Alp Arslan consolidated his empire in Persia and by 1068 he began military incursions into the Byzantine Empire and directly engaged the Byzantine military. His many victories over the Byzantine forces encouraged his activities in Byzantine areas and drew a response from the Byzantine Emperor Romanus IV Diogenes. Romanus came to power with the intention of building an army that would protect the Byzantine frontiers.
The Byzantine forces, led by Romanus, surprised the forces of Alp Arslan on a few occasions in Celicia and were successful, driving back the Turks. Yet in 1071 Romanus again took the leadership of his army in the field and headed for Armenia with a massive army comprised of mainly Byzantine forces, as well as Turkish, French, and Norman troops. In 1071 Romanus and his troops met the army of Alp Arslan, led by the Sultan himself, at Mantzikert.
It was at Mantzikert that Alp Arslan's troops ultimately routed the Byzantine army and surprisingly captured the Emperor Romanus. The Byzantine army was dispersed and humiliated and their Emperor was a prisoner of the Sultan. To make matters worse, before the battle began, Alp Arslan had offered peace terms which had been rejected by the Emperor with scorn.
The results of the battle sent shock waves through Byzantium. After all, this army was the best that had been assembled in Byzantium to date and the Turkish calvary had slaughtered many of them. Although the Emperor was eventually ransomed, the Byzantines were made aware of the threat posed to them by the Turks. The balance of power in the region had clearly shifted considerably in Alp Arslan's favor, and the Byzantines knew it.
Negotiations between Byzantium and the West quickly followed, with Pope Gregory VII in 1074 considering sending as many as 50,000 western troops to fight on behalf of the Byzantine Empire. If the expedition had ever taken place, which it did not, it may have led to the calling of the First Crusade twenty years earlier than when it actually took place under Pope Urban II in 1095.
The shock of Alp Arslan's victory at Mantzikert and eventual domination over the Byzantines opened the Byzantines up to the idea of western intervention in the East and effectively may have served as the spark of the Byzantine request for help that led to the calling of the First Crusade.
Mantzikert- Crusades-Encyclopedia
Romanus IV Diogenes- Crusades-Encyclopedia
Pope Gregory VII- Crusades-Encyclopedia
Pope Urban II- Crusades-Encyclopedia
Background to the Crusades- Crusades-Encyclopedia
(c) Andrew Holt, May 2005- Permission is granted for electronic copying and print distribution for educational and personal use. No permision is granted for commercial use.