The Battle of Tzirallum was part of the

civil wars of the Tetrarchy The Civil Wars of the Tetrarchy were a series of conflicts between the co-emperors of the Roman Empire, starting in 306 AD with the usurpation of Maxentius and the defeat of Severus and ending with the defeat of Licinius at the hands of Cons ...

fought on 30 April 313 between the Roman armies of emperors

Licinius Valerius Licinianus Licinius (c. 265 – 325) was Roman emperor from 308 to 324. For most of his reign he was the colleague and rival of Constantine I, with whom he co-authored the Edict of Milan, AD 313, that granted official toleration to C ...

and Maximinus. The battle location was on the "Campus Serenus" at Tzirallum, identified as the modern-day town of

Çorlu Çorlu () is a northwestern Turkish city in inland Eastern Thrace that falls under the administration of the Province of Tekirdağ. It is a rapidly growing industrial centre built on flatland located on the motorway Otoyol 3 and off the highwa ...

, in

Tekirdağ Province Tekirdağ Province ( tr, Tekirdağ ili , ) is a province of Turkey. It is located in the East Thrace region of the country, also known as European Turkey, one of only three provinces entirely within continental Europe. Tekirdağ Province is borde ...

, in the Turkish region of

Eastern Thrace Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai * Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways * Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 *Eastern Air ...

. Sources put the battle between 18 and 36

Roman miles The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a British imperial unit and United States customary unit of distance; both are based on the older English unit of length equal to 5,280 English ...

from

Heraclea Perinthus Perinthus or Perinthos ( grc, ἡ Πέρινθος) was a great and flourishing town of ancient Thrace, situated on the Propontis. According to John Tzetzes, it bore at an early period the name of Mygdonia (Μυγδονία). It lay 22 miles west ...

, the modern-day town of Marmara Ereğlisi.

Background

After the death of

Galerius Gaius Galerius Valerius Maximianus (; 258 – May 311) was Roman emperor from 305 to 311. During his reign he campaigned, aided by Diocletian, against the Sasanian Empire, sacking their capital Ctesiphon in 299. He also campaigned across the D ...

in AD 311, there remained four emperors in the

Roman world The culture of ancient Rome existed throughout the almost 1200-year history of the civilization of Ancient Rome. The term refers to the culture of the Roman Republic, later the Roman Empire, which at its peak covered an area from present-day Lo ...

Constantine I Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to Constantine the Great and Christianity, convert to Christiani ...

, who controlled

Gaul Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, and

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

;

Maxentius Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maxentius (c. 283 – 28 October 312) was a Roman emperor, who reigned from 306 until his death in 312. Despite ruling in Italy and North Africa, and having the recognition of the Senate in Rome, he was not recognized ...

, in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

;

Maximinus Daza Galerius Valerius Maximinus, born as Daza (20 November 270 – July 313), was Roman emperor from 310 to 313 CE. He became embroiled in the Civil wars of the Tetrarchy between rival claimants for control of the empire, in which he was defeated ...

in Roman Asia and

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

; and

in Macedonia,

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

, and Illyricum.''An Encyclopedia of World History'', (Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 1952), ch. II., ''Ancient History'', p. 119 The expansionist ambitions of Maxentius and Maximinus led to a bellicose alliance of these princes against Constantine and Licinius, with the understanding that Maxentius would conquer the western provinces of

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

, and Maximinus the east. Constantine, sensing the threat, in turn drew closer to Licinius, and having assured himself of the latter's overt neutrality and secret support, unexpectedly attacked Maxentius in 312. Constantine invaded Italy and defeated Maxentius in a lightning campaign which culminated in the

battle of the Milvian Bridge The Battle of the Milvian Bridge took place between the Roman Emperors Constantine I and Maxentius on 28 October 312. It takes its name from the Milvian Bridge, an important route over the Tiber. Constantine won the battle and started on the pa ...

where the latter was killed. After reducing the last holdouts of Maxentius' partisans, the victor addressed a friendly dispatch to Licinius, arranging to meet him at

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

where the Illyrian emperor was to wed his sister, in a formal ratification and celebration of their alliance.Gibbon, p. 368 Meanwhile, Maximinus, on the basis of his agreement with Maxentius, had been mobilizing for war, though he concealed his intentions from Licinius with carefulness and success; as soon as his forces were prepared, though it was the middle of winter, he marched hurriedly with his army of 70,000 men through Anatolia from Antioch, arriving opposite

Byzantium Byzantium () or Byzantion ( grc, Βυζάντιον) was an ancient Greek city in classical antiquity that became known as Constantinople in late antiquity and Istanbul today. The Greek name ''Byzantion'' and its Latinization ''Byzantium'' cont ...

while the Illyrian emperor was still at Milan. Maximinus' anxiety to catch Licinius unprepared had led to much equipment, not to mention morale, being lost in the winter march through the harsh provinces of Asia-Minor. As soon as Licinius received news of the enemy's attack, Licinius hastened from Milan to meet the invasion, assembling the resources of Illyria in his hurried course through the province. Maximinus had crossed the

Bosphorus The Bosporus Strait (; grc, Βόσπορος ; tr, İstanbul Boğazı 'Istanbul strait', colloquially ''Boğaz'') or Bosphorus Strait is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul in northwestern Tu ...

, captured Byzantium, and then besieged the town of

, which he captured after a siege of eight days. Maximinus moved ahead to the "first station", 18 miles beyond Heraclea. On arriving there, news reached him that Licinius, coming from

Adrianople Edirne (, ), formerly known as Adrianople or Hadrianopolis (Greek: Άδριανούπολις), is a city in Turkey, in the northwestern part of the province of Edirne in Eastern Thrace. Situated from the Greek and from the Bulgarian borders, ...

had already pitched camp with his force at the second station, 18 miles further ahead. Because of the scant time allowed him for preparation, Licinius was outnumbered by over two-to-one, possessing only 30,000 soldiers. It is recorded that an attempt at negotiation took place before the conflict, but was broken off after bad faith was revealed on both sides, after which it was decided to settle the matter by arms. The battle location, Tzirallum, is identified with the contemporary town of Tzouroulon, which is the modern Turkish city of

The battle

In spite of his marked numerical disadvantage, Licinius won a complete victory, shattering the eastern legions and reducing Maximinus to the inglorious expedient of flight. The greater discipline and experience of Licinius and his army contributed to the victory of the Illyrian legions.

Aftermath

After his defeat, Maximinus attempted to regroup, hoping to raise a new army with which to encounter Licinius; amongst other measures, he reversed his policy of persecuting

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

, which had only played to the favor of his rival. However, though his resources might have sufficed to prolong the war for a considerable time against Licinius, and the latter apparently hesitated to pursue him, hostilities terminated with Daza's death of disease in Tarsus,

Cilicia Cilicia (); el, Κιλικία, ''Kilikía''; Middle Persian: ''klkyʾy'' (''Klikiyā''); Parthian: ''kylkyʾ'' (''Kilikiyā''); tr, Kilikya). is a geographical region in southern Anatolia in Turkey, extending inland from the northeastern coa ...

, several months after Tzirallum. Upon his competitor's death, Licinius took over the eastern provinces without a struggle.Gibbon, p. 369. As a result of this victory, and Constantine's against

, a new balance of power was formed in the empire, with west facing east. Ultimately, after two more civil wars in which Licinius was defeated, in 314 and 324,

would emerge as the sole and unchallenged ruler of the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediterr ...

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tzirallum Battles involving the Roman Empire History of Tekirdağ Province 310s conflicts 313 310s in the Roman Empire

Background

The battle

Aftermath

See also

Notes

References