Battle of Sirmium
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The Battle of Sirmium was fought on July 8 1167 between the Byzantine Empire, (also known as Eastern Roman Empire), and the Kingdom of Hungary. The Byzantines achieved a decisive victory, forcing the Hungarians to sue for peace on Byzantine terms.
Background
During the 1150s and 1160s, the Kingdom of Hungary had been expanding its territory and influence, with a view to annexing the region around Dalmatia and Croatia. This was the cause of some tension with the Byzantine Empire, centred on Constantinople, which viewed Hungarian expansion as a potential threat to Byzantine dominance in the Balkans. Under emperor Manuel I Komnenos, the Byzantines began sending armies into the region, ostensibly to protect imperial interests and keep local leaders in line. In 1164, Manuel mobilised a large imperial army and marched north across the river Danube towards the fortress of Sirmium. Manuel determined to defeat the Hungarians in battle, in order to circumvent the threat posed to his empire by Hungarian expansion. Through the campaigning seasons on 1165 and 1166, the Byzantines launched a three pronged attack against the Kingdom of Hungary, but the Hungarian field army avoided pitched battle. However, in 1167 Manuel appointed Andronikos Kontostephanos to the command of his field army, with orders to bring the Hungarian army to battle.
The Battle
During the early summer of 1167, the Byzantine army under Andronikos managed to lure a combined Hungarian force to battle near Sirmium. According to Byzantine Historian John Haldon (who refers to the Byzantines as Romans, in deference to their status as the continuation of the eastern Roman Empire), the disposition of the two opposing armies was thus:
"Kontostephanos drew up his forces in three divisions, as usual, at some distance from the river Sava, to his rear. The main battle line was shielded by a screen of horse archers - Turks and Cumans - and some western mercenary knights, who had made up the vanguard of the army. The centre, which had constituted the rearguard on the march, was commanded by Kontostephanos himself, and consisted of the imperial guards units, including the Varangians and Hetaireiai, units of Italian mercenaries from Lombardy (probably lancers) and a unit of 500 Serbian allied infantry. On the left wing, which had been the second division on the march, were the regular Roman and allied units arrayed in four taxiarchies or 'brigades', and on the right - the third division on the march - were placed the elite Roman units and German mercenaries, together with some Turkish units. Behind each wing division, and following standard Roman practice, were placed units to cover the Roman flanks or to outflank the enemy and take him in the rear should the opportunity arise; and behind the centre was drawn up the reserve, three taxiarchies of infantry and archers, with a number of heavily armoured Turks, probably infantry also.
"The Hungarian commander drew his army up in three divisions in a single broad battle line. Although the Byzantine sources say that he mixed infantry and cavalry without distinction, this most probably reflects a battle order with infantry drawn up in the centre and behind the cavalry, upon which the Hungarians clearly relied for the effectiveness of their attack.
"The battle commenced with the Roman light-armed troops skirmishing forward to harry the opposing lines with arrows and persuade them to mount a charge, before which they were to retire. This was successful, and the whole Hungarian line surged forward. The Roman left wing, with the exception of two brigades, was immediately pushed back and broke in feigned rout towards the river, where it quicly reformed. In the centre and on the Roman right the charge was held. The Roman right then counter-charged, and at the same time the regrouped Roman left-wing units also charged, smashing into the Hungarians who were pinned by the two taxarchies which had not withdrawn. Kontostephanos now counter-attacked in the centre and ordered forward the infantry reserve along the whole front, driving the Hungarian forces back. The enemy divisions then began to break up in disorder and the whole Hungarian army turned to flight."
Aftermath
The Hungarians sued for peace on Byzantine terms. According to Michael Angold, they had to "accept Byzantine control of Dalmatia and Croatia, as well as the Fruška Gora; they agreed to provide hostages for good behavious; to pay Byzantium a tribute and supply troops." Furthermore, the crown of Hungary came under the sceptre of the Byzantine Emperor. Hungary became a client state of the Byzantine Empire, and the Emperor Manuel I Komnenos appointed his own choice, Bela of Hungary, as the new King of Hungary. The Battle of Sirmium completed Manuel's drive to secure his northern frontier, ending the threat to Byzantium that an independent Hungary had once posed.
Footnotes
Bibliography
- John Haldon - The Byzantine Wars
- Michael Angold - The Byzantine Empire 1025-1204
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