Byzantine Battles: Battle of Dazimon

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4 th century

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5 th century

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6 th century

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7 th century

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8 th century

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9 th century

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10 th century

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11 th century

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12 th century

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13 th century

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14 th century

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15 th century

Battle of Dazimon (Battle of Anzen)	year: 838 22 July 838
A major defeat by the Arabs and a serious failure for Emperor Theophilos	★ ★ ★ ★ ★

enemy: Arabs (Abbasids)	location: At the fort of Dazimon, at a strategic position between Amaseia and Tokat in modern Turkey.	accuracy: ●●●●●
battle type: Pitched Battle	war: Byzantine-Muslim Wars	modern country: Turkey

	▼ The Byzantines(emperor: Theophilos)	▼ The Enemies
Commander:	Emperor Theophilos	Afshin Khaydar
Forces:	25,000 to 40,000	20,000 to 30,000 (incl. 10,000 Turkish horse-archers)
Losses:	Heavy	Heavy

Background story:

When the young and ambitious emperor Theophilos ascended the Byzantine throne (829) launched a series of moderately successful campaigns against the Arabs, allowing him to portray himself as a victorious warrior. In 837, Theophilos sacked the cities of Sozopetra and Arsamosata – the birthplace of the Abbasid Caliph- and forced Melitene to pay tribute.
In response, Caliph al-Mutasim launched a major punitive expedition, targeting the two major Byzantine cities of central Anatolia, Ancyra and Amorion. He gathered a vast army at Tarsus (80,000 men ), divided into two branches: One branch, under commander Afshin, would invade the Armeniac Thema from the region of Melitene, joining up with the forces of the city's emir, Omar al-Aqta. The southern, main force, under the Caliph himself, would pass the Cilician Gates into Cappadocia and head to Ancyra. After the city was taken, the Arab armies would join and march to Amorion.
In mid-June, Afshin crossed the Anti-Taurus Mountains and encamped at the fort of Dazimon, somewhere between Amaseia and Tokat, 280km east of Ankara. The Emperor marched east to confront him. On July 21, the imperial army came into view of the Arab force, and encamped on a hill named Anzen in the plain of Dazimon (probably modern Dazmana or Akçatarla), south of the fort of Dazimon.

The Battle:

Theophilos escaping in Anzen

The Byzantine army attacked at dawn, and initially made good progress: they drove back one wing of the opposite army, inflicting 3,000 casualties on the Arabs. Around noon, Theophilos resolved to reinforce the other wing, and detached 2,000 Byzantines and the “Kurdish” contingent (actually Khurramites Persians) to do so, abandoning his post and passing behind his own army's lines. At this point, however, Afshin launched his Turkish horse-archers in a ferocious counter-attack which blocked the Byzantine advance and allowed the Arab forces to regroup.
The Byzantine troops noticed the emperor's absence, and, thinking he had been killed, began to waver. This soon turned into a disorderly retreat. Some units, however, were apparently able to retreat in good order and assemble at a place called Chiliokomon.
Theophilos found himself isolated with his tagmata and the Kurds on the hill of Anzen. The Arabs proceeded to surround the hill, but the Byzantines were saved by a sudden rain, which loosened the strings of the Turkish bows, rendering them useless. Afshin then sent for catapults to be brought up to batter the Byzantine position.
At the same time, Theophilos' officers, afraid of treachery by the Khurramite troops, persuaded him to withdraw. Breaking through the Arab lines and suffering many wounds in the process, Theophilos and his small escort managed to reach safety at Chiliokomon, where he gradually re-assembled the remnants of his army.

Noteworthy:

It was the first confrontation of the Byzantine army with the Turkic nomads from Central Asia, whose descendants would emerge as Byzantium's major antagonists in the future.

Aftermath:

With rumors circulating of his death, Theophilos' fled to the capital. Ancyra and Amorion were captured by the Arabs.
The Byzantines counterattacked in 841 and captured Melitene; as a result, Mutasim agred to peace.
Theophilos died young in 842 and it is believed that his health had deteriorated after Anzen and never recovered.

Byzantine Battles

Battle of Dazimon

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