Byzantine Battles: Battle of Satala

▶

4 th century

▶

5 th century

▶

6 th century

▶

7 th century

▶

8 th century

▶

9 th century

▶

10 th century

▶

11 th century

▶

12 th century

▶

13 th century

▶

14 th century

▶

15 th century

Battle of Satala	year: 530 summer 530
A Byzantine victory against the Persians	★ ★ ★ ★ ★

enemy: Sassanid Persians	location: Modern Sadak , Gümüshane Province, Turkey	accuracy: ●●●●●
battle type: Pitched battle	war: Iberian War (526-532)	modern country: Turkey

	▼ The Byzantines(emperor: Justinian I)	▼ The Enemies
Commander:	Generals Sitτas & Dorotheus	Mihr-Mihroe (Mermeroes)
Forces:	15,000	30,000
Losses:

Background story:

In spring 530, the Persian attack in Mesopotamia met with defeat at the Battle of Daras. The Persian shah, Kavadh I decided to take advantage of his successes in the northern front, in Caucasus area (and, also, of the absence of the main Byzantine army) and sent an army into Byzantium's Armenian provinces under general Mihr-Mihroe (Mermeroes).
The army was composed mostly of Persarmenians and Savnitae from the northern Caucasus, as well as 3,000 Sabirs.
Mihr-Mihroe headed for Satala, and set up his camp outside the city walls. The Byzantine forces, under generals Sittas and Dorotheus, did not engage him. Sittas, with a 1000 men, took position in the hills around the city, while the bulk of the Byzantine army of 14,000 men remained with Dorotheus inside the walls.

The Battle:

Sassanid warriors

On the next day, the Persians surrounded the city and prepared for a siege. At this point, Sittas with his detachment sallied forth from the hills. The Persians, seeing them raising much dust and thinking that they were the main Byzantine army, quickly gathered their forces and turned to meet them. Dorotheus then led his own men to attack the Persian rear.

Despite their disadvantageous position, facing attack from both front and rear, the Persian army resisted effectively, due to its greater numbers. At one point however a Byzantine commander, Florentius the Thracian, charged his unit into the Persian center and managed to capture Mihr-Mihroe's battle standard. Although he was killed soon after, the loss of the flag caused fear among the Persian ranks. Their army began to retreat to their camp, abandoning the battlefield with heavy losses.

Aftermath:

A success for the Byzantine army that was followed by the defection of a number of Persarmenian chieftains to the Empire and the capture of important fortresses, like Bolum and Pharangium (which protected a royal Persian gold mine).