Battle of Levounion facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Levounion
Part of the Komnenian restoration
Painting of Alexios I, from a Greek manuscript in the Vatican library
Date April 29, 1091 Location Levounion (near Enos, modern European Turkey) Result Byzantine-Cumanian victory
Belligerents
Byzantines, supported by Cumans, Vlachs, Bulgarians and Frankish and Flemish mercenaries	Pechenegs
Commanders and leaders
Alexios I Komnenos George Palaiologos Constantine Dalassenos	Unknown
Strength
20,000 Byzantines 40,000 Cumans 5,000 Vlachs 500 Flemish mercenaries	80,000 Pechenegs
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Unknown, but thought to be extremely heavy

The Battle of Levounion was a very important victory for the Byzantine Empire. It happened on April 29, 1091. In this battle, the Byzantine army, led by Alexios I Komnenos, teamed up with their Cuman allies. Together, they completely defeated a large invading army of Pechenegs. This win was the first big step in what's called the Komnenian restoration, a time when the Byzantine Empire started to get strong again.

Why the Battle Happened

To understand the Battle of Levounion, we need to look back a bit. On August 26, 1071, a Byzantine army lost a major battle called the Battle of Manzikert to the Seljuk Turks. This defeat was a huge blow. It caused a lot of problems for the empire.

After the Manzikert Defeat

After the loss at Manzikert, the Byzantine Empire faced many challenges.

• The emperor was replaced, and the new one didn't keep the peace treaty.
• The Turks started moving into Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) in 1073.
• There were many civil wars, which wasted the empire's money and soldiers.
• Thousands of Turkoman tribesmen crossed the border easily.
• By 1080, the empire had lost a huge amount of land.

This meant the empire lost more than half of its soldiers and much of its food supply. The Battle of Manzikert was one of the worst defeats in the empire's 700-year history.

Alexios I Komnenos Takes Charge

It was during this difficult time that Alexios I Komnenos became emperor. He was a skilled general who had been fighting the Turks since he was fourteen. Alexios became emperor on April 4, 1081. Many people believed that with Alexios in charge, the empire was finally in good hands. He was determined to make the Byzantine Empire powerful again, no matter what it took.

Around 1090 or 1091, a leader named Chaka of Smyrna suggested an alliance with the Pechenegs. Their goal was to completely destroy the Byzantine Empire. This made the situation even more dangerous for Alexios.

Pechenegs Invade the Empire

In the spring of 1087, the Byzantine court received alarming news. A huge army was invading from the north. These invaders were the Pechenegs, a nomadic tribe from the area north-west of the Black Sea. Reports said they had about 80,000 men.

The Pecheneg Threat

The Pechenegs saw that the Byzantines were in trouble. They decided to take advantage of the situation. Their large army headed straight for the Byzantine capital, Constantinople. As they marched, they plundered and raided the northern parts of the Balkans.

This invasion was a serious threat to Alexios's empire. However, years of civil wars and neglect had weakened the Byzantine military. Alexios didn't have enough soldiers to stop the Pechenegs. He had to use his intelligence and diplomatic skills to save his empire. He reached out to another nomadic tribe, the Cumans, and asked them to join him in battle against the Pechenegs.

The Battle of Levounion

Alexios offered the Cumans gold if they would help him fight the Pechenegs. The Cumans agreed and quickly joined Alexios and his army. In the late spring of 1091, the Cuman forces arrived in Byzantine territory. The combined army then prepared to march against the Pechenegs.

The Surprise Attack

On Monday, April 28, 1091, Alexios and his allies reached the Pecheneg camp. It was located at Levounion, near the Hebros River. The Pechenegs seemed to be completely surprised by their arrival.

The battle happened the very next morning at Levounion. It was a swift and decisive victory for the Byzantines and Cumans. The Pecheneg warriors had brought their families with them, and they were not ready for such a fierce attack. The Cumans and Byzantines attacked the enemy camp with great force. They defeated the Pechenegs so thoroughly that they were almost wiped out. The few survivors were captured by the Byzantines and later joined the imperial army.

Why This Battle Was Important

The Battle of Levounion was the most important victory for a Byzantine army in over fifty years. It marked a turning point in Byzantine history. The empire had been at its lowest point in the past two decades. Levounion showed the world that the empire was now on its way to recovery.

A New Hope for the Empire

• The Pechenegs were completely defeated, making the empire's lands in Europe safe again.
• Alexios proved himself as a great leader who saved Byzantium when it needed him most.
• A new feeling of hope spread among the war-weary Byzantines.

In the years that followed, the Byzantine Empire made an amazing comeback under Alexios and his family, known as the Komnenoi. Byzantine armies returned to Asia Minor. They took back much of the lost land, including fertile coastal areas and many important cities. With a strong government in charge again, the empire became rich over the next century. Constantinople once again became a major city of the Christian world.

So, the Battle of Levounion in 1091 was the start of a new period of power and influence for Byzantium. This period lasted for about a hundred years, until the end of the Komnenian dynasty in the late 12th century.

Sources

• Norwich, John Julius (1997), A Short History of Byzantium, Viking, ISBN: 0-679-77269-3
• Haldon, John (2001), The Byzantine Wars, Tempus, ISBN: 0-7524-1777-0
• Angold, Michael (1997), The Byzantine Empire, 1025–1204, A Political History, Longman, ISBN: 0-582-29468-1
• Memishoglu, Leon, Turks through History.