On 26 August 1071 the Byzantine emperor Romanos IV Diogenes met the Seljuk sultan Alp Arslan near Manzikert in eastern Anatolia. Betrayed by a rival general whose troops left the field, the emperor was defeated and taken prisoner.
The fateful defeat
It was not the bloodiest battle of its age, and the sultan released his captive. Yet Manzikert is remembered as one of the most fateful defeats in history: a rich empire that had held eastern Anatolia for centuries lost the ground it stood on, and never fully got it back.1
Tannenberg, 1914
On 26 to 30 August 1914 the German Eighth Army under Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff surrounded and destroyed the Russian Second Army of Alexander Samsonov in East Prussia. Some 92,000 to 95,000 Russians were taken prisoner, while German losses were comparatively slight. Our article on the Battle of Tannenberg covers the battle in detail. › Battle of Tannenberg, 1914
Also on this day
1278: Battle on the Marchfeld. On the Marchfeld near Dürnkrut, King Ottokar II of Bohemia fought the German king Rudolf I of Habsburg and his Hungarian ally Ladislaus IV over the old Babenberg lands.
Frequently asked questions
When and where was the Battle of Manzikert?
It was fought on 26 August 1071 near Manzikert (modern Malazgirt) in eastern Anatolia, during the wars between Byzantium and the Seljuk Turks.
Who fought at Manzikert?
The Byzantine army of Emperor Romanos IV Diogenes against the Seljuk army of Sultan Alp Arslan.
When was the Battle of Tannenberg?
It was fought from 26 to 30 August 1914 in East Prussia, early in the First World War.
Notes
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