The siege of Berat in
Albania by the forces of the
Angevin Kingdom of Sicily
The Kingdom of Sicily ( la, Regnum Siciliae; it, Regno di Sicilia; scn, Regnu di Sicilia) was a state that existed in the south of the Italian Peninsula and for a time the region of Ifriqiya from its founding by Roger II of Sicily in 1130 un ...
against the
Byzantine garrison of the city took place in 1280–1281.
Berat was a strategically important fortress, whose possession would allow the Angevins access to the heartlands of the Byzantine Empire. A Byzantine relief force arrived in spring 1281, and managed to ambush and capture the Angevin commander,
Hugo de Sully Hugh of Sully (french: Hugues de Sully) was a general under the Sicilian King Charles of Anjou. He was nicknamed "the Red" ("''le Rousseau''") on account of his red hair.
A Burgundian knight of fiery and haughty temperament, according to the chro ...
. Thereupon, the Angevin army panicked and fled, suffering heavy losses in killed and wounded as it was attacked by the Byzantines. This defeat ended the threat of a land invasion of the Byzantine Empire, and along with the
Sicilian Vespers marked the end of the Western threat to reconquer Byzantium.
Background
Ever since the Emperor
Michael VIII Palaiologos (r. 1259–1282) recovered
Constantinople from the
Latin Empire in 1261, the restored
Byzantine Empire faced the threat of a
Latin crusade
The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were i ...
to reclaim the city. The antagonistic Greek
Despotate of Epirus
The Despotate of Epirus ( gkm, Δεσποτᾶτον τῆς Ἠπείρου) was one of the Greek successor states of the Byzantine Empire established in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade in 1204 by a branch of the Angelos dynasty. It claim ...
and the
Latin states of southern Greece, fearful of the Byzantine resurgence, sought aid from the
Kingdom of Sicily
The Kingdom of Sicily ( la, Regnum Siciliae; it, Regno di Sicilia; scn, Regnu di Sicilia) was a state that existed in the south of the Italian Peninsula and for a time the region of Ifriqiya from its founding by Roger II of Sicily in 1130 un ...
, first under
Manfred of Sicily (r. 1258–1266), and after 1266 under the ambitious
Charles of Anjou (r. 1266–1285), who quickly established himself as Byzantium's chief antagonist. Countering the Angevin ruler's alliances and efforts to conquer Byzantium would occupy the remainder of Michael VIII's reign.
In 1258, the Sicilians took possession of the island of
Corfu
Corfu (, ) or Kerkyra ( el, Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, , ; ; la, Corcyra.) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the margin of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The isl ...
and the
Albanian coast, from
Dyrrhachium to
Valona and
Buthrotum and as far inland as
Berat. This gave Manfred a strategically vital beachhead in the Balkans, controlling the western terminus of the great
Via Egnatia, the main overland route to Constantinople. Already in the 11th and 12th centuries, the same area had been the target of the
Normans of southern Italy in their
attacks on the Empire. After overthrowing Manfred, in the
Treaty of Viterbo (1267) Charles secured his recognition as Manfred's heir. In 1272, the Latin notables who had held the fortresses of Valona,
Kanina, and Berat for Manfred surrendered them to Charles, and soon afterwards Charles's troops took Dyrrhachium too. Having secured the support of many Albanian chieftains, Charles proclaimed the establishment of the
Kingdom of Albania Kingdom of Albania may refer to:
*Kingdom of Albania (medieval) — from the Capetian House of Anjou
*Albanian Kingdom (1928–1939) — from the House of Zogu
*Albanian Kingdom (1939–1943) — from the House of Savoy during the Italian occupati ...
in the same year.
Michael VIII countered the emerging threat by a diplomatic mission to the Papacy, which in the
Second Council of Lyon
:''The First Council of Lyon, the Thirteenth Ecumenical Council, took place in 1245.''
The Second Council of Lyon was the fourteenth ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church, convoked on 31 March 1272 and convened in Lyon, Kingdom of Arl ...
(1274) agreed to the union of the Orthodox and Catholic churches, estranged after the
Great Schism of 1054, and thereby placed Michael and his empire under papal protection. Taking advantage of Charles's entanglement in the conflict between
Guelphs and Ghibellines
The Guelphs and Ghibellines (, , ; it, guelfi e ghibellini ) were factions supporting the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor, respectively, in the Italian city-states of Central Italy and Northern Italy.
During the 12th and 13th centuries, ri ...
in Italy, in spring 1274 Michael launched an attack against Angevin holdings in Albania. Berat and Buthrotum were taken and Charles's troops were pushed back from the hinterland to the two ports of Valona and Dyrrhachium. Although these were assaulted several times in 1274–1275, they remained in Angevin hands.
By 1279 however, Charles had established his control not only over the Latin states of Greece (after 1278 he was the
Prince of Achaea), but also received the submission and vassalage of
Nikephoros I
Nikephoros I or Nicephorus I ( gr, Νικηφόρος; 750 – 26 July 811) was Byzantine emperor from 802 to 811. Having served Empress Irene as '' genikos logothetēs'', he subsequently ousted her from power and took the throne himself. In r ...
, Despot of Epirus. In August 1279, in preparation for resuming his offensive against Michael along the Via Egnatia, Charles appointed as his vicar-general in Albania the Burgundian
Hugo de Sully Hugh of Sully (french: Hugues de Sully) was a general under the Sicilian King Charles of Anjou. He was nicknamed "the Red" ("''le Rousseau''") on account of his red hair.
A Burgundian knight of fiery and haughty temperament, according to the chro ...
. Over the next year, Sully received a steady flow of supplies, siege equipment and reinforcements.
The siege
In August/September 1280, with an army of 2,000 knights and 6,000 infantry, Sully began his attack by storming the fortress of Kanina and then advancing to central Albania and laying siege to Berat. The situation was grave for Byzantium: Berat was, in the words of the historian
Deno J. Geanakoplos "the key to the Via Egnatia and all of
Macedonia
Macedonia most commonly refers to:
* North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia
* Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity
* Macedonia (Greece), a traditional geographic reg ...
". If it were taken, the Empire would lie open to an invasion, which, if joined by the Latin states of Greece and the Greek rulers of Epirus and
Thessaly, might result in the fall of Constantinople to Charles. Responding to the pleas for reinforcements of the governor of Berat, Michael VIII ordered special prayers for the salvation of the Empire, and assembled an army headed by some of his best generals. The army's commander-in-chief was the ''
megas domestikos''
Michael Tarchaneiotes, with the ''
megas stratopedarches''
John Synadenos, the ''
despotes''
Michael Komnenos Doukas (the emperor's son-in-law), and the
eunuch court official
Andronikos Enopolites Andronicus or Andronikos ( grc-gre, Ἀνδρόνικος) is a classical Greek name. The name has the sense of "male victor, warrior". Its female counterpart is Andronikè (Ἀνδρονίκη). Notable bearers of the name include:
People
* Andron ...
as subordinate commanders.
Meanwhile, the siege of Berat continued through the winter of 1280/1281. By early December, the Angevin forces had seized a number of outlying forts around the city and penetrated its suburbs. Charles, however, remained anxious to take the city before the Byzantine relief force arrived. He ordered his governors in Albania to direct all their resources towards the siege, and displayed his close interest by a series of letters to Sully, instructing him to take the city by assault if necessary. The Byzantine force advanced cautiously, and arrived in the area in early spring 1281. The ''megas domestikos'' Tarchaneiotes avoided a direct confrontation and relied on ambushes and raids instead. He also managed to resupply the besieged fortress with provisions, which were loaded onto rafts and then left to float down the river
Osum which flows by the citadel.
The besiegers became aware of this, and, unlike the Byzantines, the Angevin commanders were eager for a decisive confrontation. At this point, Sully resolved to reconnoitre the area personally, accompanied only by a bodyguard of 25 men. As he approached the Byzantine camp, he fell into an ambush by Turkish mercenaries serving in the Byzantine army. The Turks attacked the small troop, killed Sully's horse, scattered his guard, and captured him. A few of Sully's guards escaped and reached their camp, where they reported his capture. Panic spread among the Angevin troops at this news, and they began to flee towards Valona. The Byzantines took advantage of their disordered flight and attacked, joined by the troops in the besieged citadel. Many Latins fell, many others were captured as the Byzantines aimed their arrows at the less well-protected horses of the Latin knights, unhorsing them. The Byzantines also took an enormous booty, including all the numerous siege machines. Only a small remnant managed to cross the river
Vjosë
The Vjosa (; indefinite form: ) or Aoös ( el, Αώος) is a river in northwestern Greece and southwestern Albania. Its total length is about , of which the first are in Greece, and the remaining in Albania. Its drainage basin is and its ave ...
and reach the safety of Kanina.
Aftermath
The victory at Berat represented Michael VIII's greatest success in battle over the Latins since the
Battle of Pelagonia
The Battle of Pelagonia or Battle of Kastoriae.g. ; . took place in early summer or autumn 1259, between the Empire of Nicaea and an anti-Nicaean alliance comprising Despotate of Epirus, Sicily and the Principality of Achaea. It was a decisive ev ...
20 years earlier. The many prisoners, including Sully, were taken to Constantinople, where they were publicly paraded in a
triumph celebrated by the exultant emperor, who further ordered
fresco
Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...
es depicting scenes from the campaign painted in his palace. In the aftermath of their victory at Berat, the imperial troops restored their control over Albania, except the two Angevin strongholds of Dyrrhachium and Valona. The defeat ended Charles's designs of an overland assault on Byzantium, but the Angevin ruler now redoubled his efforts, aiming to launch a seaborne invasion of the Empire with
Venetian
Venetian often means from or related to:
* Venice, a city in Italy
* Veneto, a region of Italy
* Republic of Venice (697–1797), a historical nation in that area
Venetian and the like may also refer to:
* Venetian language, a Romance language s ...
aid. This he secured with the
Treaty of Orvieto
The Treaty of Orvieto was an agreement made in 1281 between Charles I of Sicily, Giovanni Dandolo, Doge of Venice, and Philip of Courtenay, titular Latin Emperor, for recovery of the Latin Empire, with the blessing of the Papacy. Intended to re ...
in 1281. The Papacy also, after the election of the pro-Angevin
Martin IV, finally sanctioned his plans, excommunicating Michael Palaiologos and ending the Union of the Churches. Michael VIII countered this with an alliance with
Peter III of Aragon
Peter III of Aragon ( November 1285) was King of Aragon, King of Valencia (as ), and Count of Barcelona (as ) from 1276 to his death. At the invitation of some rebels, he conquered the Kingdom of Sicily and became King of Sicily in 1282, pres ...
(r. 1276–1285), and with his support to various anti-Angevin forces in Italy. Just as Charles was ready to launch his attack, an uprising known as the
Sicilian Vespers broke out on March 30, 1282. The subsequent
wars, in large part the result of Michael's diplomatic efforts, ended the threat of Charles on Byzantium.
[; .]
References
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Siege Of Berat (1280-1281)
Berat
Berat
13th century in the Kingdom of Albania
History of Berat
Conflicts in 1280
Conflicts in 1281
Berat
13th century in the Byzantine Empire
1280s in the Byzantine Empire
1280 in Europe
1281 in Europe
Charles I of Anjou
Michael VIII Palaiologos