Worst Military Disaster in Roman/Byzantine History

[LouisJoseph]

What are your opinions on the worst disaster in Roman history. I am curious to see your choices

 

[Ajidica]

You left out Myriokephalon, Sack of Constantinople(1204), Yarmuk, and Pliska.
Since my knowledge of early Rome is poor, and you left out the first three on my list, I'm going with Manzikert.

 

[innonimatu]

Yeah, I'd go with Yarmuk, because it was both an big battle and one with very important consequences. The sack of Constantinople was also an important event, but not much of a battle.

 

[Dachs]

Better list:

Allia River ~390 BC [semi-mythological]
Lake Trasimene 217 BC
Cannae 216 BC
Arausio 105 BC [might be superfluous]
Teutoberger Wald 9 [might be superfluous]
Edessa 260
Cape Bon 468
Yarmouk 636
Sangarios River 1074

Of those, I'd waffle between Cape Bon and Yarmouk.

 

[Ajidica]

Sangarios River? I don't recognize it and wikipedia dodn't have an article on it. They did have an article on the 1921 battle there and the bridge.

 

[Dachs]

Sangarios River? I don't recognize it and wikipedia dodn't have an article on it. They did have an article on the 1921 battle there and the bridge.

It was the battle that Actually Did Lose Anatolia for the Byzantines, as opposed to Manzikert. In the spring of 1073, Isaakios Komnenos (nephew of the emperor of that name, elder brother of the famed Alexios, and megas domestikos for Michael VII) led an army into Kappadokia to drive out the Turks. Isaakios' Norman mercenaries, under the command of Roussell de Bailleul, deserted, permitting the Saljuqs to land several defeats on Isaakios' army and secure Kappadokia, Charsianon, and Chaldia (i.e. almost all of the core of the Sultanate of Rum). Roussell in turn set up his own miniature kingdom in the Armeniacs.

The next year, Nikephoritzes, a logothete with significant power in the government, had the kaisar, Ioannes, launch a full-blown attack on Roussell. After a sharp fight on the Sangarios, the imperial troops were captured after Ioannes' own Normans joined Roussell's. Ioannes' son Konstantinos attempted to retrieve the situation by raising a fresh army, but died on the way to confront the Normans. Roussell then declared Ioannes emperor (!), whereupon Nikephoritzes called in the Saljuqs (who were still in control of eastern Anatolia) to destroy Roussell's army. Roussell and Ioannes were captured, but successfully ransomed themselves; the Saljuqs then took the time to swarm into Ikonion. Roussell went back to the Armeniacs and resumed his rebellion.

So, in the space of two short years, basically the entire Byzantine army in Anatolia either mutinied or was destroyed by mutineers; most of the mutineers in turn were killed off by Saljuqs. The battle itself kicked off the first of several civil wars in the wake of the Manzikert episode. Before Isaakios Komnenos' betrayal by Roussell, the Saljuqs were basically a marginal threat; after the Battle of the Sangarios, they were in control of pretty much all of the territory they were going to get.

 

[Dreadnought]

I still can't comprehend what happened at Yarmouk.

 

[Dachs]

I still can't comprehend what happened at Yarmouk.

Since no reliable narrative exists of what happened there, that's not surprising! Fortunately, the course of the engagement is more or less irrelevant. And the effects of the battle make perfect sense.

 

[LouisJoseph]

All right, I'll open a more satisfactory poll.

 

[Knight-Dragon]

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=432511