On August 26, 1071, the Byzantine army under Emperor Romanos IV Diogenes was decisively defeated by the Seljuk forces of Sultan Alp Arslan near Manzikert in eastern Anatolia, and the emperor himself was taken prisoner. The Byzantine collapse was hastened by internal treachery – general Andronikos Doukas abandoned the field with the rearguard, leaving the emperor’s forces encircled and unable to retreat. Though not catastrophic in immediate casualties, the battle proved to be a devastating blow to Byzantine military prestige, opening Anatolia to Seljuk expansion and setting the empire on a long, irreversible path of decline.
Seljuk, 5th installment in acclaimed Levy & Campaign series, tells the story of four years leading to this climactic battle. However, wouldn’t that be great to try to reenact that epic clash using the game components and mechanics?
This is exactly what I am doing in the following material – not only explaining the battle mechanics of Seljuk but also showing how this battle could look like. For more impatient readers, I can assure you that the result of this experiment was… historical 🙂
Enjoy!