Manuel Komnenos repelled a Seljuk attack on Iconium in 1069, though the city was later sacked after a subsequent Byzantine defeat.
Key Facts
- Year
- 1069
- Byzantine commander
- Manuel Komnenos
- Seljuk commander
- Afshin (Turkoman)
- Initial outcome
- Byzantine victory; Seljuk attack repelled
- Later outcome
- Iconium sacked by Afshin after second campaign
- Conflict
- Byzantine–Seljuq wars, Alp Arslan's Anatolian raids
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Seljuk Turkoman commander Afshin, who had already sacked Caesarea and Amorium, sought to extend raids into central Anatolia. Emperor Romanos IV Diogenes was occupied campaigning against the Mirdasids at Hierapolis, leaving Iconium vulnerable to attack in late 1069.
Afshin led a Seljuk force against the Byzantine city of Iconium. The Byzantine general Manuel Komnenos counter-attacked and defeated Afshin in battle, successfully repelling the assault and defending the city during this initial engagement.
Following his defeat, Afshin regrouped and returned within months. He defeated the Byzantine commander Philaretos Brachamios near Melitene and subsequently sacked Iconium, reversing the earlier Byzantine success and demonstrating the fragility of Byzantine control in Anatolia.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Manuel Komnenos, Philaretos Brachamios.
Side B
1 belligerent
Afshin.