojiorno rally behind Melus of  

Apulia and his brother, Dattus, in an attempt to  establish Lombard independence and expel the Roman   imperial apparatus. Melus seems to genuinely  believe in a kind of Lombard nationalism,   though it goes without saying that any Lombard  kingdom will have him as its monarch.  

While the Cantabrian region has been Greek  in culture for millenia, Apulia is stalwartly   Lombard, a people who have yet to fully assimilate  into Italian culture. In addition to heavy Roman   taxation and military service, Apulia is  also in prime position to endure the worst of  

North African pirate raids, growing in intensity  since the fall of Sicily in the 9th century.   Every year, thousands of Apulians are loaded onto  slave boats bound for North Africa, and the Romans   seem to have no ability to stop these attacks  other than encouraging local militias. These local  

Forces – who have their own naval component – are  primed for Melus’s message of independence.   This rise of Lombard hostilities would eventually  escalate into a direct clash between the two most   powerful states in Europe, the Holy Roman  Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire.  

Simultaneously, in the east, another  conflict was about to be ignited as the   newly established Kingdom of Georgia  was growing ever more militant.   To recover territories lost to the Roman Empire  in the last decade of 10th century, George I works  

To establish an alliance with Fatimid Egypt. “We do not inherit the land from our ancestors.   We borrow it from our descendants.” No less energetic than his younger self,   the old Emperor Basil prepares to meet the  new challenges head-on and secure his hard  

Won conquests for his successors. Melus’s bid for Lombard independence starts   in Bari and then spreads to Ascoli and Trani.  The Roman governor of the region, or Catepan,   John Kourkas is killed by the rebels,  but his successor Basil Mesardonites,  

Marshals the resources of the province and along  with some effective bribes takes back Bari.   Melus’s first rebellion implodes instantly. He  escapes to take refuge in Salerno with its ruler,   Guimar III, but his wife and  children are taken hostage and   sent to captivity in Constantinople. After several years of gathering supporters  

Throughout the principalities of Southern  Italy, Melus begins to grow bold enough to   attack imperial Italy again. In 1016,  a group of 250 Norman pilgrims passes   through the Italian town of Gargano on their  way to the shrine at Mont Sant’Angelo.  

The man in charge of this band is Rainulf Drengot,  a Norman baron who has been exiled from Northern   France after murdering a relative of Richard  II of Normandy – the grandfather of William the   Conqueror. On their way to the shrine, the Normans  are intercepted by Melus, who initially amuses  

The rough northerners with his manner and what  they think is his effeminate style of dress.   Nevertheless, Melus makes a convincing case  when he explains his aim of liberating the   entire Lombard region, and the Normans are  certainly tempted by the riches of the warm  

And bountiful countryside. Melus recruits  Drengot’s men. They promise to assist Melus   once they have had a chance to return north  and gather some more of their countrymen.   The next year, 1017, the crew of Norman  Mercenaries and their new employer link  

With the rest of Melus’s army at Capua.  Not long after, Melus and his men invade   imperial Apulia from the north. By the end  of 1017, the joint Norman-Lombard forces   occupied much of Northern Apulia. Worried about the situation in Italy,   Basil dispatches reinforcements of Roman regulars,  Bulgarians, and his own northern warriors,  

Who have arrived courtesy of Vladimir I of  Kiev, to whom Basil gifted the hand of his   sister Anna in marriage. This ferocious contingent is   coming make a name for themselves in the  palaces of Constantinople and the wider   realm of the empire: the Varangian Guard. The new commander of Roman Calabria and Apulia,  

Basil Boioanes, proves extremely effective.  Boioanes meets Melus close to the Ofanto River,   not too far away from Cannae, where 1200 years  before, the Romans suffered one of their most   infamous defeats against Hannibal. Just as in that ancient battle,  

The Romans of Basil’s time vastly outnumber  their enemy. It is said that they swarmed   “like bees from a hive” over the battlefield  and to the daunted Normans and Lombards it   appeared that when their long lances were held  upright, they looked like “a field of cane.” The  

Heavily armored cataphracts run roughshod over  the rebels, who it was said fought bravely but   only to put off the inevitable. By the end of the day, Melus’ host   was overrun and driven off the field. After annihilating Melus’s army, Basil’s  

Varangians convince the surviving number of  their Norman cousins to enter Roman service.   This decision to recruit the Normans in  Italy rather than vanquish them would   eventually enable the Normans to push both  of their former employers, the Romans AND   Lombards, out of power in Italy. In the early 11th century, however,  

They prove to be an excellent addition  to the imperial garrison in Italy.   Soon after his defeat, Melus’s cause once more  collapses, forcing him to seek refuge within the   court of the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry II. Boioanes, meanwhile, sets out to secure the  

Frontiers of his province. By 1019 he adds  some Lombard territory to his catepanate,   and work begins on a chain of fortifications  along the full width of the peninsula,   with the aim of protecting the imperial  domains from any northern incursions.   The decisive victory at Cannae caused  both the principalities of Capua-Benevento  

And Salerno to shift their loyalties towards  Constantinople, turning their back on their formal   suzerain – Henry II, the Holy Roman Emperor. Boioanes also captures Melus’s brother Dattus and   has him executed in the old Roman style. Dattus is  shoved into a sack along with a monkey, a snake,  

And a rooster and then thrown into a river. Given that Boioanes serves an emperor that once   had more than 10,000 prisoners of war blinded and  pitifully marched back home to their kinsmen in   Bulgaria, this stern medicine is not surprising.  It seems to have enraged the Pope and of course  

Melus, and they both prevail upon their  patron Henry for retributive justice.   The simultaneous loss of Capua-Benevento  and Salerno, and with them the vital   pass of Monte Cassino, has opened the  road to Rome for Basil’s forces.   For the first time in many years, perhaps  even centuries, the emperor in Constantinople  

Appears to have a chance at conquering the  entire peninsula up to the Alps. Henry,   with so much of his symbolic power and legitimacy  resting on control of Rome, cannot allow this.   In 1021, Henry launches an invasion  in Italy. Having one of the mightiest  

Armies in Europe on their doorstep no doubt  unnerves both Basils, yet Boioanes has done   his best to prepare for this invasion. Henry’s force is split into three columns.   The first is under the command of Pilgrim,  Archbishop of Cologne, and travels down the  

Western seaboard to bring the recalcitrant  Lombard duchies there back under the Western   banner. Passing through Capua and then taking  hostages after a month long siege of Salerno,   Pilgrim leaves to join Henry, who travels down the  eastern coast, and Poppo, Archbishop of Aquilea,  

Who has traveled down the central Apennines,  before they meet with the Pope at Benevento.   The three columns converge at Troia and place the  fortress under siege in the early days of April,   1022. The huge army fails to make  a dent in Boioanes’s defenses,  

Or to upset his Norman garrison. The possession of Troia is necessary for   Henry to proceed south, but its defenses in the  mountains are too great a challenge, and there   is no success in persuading any of the defenders  into treachery as Pilgrim had done at Capua.  

The weeks turn into months, and the inevitable  heat of a south Italian summer begins to wear   on the north European troops. By June, dysentery  and malaria spread, slowly melting Henry’s ranks.   In addition, the Holy Roman Emperor suffers  discomfort due to a gallstone. Seeing no other  

Option, Henry decides to return to Germany,  effectively abandoning his campaign.   Boioanes has stopped the biggest army of Western  Europe without even leaving his base at Bari. Much   like his Roman ancestor Fabius with Hannibal over  1000 years previously, the Catepan had defeated  

The invaders by avoiding an open battle with them.  Furthermore, Basil II’s ability to recognize and   appoint talented commanders had saved the day. But while Henry II’s invasion of Italy unfolded,   Basil II’s own campaigning is directed elsewhere.  By the late 1010s, tensions on the eastern fringes  

Of the Roman Empire are reaching a boiling point.  The newly established Georgian kingdom and its   young and rash King – George I, has ignited the  conflict. Back in 1014, the newly crowned monarch   of Georgia had occupied Roman territory and  secured many alliances with the local Armenian,  

Georgian, and Kurdish principalities. However, his most significant diplomatic   success was his pact with the  unstable Fatimid caliph Al-Hakim,   who in 1009 had ordered the burning of the Church  of the Holy Sepulchre. Perhaps unsurprisingly,   this alliance fell apart following the mysterious  disappearance of the Mad Caliph in 1021.  

This curious event presents a perfect  opportunity for Basil II. Around the same year,   the 63-year-old emperor musters an army of  close to 30,000 and sets out for the East.   Aiming to surprise his enemies, Basil  keeps his ultimate destination a secret.  

His officers are expecting to campaign against  the Fatimids, but instead, the emperor encamps   near the city of Theodosiopolis, the capital  of the newly established Iberian theme.   From there, Basil requests all his Caucasian  allies, including the young George, to visit  

And pay respects to him. When quite expectedly,  the Georgian King fails to respect the summons,   Basil destroys nearby Georgian towns  and begins to mobilize his force for   an invasion of the kingdom. In return, George invades Roman  

Territory and burns the town of Oltisi, which  Basil had likely planned to use as a stopping   point for resupply. Following that, the young  King immediately heads back northwards.   Closely following every movement of his  opponent, Basil moves in his direction.  

The Roman and Georgian armies are divided by  a considerable distance. Yet once again, the   mobility of Basil’s army would be the determining  factor in the outcome of the conflict.   As George marches his men through a swampy  area named Shirimni just to the west of Lake  

Palakazio, now known as Lake Childir, the  southernmost section of his army is attacked   by the vanguard of the Roman cavalry. The King quickly comes to the realization   that Basil has somehow overtaken him. Wasting no  time, George hastens the main body of his men,  

Leaving the engaged portion of the army to fend  for itself. Luckily for him, the commander of   the southern Georgian contingents –  Liparitis – proves to be sturdy.   The attack of the Roman vanguard is repulsed.  Yet soon, the Caucasian contingent is forced  

To face an attack from the recently  arrived Roman main force. Incredibly,   this assault is repulsed again. Eventually, the strength of Liparitis   and his men begins to leave them. Stuck in  the mud and with the bulk of the Georgian   army having already escaped to safety,  the small contingent faces one final Roman  

Assault. This proves to be the finishing  blow for Liparitis and his men.   Despite winning the engagement, Basil has  failed to achieve his goal of intercepting   the entirety of the Georgian army. Liparitis’  heroic stance enables George and his men to  

Escape to the mountains, where they are  joined by allies from the Caucasus.   Angered by this fact, Basil wreaks havoc  in mainland Georgia for the entirety of   the remaining autumn, plundering settlements  from 12 different Georgian provinces.  

At the end of 1021, the emperor withdraws to  winter quarters in the Black Sea port city of   Trebizond. While staying there, the Basileus opens  negotiations with George, which would continue in   an atmosphere of distrust throughout the year. In the meantime, Basil secures a massive addition  

To his empire in December. Unable to defend  his lands from Kurdish and Turkic raids,   the Armenian King of Vaspurakan- Senecherim,  surrenders his kingdom to Basil in return for   an estate deeper into Anatolia. By this point, the old emperor has  

Made it a tradition of his to acquire  vast territories in the East without   sacrificing a single Roman soldier. This positive development is tempered by   an unexpected revolt in Anatolia, which  catches the emperor unprepared while he   is still in Trabzon. Nicephorus Xiphias,  the hero from Kleidion who played a crucial  

Role in Basil’s Bulgarian conquest, is now  preparing to stab his monarch in the back.   The 64-year-old Basil has not sired any  heirs, having spent his entire reign on   the frontier without marrying. As such, the  throne seems ripe for the picking. And thus,  

Xiphias – a former friend and a trusted general  of Basil, revolts against his suzerain.   Shortly after his exploits at Kleidion, Xiphias  had been put in control of the province of   Anatolikon, a region that is essentially in the  backyard of Basil’s current theater of war.  

The general turned rebel teams up with  a certain magnate named Nicephorus   Phocas – the son of Bardas Phocas – but  unfortunately for the two men, the revolt   would only gather supporters in Cappadocia. While the Phocas name carries significant weight  

In Anatolia, Xiphias was a stranger to the local  elites. His past exploits in the west did not do   much to increase his popularity in the east. Unsurprisingly, the relationship between Xiphias   and Phocas quickly becomes strained.  Allowing jealousy to get the best of him,  

The governor of Anatolikon kills Phocas in  August. Following this, the revolt collapses.   Eventually, Xiphias’ bid for the throne ends in  his arrest. The general is spared and forced to   become a monk by Basil, who likely still  holds respect for his former friend.  

In the meantime, King George has begun to  show willingness to negotiate for peace.   This proves to be a bluff though as George is  evidently looking for an opening to attack.   Around September, the Georgians invade the  region of Phasiane. Basil answers by moving  

His army from the fort of Mazdat, where his men  have been stationed throughout most of 1022.   As the emperor is moving close, he expects  George to shy away from an open battle. Yet   instead of pursuit, the emperor gets ambushed, a  military tactic to which he had grown accustomed  

In the long decades of his reign. In the mid-autumn, the imperial army has   encamped close to a town named Svindax.  Otherwise thorough in his reconnaissance,   Basil, who was perhaps confident that the  Caucasian army would not dare a confrontation,   fails to properly scout the area. As such, the emperor does not spot the  

Incoming Georgian army which immediately  launches an assault upon its arrival.   As the Roman army files out of its encampment,  George orders his cavalry to attack. The Georgian   horse follows up the infantry advance and  clashes with the surprised Romans.   Although their attack is frantic and  disorganized, the Georgians inflict  

Serious damage to the Romans. The engaged  imperial units are soon turned to flight.   Quick to believe the battle had been  won, the Georgian cavalry leaves the   battlefield to plunder the Roman camp,  exposing George and his infantry.   Further away, Basil successfully regroups his  fleeing men. With his Varangians leading the way,  

The emperor clashes against the Georgian  foot. The fight isn’t even a contest,   as the Romans quickly began mauling  George’s exposed infantry.   The raiding Georgian cavalry soon attempts  to aid their King but to no avail. Their   horses are rendered useless from the heavy  booty they insist on carrying with them.  

With his army beginning to suffer severe  losses, George orders a retreat.   Eventually, after suffering more casualties  along the way, the King and his surviving   men manage to make it to the safety of  the nearby Tsionis castle.   Basil has accomplished his goal, and  the Georgian king has been decisively  

Defeated in a single encounter. Seeing the writing on the wall,   George decides to relent and accept Basil’s peace  terms. The territory he had occupied back in 1014   is returned to Constantinople. To make sure George  would be true to his word, the emperor takes his  

Young son Bagrates as an honorary hostage. Basil  has once again successfully secured the east.   By 1023, the basileus is back in Constantinople.  Ignoring the fact that he is approaching 70,   the emperor turns his eyes to the west,  preparing to retake Sicily for his empire.  

Yet this final invasion was not to be. Basil II  passed away on the 15th of December 1025, after   residing on the Roman throne for nearly 50 years.  He was buried at the church of the Holy Apostles,   taking his deserved place of rest, next to  the other giant figures of Roman histories,  

Such as Constantine and Justinian. Basil’s story was a unique one. Unlike   other great conquerors of history, the Bulgar  Slayer wasn’t born with any natural talent for   warfare. He did not have a military upbringing  or an imposing outside appearance. What Basil  

Managed to achieve was the result of sheer  determination and an unrivaled devotion to   his imperial occupation – inheriting the Roman  Empire as a sickly boy dominated by advisers   and power-hungry nobles and leaving it as one of  the the greatest rulers known to Eastern Roman  

History.