Journal Article

The expansion of the Seljuk in Asia Minor and the Levant at the expense of the Byzantine Empire

Sulayman, Salah A. A

2016

Overview

The Byzantine-Seljuk Wars were a series of decisive battles that shifted the balance of power in Asia Minor and Syria from the Byzantine Empire to the Seljuk Turks. Riding from the steppes of Central Asia, the Seljuk Turks replicated tactics practiced by the Huns hundreds of years earlier against a similar Roman opponent but now combining it with new-found Islamic zeal; in many ways, the Seljuk Turks resumed the conquests of the Muslims in the Byzantine-Arab Wars initiated by the Rashidun, Umayyad and Abassid Caliphate in the Levant, North Africa and Asia Minor. The war's outcome was determined as much by the weakness of the Byzantines as the strengths of the Seljuks. Nonetheless, the latter, just like the Arabs many years earlier, failed to destroy the Byzantine Empire. The Seljuk Turks, having originated from the steppes, possessed many advantages. At the battle of Manzikert, the Byzantine heavy cavalry was defeated using simple hit and run tactics, with the faster light cavalry of the Turks outflanking and outmanoeuvring the exhausted cavalry. Asia Minor was not completely overrun by the Turks after Manzikert but the resulting chaos that followed was easily exploited - Turkic soldiers had been used as Mamluks by the Arabs before seizing power themselves - the same occurred in Asia Minor, with Byzantine factions inviting Turkic mercenaries to garrison towns. As Imperial rule was re-imposed in Byzantium, these factions, which were secured by Turkic soldiers, became part of the Seljuk Turk domains. Some Greeks fled conquered areas, others stayed to become secondclass citizens in an Islamic world (though under Islamic rule were protected provided they paid the jizyah tax). More importantly, others converted and were assimilated into the settling population of Turks. Orthodox churches were replaced with Mosques and the crippling Imperial taxes levied by the government and the accompanying Church were lowered.

• Publisher: جامعة بنغازي - كلية التربية بالمرج
• Subject: آسيا الصغرى / الإمبراطورية البيزنطية / التوسع / بلاد الشام