Battle of Philomelion

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Byzantine-Seljuk wars


caption=
partof=|date=1117
place=Philomelion, Asia Minor
result=Byzantine victory [cite book|last=Norwich|first=John Julius|title=A Short History of Byzantium|location=New York|publisher= Vintage Books|year=1997|pages=p. 264]
combatant1=
commander1=Alexios I Komnenos
commander2=Sultan Malik Shahr
strength1=Unknown
strength2=Unknown
combatant2= Sultanate of Rum|] The Battle of Philomelion of 1117 occurred in the course of the Byzantine-Seljuk wars.

Following the success of the First Crusade and the failure of the Crusade of 1101, the Turks resumed their offensive operations against the Byzantines. Emperor Alexios I Komnenos, aged and suffering from an illness which proved to be terminal was unable to deal with the swift Turkish raids into what was left of Byzantine Anatolia. An attempt to take Nicaea in 1113 was thwarted by the Byzantines. Nonetheless in the aftermath of the Frankish invasions much land was re-consolidated by the Seljuk Turks under the centralized authority of Iconium where the Sultanate of Rum had established itself under Sultan Malik Shahr. Events of the battle are unclear but it appears to have ended favorably for the Byzantines. [cite book|last=Norwich|first=John Julius|title=A Short History of Byzantium|location=New York|publisher= Vintage Books|year=1997|pages=]

Aftermath

Alexios was nearing death - his ill condition meant that he could not fight the Sultan until a year after he had set out in 1116. Alexios' death in 1118 meant that the reconquest of Asia Minor would have to be left to his 31 year old son, John II Komnenos.

References

*cite book|last=Norwich|first=John Julius|title=A Short History of Byzantium|location=New York|publisher= Vintage Books|year=1997

Notes