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[[File: Manzikert Two.jpg|200px|thumb|left|A diorama of the aftermath of the battle of Manzikert]]
== Background==
By 1050 the Byzantine Empire was a very strong state, with a highly professional army, sophisticated bureaucracy and extensive territories from northern Iraq to the Danube. The Empire had enjoyed a renaissance under the Macedonian Dynasty and especially under the capable Basil II. A common Greek Christian Orthodox Culture unified the diverse peoples’of the realm, and this was exported to the peoples Slavs of Eastern Europe. However, after the death of Basil II, the Macedonian dynasty came to an end and the Empire was led by a series of ineffectual Emperors and several civil wars. In 1071 the Emperor was Romanus IV Diogenes (1068–1071), a member of the Cappadocian military aristocracy. He was an experienced general, but he had alienated many in the Byzantine aristocracy who saw him as a usurper and resented his authoritarianism. The strategic situation facing the Byzantine Empire was very dangerous. By 1050 the Empire had appeared secure especially after its destruction of the Bulgar Empire. However, the Pencheng Turks, from the Eurasian Steppes threatened the Empire’s Balkan and Black Sea possessions. In Italy, the Normans were seizing the last remaining Byzantine possessions in Italy. The biggest threat to the Empire was posed by the Seljuk Turks. These had been nomads in Central Asia and had been converted to Islam about 1000 AD. The Turks were led by the Seljuk family and they invaded southwestern Asia in the 11th century<ref> A.C.S. Peacock and Sara Nur Yildiz, The Seljuks of Anatolia: Court and Society in the Medieval Middle East, (I.B. Tauris, 2015), p. 29 </ref>. They were able to defeat the various Muslim dynasties that had seized power after the decline of the Abbasid Caliphate. They founded an empire that included Mesopotamia, Syria, Palestine, and the majority of Iran. Their conquests were at the start of Turkish domination in the Middle East that was to last for centuries. The Seljuks attacked the Christian allies of the Byzantines in the Caucasus and conquered Armenia. They also began to raid deep into Byzantine territory which they regarded as a Jihad and they even managed to seize key fortresses on the Christian Empire’s territory.
[[File: Manzikert second one.jpg|200px|thumb|left| Alp Arslan placing his foot on the throat of Emperor Romanus, after Manzikert]]
==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 frontier. 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>.
