The First Reign of Manuel Komneus, 1070 - 1090
Fighting the long defeat
Romanus' Secret History:
The young emperor Komneus quickly established his capital at his family's ancient home in Ankyra. From this central location, he plotted the course his war would take.
His first act upon receiving the purple, it is often said, was to pronounce a sentence of death against Caesar Konstantinos. While this was not precisely true, he had made several minor proclamations in the interest of gaining the rubber stamp of the surviving Imperial Senate and affirming his hold on the army, it was this proclamation he wanted sent to the Serbian and Bulgarian leaders. It was his hope that by bringing the rebellious nobles back to the table, he would be able to quickly rout the Turk and restore order in the Empire.
Unfortunately, unknown to Komneus, upon word of the death of Constantine X, both of the rebellous nobles claimed the Empire for their own. Both received rubber stamps from surviving members of the Imperial Senate that had fled to their lans. Both truly believed, blinded by their ambition, that they could take the Empire for themselves. And with Constantinople in enemy hands, and the bureurocracy spintered in the fall thereof, who was to say who was the rightful Emperor? There was even mumuring in Komneus' own family that he should step aside to the young Palaeogian duke.
With no quick resolution in sight to the civil war, Komneus turne his attention to the invaders. Taking back Constantinople would involve a long bloody siege, and he no longer had men to spare. Instead he turned his attention to repulsing the enemy from his border.
In this he was greatly hindered, as he was left only with what remained on the Imperial army, along with his family's personal army to fight overwhelming odds. The provincial armies were being wiped out daily by the assaults of the heathen, and most of their armies were already in the field, and would not surrender themselves to Imperial command.
By November of 1070, the Emperor had gathered together those that would come to his call. They numbered, to my own count, only about nine thousands of men. Reviewing his troops, it is said by some that Komneus exclaimed to himself " So few. So few. But If Stilicho I must be, then Stilicho I will be!" True or not, the exclamation captured the tenacity and bitterness that the last Emperor would bring to bear against his foes.
But all for not. After several successful scurmishes against the Turk throughout early Ten Seventy-one, Komneus brought the full wrath of his Roman army to bear against a smaller Turkish force outside the small town of Manzikert. The Emperor could have had no idea what was in store for him. The 'small barbarian army' his scouts reported was actually the main army of the Seljuks.. the main body of which had somehow been hidden from the Imperial scouts. A mystery that remains, twenty years later, as mysterous as ever. There are those, of course, who claim that the scouts were bought off..
As he approached battle field, he and his men were shocked to see what lie in store for them. His forces were outnumbered by at least three to one. Yet, Komneus would not yield the day. He devised a clever strategeum of feint and retreat to draw the Turkish army to its defeat as between hammer and anvil. But it was not to be, and though his men fought hard and long, through a week of tough desperate fighting, Komneus' army was devastated down to a tenth of it's previous number. But the Turks army had also suffered terrible casualties, and though he did make great gain across Armenia minor, his ambitions were sated for that year at least.
During the long winter of Ten Seventy-one, Komneus and his men waiting for the coming spring, beaten but still proud. But though they would fight valiantly, they would continue to lose ground year by year, until the enemy had, by 1085, stormed its way within miles of the Imperial capital of Ankyra.
In the west, things were not much better. Though a fragile truce held since the great defeats of ten seventy-one, all in the region were quite certain that the cease-fire could not hold. As defeat piled upon defeat, and the final collapse of Komneus' Empire drew nearer, those jackals in the west finally made their move. Their armies stormed into the remaining Imperial lands of the west. Komneus left the defense of the east in the hands of his young son Kyriakos, and brought what force he could spare to curb the advance of his foes. Kyriakos. Kyriakos the black. Kyriakos the foul. Words enough I do not have to curse that abortion of a boy. Kyriakos who had been raised on the campaign, at his father's side. Kyriakos the genius. Kyriakos the fool.
Pardon, I digress. At this time, Kyriakos was still seen by the Emperor as his heir and son, as a military prodigy who could be trusted to oversee his army, even at the age of sixteen. Indeed, he was beloved by the men. Even I, who looked upon the man with my own eyes, could not imagine the treason he held within him.
But it was then, on the eve of destruction, something happened that Komneus could never have predicted.. though he had long prayed for. First, the Bishop of Rome had declared a crusade against the Fatimids, obstensively with the goal of liberating Jerusalem. Secondly, a delegation of Russian and Georgian states offered its support to stave off the Empire's foes.
For the last time in many years, I suspect Manuel must have had real hope.
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