A Gilded Cross
The Call to Arms
A contemporary painting of Pope Gregory VII giving his famous speech at Azio
If you asked the every day person about the battle of Manzikert they would have no idea what you were talking about none the less it’s importance to world events. Yet for so much of history, a single event can become the catalyst of so much more. Yet how this battle in Anatolia effect anything things as far away as New World. The answer is simple. Because without Manzikert there would have been no Crusade. But before we touch upon the effects of Manzikert, lets look deeper in to the battle that made two world clash.
Alp Arslan, the Sultan of the Sejuk Empire desired the lands of the Archaic Roman Empire. Rome was lead by the Emperor Romano IV who was seen a decent king, but nothing spectacular. When Arslan attack Romanos IV pride bested him and chose to lead the armies himself over allowing his skilled general and future Emperor Nikephoros Breynnios. The battle was a disaster for the Romans, miscommunication and political rivalry in the Byzantine Empire cause the Romans to retreat in a full route. Andronikos Doukas fled the battlefield with most of his troops dooming the Roman army to take the throne, knowing that without his help Romanos would die. Yet Romanos did not die, he was captured by the Turks and brought before Sultan Arslan. Arslan doubting that the prisoner before him was the emperor threw him to the ground stepped on his throat and demanded that he tell him who he was his reply was simple, ‘My name is Romanos Diogones Emperor of Rome, and loser of the empire. “. After this Arslan stood him up and offered him a treaty asking that Roman cede all of Anatolia to him and the Rome would pay him a ransom for his return, he agreed. Romanos would not remain on the throne long a coup by Andronikos made him powerless and he fled into exile into Holy Roman Empire then to Rome.
Many believe that it is Gregory VII meetings with the exiled Emperor Romanos increase his fevour and desire to launch a crusade, and he had already ask Catholic to help the Byzantines against the Turks. Yet upon meeting Romanos himself, his passion in the matter changed completely. Now Pope Gregory VII was now completely sold on a crusade to regain the holy land and restore the Byzantine Empire and its true Emperor to it’s heights. Gregory with the backing of major cardinals called a council to be held in Anzio, it’s agenda was not specified. Hundreds of men of the cloth, and foreign dignitaries from all the way from Sweden came to Azio for this council none knowing what they were meeting for. In a main chapel in the center of the city Gregory appeared before the confused crowd and delivered a well prepared speech. There is a section from said speech here.
“ Loyal men of Christ, I come here with a message. I message of such importance, divinity, and purpose. A message sent to me from the heavens. A message sent from the almighty himself. This message sent from the heavens is this, men of the cloth, warriors of Christ go forth to the holy land and liberate it from the heathens. Return the Christ glory, to land of his birth. Return his glory to land of God. Due this and path to Hevean is yours … Now men of god, with the blessing of all-powerful, we shall rise, we shall conqueror! And we shall avenge the deaths of our brothers and our sisters, and retake what is rightfully ours! Go forth onto your lands and gather the loyal men of Christ, assemble under the humble cross and march to the Holy Land.” With this speech Gregory had started one of the biggest conflicts between the East and West. The Crusades had begun.