The Battle of Beroia 1122 AD

 The Eastern Roman Empire finally turned itself from the path of steady decline leading to inevitable doom, 

and entered into a period of uneasy reconstruction for the decaying state. Emperor Alexios, though not always successful, put an enormous amount of work towards reviving the Byzantine economy, clamping down on separatist factions within the realm and securing a relatively strong position in the region. But in early 1118, while the trees in the gardens of Constantinople were blooming in abundance, the health of Emperor Alexios was steadily deteriorating. 

Even though he took care of the matter regarding his succession, naming his oldest son John as heir and co-emperor many years ago, Alexios’ declining vigor prompted his wife Irene and his oldest daughter Anna to scheme against John, planning to enthrone Anna’s husband Nikephoros instead. It would seem that the empire’s recently restored unity, was under threat.

 Half a year later, in the middle of August, Alexios fell ill once again, this time the ailment proving stronger than ageing man. 

Upon the death of his father, John acted swiftly to claim the imperial throne, anticipating the schemes of his immediate family. 

It’s worth adding, that his early success was partially made possible by his brother-in-law, Nikephoros, who refused to enter into the conspiracy, as he apparently disregarded the idea of revolt against the rightful heir, and remained John’s loyal retainer. The new emperor quickly emerged as a just and level-headed leader.

 Remembering his father’s struggle against various claimants throughout his reign, John solidified his position by banishing his scheming sister to a monastery and picking his advisors and generals from outside the Byzantine court. With his backing secured, and since his inherited empire was in quite good shape, mainly thanks to late Alexios’ tireless efforts, John was able to continue where his father had left off. His main goal, obviously, was to regain control of the lands of Anatolia, painfully torn away from the empire fifty years earlier in the wake of the disastrous Battle of Manzikert against the Seljuk Turks. 

Early in 1119 John assembled an army and began a robust campaign to reclaim the lost territory. In the span of the next three years, he wisely exploited the lack of unity among the Seljuk Turks and drove them back, capturing the cities of Laodicea and Sozopolis, thus connecting the isolated port of Attaleia. Subsequently, he reclaimed some territories along the southern coast, up to Armenian Cilicia, essentially restoring land communication with the Crusader States in Levant. Quite a remarkable feat, but John’s efforts to restore Byzantine rule on his new acquisitions was soon disrupted by an envoy arriving from the capital.

 The news was disconcerting: a Pecheneg horde had forced its way through the insufficient defences along the Danube and had entered the province of Paristrion. As the threat of losing such a rich province in the Balkans was too daunting, John had no other choice; he immediately ceased his campaign in Asia Minor and marched back to Europe, upon stationing a token force to secure his new holdings in Anatolia.

 Pecheneg invaders were not a new threat to the Eastern Romans, as throughout the 11th century, they frequently forayed into Byzantine lands. They were badly defeated roughly thirty years earlier by Emperor Alexios in Southern Thrace, but this time, another horde had crossed the Danube, most likely an expelled group from the steppes of Kievan Rus. 

Nevertheless, in the spring of the year 1122, eager to quickly dispel the unexpected threat, Emperor John marched his troops to meet the enemy, reported to be camping near the city of Beroia. Upon arriving to the location, John saw a large, well-fortified camp. The defensive wagon fort consisting of reinforced baggage carts linked together and a deep ditch dug up in front of them. Even the least experienced of the Eastern Roman soldiers could see, that forcing the Pecheneg camp to yield would be harder than one might have imagined. John was aware of this too and in order to increase his chances of a swift victory, he decided to deceive the enemy. Byzantine envoys were sent to offer the Pecheneg chieftains gifts and promises, but in fact it was just a half-hearted attempt to lower their guard. Yet this ploy actually worked and upon seeing some relaxation among the Pecheneg ranks, John commanded a significant part of his infantry to frontally attack the wagon fort. The rhythmic trudge of moving units filled the plain, as the Byzantines moved forward and, enduring the first salvoes from archers, eventually struck the wall of carts But by this time, the Pechenegs fortifications were again fully manned and ready to push back the enemy. The battle ensued, as imperial troops struggled to overcome the dogged defence of the Turkic nomads and force their way through. But just as the sun rose on the horizon, so too rose the casualties on John’s side. His men were additionally harassed by Pecheneg horse archers , who managed to ride behind the first line of the attackers and wreak havoc on their rear, only adding to the death toll. Soon, the Emperor was lightly wounded in the leg by an arrow, and upon realising that the attack was going nowhere, ordered a retreat. Though the gains were marginal, John didn’t give up and upon treating his wound came up with another bold plan. Yet another frontal attack was to be performed, but this time utilising the Varangian Guard as a spearhead of the second assault. The Varangian Guard was a foreign elite heavy infantry unit of the Eastern Roman Army, whose members served as personal bodyguards for the Emperor. With their flanks secured by other heavy troops, almost five hundred of the Emperor’s finest soldiers, mostly of Norse and Anglo-Saxon origin, advanced in the centre, leading the army to meet the enemy. The sight of hundreds of stalwart warriors, clad in superior armour glittering in the sun and armed with shields and long Danish axes moving steadily towards Pecheneg fortifications must have been daunting. Finally, the Varangian Guard, with incredible force, hit the defenders and another bloody struggle ensued. But this time, the attack yielded better results for the emperor. With morale boosted by the Emperor’s personal contribution, fighting side by side with his rank-and-file men, the Varangians swiftly hacked their way through the wagon fort and Pecheneg defenders behind it. This was a serious hit to the nomads’ spirit. Soon Byzantine soldiers managed to slowly breach the defensive line and in no time, many Pechenegs lost faith and ran from the battlefield. Many were killed and even more were taken into captivity in the general rout that followed. Despite some losses, it was a great victory for John Komnenos, whose bold tactics and usage of elite troops as a key element of his plan brought lasting fame for the Eastern Roman army and Varangians serving the Emperor. The Battle of Beroia soon proved to be the demise of the Pecheneg people as an independent force, which in turn significantly increased the safety of the European part of John’s empire, bringing him the gratitude of his people and adding to his ever growing fame as one of the most successful Eastern Roman Emperors. This video is sponsored by SquareSpace. If you’re looking for a platform to build a web-space that integrates functionality and versatility in a modular approach, then SquareSpace is the ally you’ve been looking for. With great features such as: Email Campaigning to promote your content and get your message heard. Social Sharing that lets you ingest and send out to all major social media platforms. And our personal favorite, Integrated Analytics providing key intel on what is drawing the most attention in your web-sphere. If you’re looking to put yourself out there, create content, provide services or just want to tell your own stories, then click the link in the discretion below, visit squarespace.com/bazbattles and not only will you be supporting our channel but you will save 10% on your first purchase, helping you put yourself out there.