In 1303, the
Byzantine Emperor
The foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, which Fall of Constantinople, fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as legitimate rulers and exercised s ...
Andronicus II Palaeologus hired 6,500
Catalan mercenaries under
Roger de Flor to campaign against the Turks in the spring and summer of the same year. Their costly service came with success, driving back the Turks in parts of
Asia Minor
Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...
.
At
Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
, 18,000 Turkish soldiers (possibly those of
Aydinids) were left dead, the work of the Catalans.
However, the Byzantines got more than what they bargained for; the mercenaries were difficult to restrain and consequently much of the reconquered territory was laid to waste. When their leader Roger de Flor was assassinated in
Gallipoli on 3 April 1305 by
Michael IX Palaeologus followed by a massacre of 1,300
Catalans,
the mercenaries began a two-year pillage in revenge and crossed over to
Thrace
Thrace (, ; ; ; ) is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe roughly corresponding to the province of Thrace in the Roman Empire. Bounded by the Balkan Mountains to the north, the Aegean Sea to the south, and the Black Se ...
and
Macedonia under the command of their new leader, Berenguer d'Entença,
where further raiding occurred. As a result of this brutality, the Company was excommunicated by
Pope Clement V
Pope Clement V (; – 20 April 1314), born Raymond Bertrand de Got (also occasionally spelled ''de Guoth'' and ''de Goth''), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 5 June 1305 to his death, in April 1314. He is reme ...
.
Eventually the Catalan mercenaries claimed the
Duchy of Athens
The Duchy of Athens (Greek language, Greek: Δουκᾶτον Ἀθηνῶν, ''Doukaton Athinon''; Catalan language, Catalan: ''Ducat d'Atenes'') was one of the Crusader states set up in Greece after the conquest of the Byzantine Empire during ...
for themselves in 1311 and would remain there until 1379,
leaving behind a devastated Byzantium. After this, the Turks found much support amongst those who suffered and reoccupied land that had been lost.
Thus, the Catalans' campaign was a short-term Byzantine victory, but benefited the Turks in the long term.
Strength of forces
Initially the
Catalan Company, from Aragon, arrived in Constantinople in 1303 with 39 ships and 6,500 men, which consisted of 1,500 horsemen, 4,000
Almogavars and 1,000 footsoldiers, most of whom were
Aragonese,
Catalans and
Valencians from the
Crown of Aragon
The Crown of Aragon (, ) ;, ; ; . was a composite monarchy ruled by one king, originated by the dynastic union of the Kingdom of Aragon and the County of Barcelona (later Principality of Catalonia) and ended as a consequence of the War of the Sp ...
.
These forces were later reinforced by 300 horsemen and 1,000 Almogavars
and later, they were joined by 300 horsemen and Berenguer d'Entença.
After the murder of Roger de Flor the Byzantines killed so many of the Company that only 3,307 men remained.
These numbers were further reduced to 206 horseman and 1,256 after an encounter with
Genoese forces, according to
Muntaner.
Before leaving
Gallipoli the company was joined by a Turkish force consisting of 800 horseman and 2,000 footsoldiers.
who was a soldier from Catalonia and chronicler, wrote that during a battle in 1304 the Company fought against nearly 30,000
Turks (10,000 cavalry and 20,000 infantry) of which 18,000 (6,000 cavalry and 12,000 infantry) supposedly lay dead.
See also
*
*
Great Catalan Company
*
Ramon Muntaner
*
Chronicle of Muntaner
*
History of the sword
References
Bibliography
*Georg Ostrogorsky, Storia dell'Impero bizantino, Milano, Einaudi, 1968, .
*John Julius Norwich, Bisanzio, Milano, Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, 2000, .
*Alain Ducellier, Michel Kapla, Bisanzio (IV-XV secolo), Milano, San Paolo, 2005, .
*A History of the Crusades: Volume III — The Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries, ed. Harry W. Hazard, University of Wisconsin Press: Madison, 1975.
*Setton, Kenneth M. Catalan Domination of Athens 1311–1380. Revised edition. Variorum: London, 1975.
*Jacques Heers, Chute et mort de Constantinople, 1204-1453, éditions Perrin
*Donald M. Nicol, Les Derniers siècles de Byzance, 1261-1453, éditions Les Belles Lettres {{ISBN, 2-251-38074-4
1300s conflicts
Anatolian beyliks
1300s in the Byzantine Empire
Catalan Company
1300s in the Middle East
1303 in Asia
1307 in Asia
Military campaigns involving the Byzantine Empire
Rebellions against the Byzantine Empire