The Battle of Pelagonia is a battle that took place in August or September 1259 between the troops of the Nicene Empire under the leadership of John Paleolog and the combined forces of the "anti- Nicene " coalition: the Kingdom of Epirus , the Achaean Principality, and the Sicilian Kingdom . Ended up with the victory of the Nicene people.
| Battle of Pelagonia | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| date | August or September 1259 | ||
| A place | Pelagonia | ||
| Total | victory of the Nicene people | ||
| Opponents | |||
| |||
| Commanders | |||
| |||
| Forces of the parties | |||
| |||
| Losses | |||
| |||
Content
Previous Events
Battle Progress
The tactics used by the Nicene people in this battle was primitive. The heavy cavalry of the Nicaeans, including German and Hungarian mercenaries, held the defenses on the hill, while the Kuman (Polovtsian) and Turkish horse archers, as well as the Bethina light infantry attacked the enemy at the foot of the hill. Nicaeans also managed to mislead the enemy, driving cattle to remove, creating the appearance of a large army.
Summary
The son of Michael II, John and other noble Greeks from the camp of Michael II appeared to John Paleolog and took an oath of allegiance to the Nicene emperor .
Most Sicilians either died or were captured. Their king Manfred managed to escape.
William II Villardouin fled the battlefield, but was identified near Kastoria and captured. Subsequently, in order to regain freedom, the Frankish sovereign had to cede the Greeks Monemvasius , Main and Mystra under the 1262 treaty. The defeat of the forces of the Achaean principality doomed the death of the Latin Empire , which did not have more powerful allies. Two years later, in 1261, she fell. In Constantinople, Michael VIII Palaeologist restored the Byzantine Empire .
Further war between the Nicene Empire and Epirus was with varying success and ended with the conclusion of a truce.
Literature
- Skazkin S.D. (editor's office). The collection "History of Byzantium" T.3 Chapter IV . - M .: Science, 1967.