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==Battle of Manzikert==
The Seljuk raids into Anatolia was of great concern as this area was important for the Empire. Romanus needed its resources and the Anatolian provinces were the source of most of its military manpower. The Seljuk raids had led to the near collapse of the eastern frontier and many Turkish nomads had entered the area. The Emperor assembled a large army to reestablish the security of the Byzantine Empire’s eastern frontierregions. In 1071 Romanus led his army into areas of Armenia that had been seized by the Turks, with the aim of regaining key defensive fortresses <ref> Runciman. Steve. A History of the Crusades. — Cambridge University Press, 1987, vol. I) p. 62-63</ref>. Romanus’ army was mainly mounted heavy cavalry with some militia, it was also accompanied by large contingents of mercenaries. The tactics of Romanus was very unusual, as the Byzantine’s were usually reluctant to engage in offensive actions. Near the town of Manzikert, he divided his army, sending a large contingent to besiege a fortress <ref>Runciman, p. 70</ref>. The Seljuk army was under the command of Sultan Alp Arslan. The Turks had excellent intelligence and they were all mounted. When Alp Arslan heard that the Byzantines had divided his forces he rapidly advanced to Manzikert, where he confronted the emperor’s army, which he outnumbered <ref> Haldon, John. The Byzantine Wars: Battles and Campaigns of the Byzantine Era. Stroud: Tempus, 2001), p. 245</ref>. The Byzantines were taken completely by surprise and Romanus abandoned Manzikert, to reunite his forces. However, Alp Arslan attacked the Byzantine’s as they retreated, and his mounted archers inflicted heavy casualties on the Christians. Romanus had failed to scout the area and he had blundered into a trap. Romanus fought valiantly, and his men attacked the enemy with such ferocity that they seemed to be on the verge of victory. The Byzantines knights smashed into the lightly armored Turkish horsemen with great success. However, many of his mercenaries were Uz Turks and they defected to their kinsmen in the Seljuk army. One of the Byzantine generals saw this and decided to retreat, but other sources claimed that he retreated because of his personal hatred of the emperor <ref>Haldon p. 246</ref>. The Byzantine army was destroyed, and Romanus was taken, prisoner and ritually humiliated. Alp Arslan who was regarded as a gallant soldier treated Romanus very well and later released the Emperor. The absence of the Emperor from Byzantium and the defeat at Manzikert resulted in a usurper seizing power. Romanus returned and tried to regain his Empire but was defeated in battle, blinded and killed in 1070<ref>Haldon, p. 247</ref>.
==Manzikert and the Byzantine Army==
The defeat in 10701 was a disaster for the Byzantines. The Turks in the aftermath of their victory over Romanus swept into Anatolia unopposed. They only faced local resistance from Byzantine lords in the Anatolian provinces. The Byzantine eastern frontier effectively collapsed and Turkish nomads enter Anatolia. Alp Arslan turned his attention to Fatimid Egypt fortunately for the Byzantine. In the immediate aftermath of the defeat of Manzikert there was no real effective Byzantine Emperor. This was a disaster as the state was very much dependent on the leadership of a strong Emperor <ref>Norwich, John Julius. Byzantium: The Apogee (London: Viking, 1991), p. 267</ref>. A series of civil wars devasted the Empire for a decade. Manzikert led to an unprecedented period of instability and this was perhaps the most important consequence of the Turkish victory. Indeed, the Byzantine Empire was only able to stabilize the situation under the capable Emperor Alexius I Comnenos. The lack of an effective government and endemic civil wars allowed the Turks to overrun many Byzantine cities and towns. The Byzantine army had been decimated at Manzikert and it had lost its elite forces. Many of these were impossible to replace as many had been highly trained and experienced cavalry<ref> Norwich, p. 278</ref>. To compound the disaster the loss of the Anatolian Provinces meant that the Byzantines could not recruit new soldiers. Provinces such as Cappadocia, which had long supplied the Christian Emperor with recruits were lost to the Turks, forever. <ref>Haldon, p. 312</ref>. Then the loss of the Anatolian provinces was a blow to the economy as it reduced the tax base of the Empire. This meant that the Byzantines were often in financial problems and this undermined their ability to defend themselves, especially as they were becoming more dependent on mercenaries after Manzikert. It is generally agreed that the defeat in 1071 can be regarded as the beginning of the end of the Empire.
