Battle of Kleidon (1014 AD)

Red -- Bulgarian Army (Tsar Samuel);
Blue -- Byzantine Army (Basil II);

The Battle:--

The Byzantine Army marched from Constantinople through Komotini, Drama, and Serres and reached the Rupel Gorge on the Struma River.  From there, the army entered the Strumitsa Valley and reached the vicinity of the village of Klyuch, where the river bent and approached Belasita and Ozgrazhden.  There the army was stopped by a thick wooden wall, defended by Bulgarian soldiers.  The Byzantines attacked the palisade immediately, but were repulsed with heavy casualties.

In response, Samuel sent a large army under one of the most able Bulgarian nobles, Nestoritsa, to strike southwards and draw the attention of Basil away from the seige at  Klyuch.  Nestoritsa's Bulgarians reached Thessolonica, but Byzantine troops under Theophylact Botaneiates, the strategos (Governor General) of the city and his son Mihail managed to defeat them outside the city in a bloody battle.  Theophylact captured  many soldiers and a large quantity of military equipment and then marched North to join Basil at Klyuch.

Basil's first attempt to overwhelm the defenders of the pass was unsuccessful and his army was unable to pass through the valley, which was defended by 15,000 -- 20,000 Bulgarians.  Despite the difficulties the Byzantine Emperor did not abandon the attack.  He ordered his general Nicephorus Xiphias to manuver his troops around the high Belasitsa mountain and surround the Bulgarians, while he continued assaults on the wall.  Xiphias led his troops along a steep path that led him to the Bulgarian's rear.  On July 29, Xiphias attacked the guards trapping them in the valley.  The Bulgarian soldiers abandoned their towers to face this new threat and Basil was able to break through the front line and destroy the wall.

In the confusion of the rout, thousands of Bulgarian soldiers were killed and the remainder desperately attempted to flee eastwards.   Samuel and his son Gabriel Radomir immediately headed to the East  from their headquarters in the Strumitsa fortress to aid their army, but in the desperate fighting near the village of Mokrievo (present day Republic of Macedonia) they were overwhelmed by the quickly advancing enemy.  Many Bulgarian soldiers were killed at Morievo and many more were captured.   Emperor Samuel himself barely escaped, only breaking free through the bravery of his son, who mounted his father on his own horse and took him to safety in Prilep.  From Prilep, Samuel returned to Prespa, while Gabriel Radomir headed towards Strumitsa to continue the struggle.

Battle of Manzikert, Map #3 of 3

5. Emperor orders army to withdraw in order;
6. Right wing troops panic and flee the field;
7. Left wing troops withdraw in order until attacked in rear by Seljuks (8);
8. Seljuk left wing troops attack withdrawing Byzantine Left (7);
9. Byzantine Reserve withdraws and abandons  the main army;
10. Main Seljuk troops surround the imperial center.

Battle of Manzikert, Map #2 of 3

3. Byzantine Center and reserve advance toward the Seljuk center;
4. Seljuks harry Byzantine Wings, which attempt to counterattack and begin to lose contact with the center.

Battle of Manzikert, Map #1 of 3

A. Byzantine second line and reserve -- Andronicus;

B. Byzantine first line first line right -- Andronicus;

C. Byzantine first line Center -- Romanos Diogenes;

D.Byzantine first line Left -- Bryennios;

1. Initial Byzantine Advance;

2. Sejuks attack and withdraw, harrying Byzantine Forces with archers.

Battle of Casillinum #2

This drawing is another view of the subject battle.  In this view the "Boar's Head" tactic of the "Frankish Wedge" is better shown, as well as the surprise of Herul's Infantry, as they crossed the bridge and confronted the already distracted Frankish troops at the front of the wedge.

(See August, 2011 for Battle #1)

Also in this view of the conflict, Herul's Infantry crossed the river to encounter the Franks, while the "Frankish Wedge" charged toward the river, rather than away from it as in View #1.  Since there are many descriptions of this battle from many different authors; most of whom did not see the battle and who wrote about such many years aferward, the viewer must choose his / her view of the battle that they think most reasonable.

Tower and Gate of St. Paul (Post of France), Fortress of Rhodes.

The construction of the complex of fortifications near the Grand Master's Palace was begun under Jean de Lastic (1437 - 1454), who also built the Cannon and St. Anthony Gates, as well as the Battery of the Olives.  Pierre d' Aubusson (1476 - 1503) had it strengthened with a thick earthen outwork, which was cut through with a gate (d'Amboise Gate) under Emery d'Amboise 1n 1512.  In 1514 Grand MasterFabrizo del Carretto had a caponier built in the ditch on the extreme north-west cornerof the fortress, beyond d'Amboise Gate.  The Gate of St. Paul as protected from the outside with a polygonal barbican.  Although the walls of the barbican were adjusted to accomodate artillery, they were fairly thin and crowned with a merloned parapet.

outwork -- Any defensive structure in front of the main enciente;

caponier -- A covered defensive passagemade in a dry ditch projecting away from the main enciente in the direction of te enemy.  It is sometimes connected to the main enciente with outworks.  It was chiefly designed for laying flanking fire along the ditch;

barbican --An outwork designed for the defence of agate or a bridge leading to a gate;

merlon --The upstanding sections of a parapet between embrasures, behind which defenders can shelter;

parapet -- A bank, of earth, or a wall over which a soldier may fire; also known as a breastwork;

enciente -- Th outline of the main line of defences, excluding minor outworks;

embrasures -- An opening in a parapet allowing artillery to fire through.

References:--

-Konstantin Nossov, "The Fortress of Rhodes 1309-1522," (Osprey, 2010);
-Ian Hogg, "The History of Fortification," (St. Martin's Press, 1981).

Battle of Arsuf, Sept. 1191

The Battle of Arsuf was fought along the coastline of the eastern Mediteranean in the land territory of Syria.  Richard-The Lion Heart commanded the crusader army that was moving down the coast after their capture of Acre.  Saladin commanded the Muslim army which attempted to stop them.  The Muslim mounted archers harrased the army in the days march (six miles) from the morning camp to the outskirts of the ruined city of Arsuf.  It was there that the Muslim Forces attacked the crusaders in strength and Richard sent three cavalry assaults (he commanding one of them), aganst the Muslims which scattered the Muslim army and gave him a victory.

Reference:

DeVeries, Kelley, "Battles of the Medieval World," Barnes and Noble, 2006