Pecheneg revolt
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Pecheneg revolt was an uprising of the Pechenegs against the Byzantine Empire, which lasted from 1049 to 1053.
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| Pecheneg revolt | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Pechenegs defeating the Rus, from the Madrid Skylitzes | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Byzantine Empire | Pechenegs | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Constantine IX Monomachos Constantine Arianites (DOW) Katakalon Kekaumenos Hervé Frankopoulos Constantine/Nikephoros (rhaiktor) Constantine (hetaireiarches) Samuel Bourtzes Michael Dokeianos † Niketas Glabas Basil † Demetrios Katakalon Michael Akolouthos Bryennios Nikephoros Botaneiates |
Tyrach Soultzous † Selte Karaman Kataleim | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | 15,000 in 1049, many more as the war went on | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
Background
In early 1049, the Byzantine emperor Constantine IX Monomachos decided to transfer 15,000 Pecheneg warriors, from the 100,000 Pechenegs that had migrated into the region,[1] from their positions in the Balkans to the eastern front. Upon approaching the Bosporus, however, they decided to turn back, and slowly marched through Bulgaria until they reached the Byzantine city of Serdica. They were soon joined by the followers of the Pecheneg warlord Tyrach, who was imprisoned in Constantinople, and the former Pecheneg tribal leader Kegen, and raised the banner of revolt.[2]
Revolt
Dampolis
The Pecheneg army soon began to plunder the area around Adrianople. The local doux Constantine Arianites defeated a few small Pecheneg units on his way to Dampolis, but was soundly defeated when he engaged the main body and retreated to Adrianople, from where he informed the emperor. Soon, Constantine IX decided to release Tyrach from prison on the condition that he pacify his followers. Predictably, he joined them instead.[2] The emperor soon brought his eastern armies to the west, but they, under the command of the doux of the East Katakalon Kekaumenos, rhaiktor Constantine (or Nikephoros) and Hervé Frankopoulos, were soundly defeated, and Kekaumenos was severely injured. At this point the Pechenegs were able to raid across Macedonia and Thrace with impunity.[3][2]
Adrianople
In the spring of 1050, another army was mobilised, led by the Arab eunuch and hetaireiarches Constantine, who gathered forces from both the western and eastern tagmata. He set camp near Andrianople and built strong fortifications. While senior military officers were holding a meeting in the hetaireiarches' tent, the patrician and commander of the infantry, Samuel Bourtzes, left the fortifications with his troops and attacked the Pechenegs without waiting for Constantine's signal. As a result, the entire army was drawn into a battle with the Pechenegs, was defeated and retreated behind the fortifications. At that point, the Pechenegs attempted to storm the camp, but one of their leaders named Soultzous was killed and a regiment from the Scholae under protospatharios Niketas Glabas came to reinforce the Byzantines. The Pechenegs soon withdrew after learning that more reinforcements were coming under the former synkellos and doux of Bulgaria, Basil.[4] The Byzantines did not suffer great losses, but Constantine Arianites died because of his wounds, and a veteran commander from Italy, Michael Dokeianos, was taken prisoner, and after managing to kill a Pecheneg chief, was torn apart.[5][6][7]
Arcadiopolis and Rentakion
The Pechenegs renewed their attacks in late 1050 or early 1051, with a very large force, described as "innumerable" by Michael Attaleiates, invading Thrace. An unnamed Byzantine commander was dispatched against them by the Emperor, meeting the Pechenegs in a pitched battle at Arcadiopolis. Stephenson suggests this commander may be identified with the Katepan of Paradounavon, Demetrios Katakalon, to whom a number of seals are attested from this period.[8] The Pechenegs resisted fiercely, but were ultimately broken by the attack of the Byzantine cavalry, which conducted a vigorous pursuit that dealt severe losses to the defeated nomads. The Pechenegs then regrouped at Rentakion, where a separate raiding column reinforced them, and met the Byzantines in a second battle. The Pechenegs were defeated once again, with their scattered warriors escaping into nearby forests and valleys.[9]
Goloe, Toplitzos and Charioupolis
With the nomads driven back from Thrace, the emperor adopted new tactics, in order to engage the Pecheneg contingents which were raiding other provinces. He organized the formation of multiple counter-guerrilla units, largely made up of Varangians, Franks and other Westerners under the commander Bryennios and the Varangian captain Michael Akolouthos, in order to counter the Pechenegs with their own tactics.[7] For three years the Byzantine guerrillas fought successfully against the Pechenegs. They defeated them in Goloe and in their encampment at Toplitzos and even annihilated a sizable contingent close to Charioupolis.[10]
Zygos Pass
As these victories and further successes pushed the Pechenegs back, by 1053 the land South of Haemus was secured and Constantine IX was able to organize another regular army. This force, under the command of Michael Akolouthos and the doux Basil, marched against the Pecheneg encampment near Preslav and besieged it.[7] However, the Pechenegs withstood behind their palisade, and when the Byzantine army began to run short of supplies, its leadership decided to abandon the siege and withdraw. Exploiting this, the Pechenegs under Tyrach marched out, managing to circumvent the Byzantines and prepare an ambush for them along their route of march at the Zygos Pass. The Byzantines were defeated with severe losses, however a large number of their cavalry were saved due to the actions of one of the Byzantine commanders, Nikephoros Botaneiates. He rallied these horsemen and fought his way out of the trap with them. Maintaining a tight formation to defend against attacks from the Pecheneg horse archers, he led these soldiers in a 12-day fighting retreat towards Adrianople. During the course of the retreat, the Pechenegs launched several attacks to break the Byzantines, but these were repulsed with heavy losses by Nikephoros' men, who reached the safety of the city.[11]
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Negotiated settlement
Following this failed campaign, Constantine intended to organise another expedition, but as the Pechenegs were exhausted after years of fighting and massive losses, they initiated negotiations.[12] A peace treaty was signed, where the Pechenegs were forced to cede all of their conquests to the Byzantines, likely in exchange for some form of autonomy.[7]
Aftermath
In the summer of 1059, during the reign of Isaac Komnenos, the Pechenegs revolted again with support from the Kingdom of Hungary, which was at war with the Byzantines. After peace was restored at Serdica, most of the Pechenegs stopped fighting and submitted to Issac, except for the chief and veteran of the previous revolt, Selte, who continued to fight in a position in the lower Danube, until his seat was destroyed and he was captured by imperial forces.[13][14]