This is a wargames battle which exemplifies the wisdom of using ‘appropriate’ commanders for wargaming realistic battles. It was a Byzantine vs Norman clash and in terms of outcome proved wonderfully realistic.
The two Byzantine players suffered from a severe case of mistrust for each other, especially as the ‘senior’ one –Vassilios – had a very bad record and was used to blaming others for his misfortunes. The sub-General had decided it was not worth breaking up the army in view of the strong enemy and had followed his C-in-C without much enthusiasm.
The Byzantine generals split their army into two commands: Vassilios took all 1500 Varangians, the 2000 Tagmata, 4800 heavy infantry (spear/bow) including 200 Menavlatoi, plus 1000 Turkish Light Horse and Psiloi. The sub general (Panagiotis = All Saint) took the 3000 Thematic cavalry, some 3600 heavy foot, some 2000 Vlach auxiliaries, Cuman horse archers and one wedge of Clivanophoroi, plus numerous untrained servants as slingers.
The Normans were in 3 commands, with the center one being the strongest, the right wing the weakest. The Norman nobles had come in full force with some 6000 knights and 3000 Breton heavy horse, some light horse, some 6000 spearmen, light foot and over 5000 untrained peasants.
The Battle lends itself as a textbook case for the study of military history. From the start, Strategos Vassilios deployed on the left and left-of-centre and refused to push on unless, his deputy did so first. He was opposed by the enemy’s weakest command, which still had a significant force of Norman Knights (1500), plus numerous untrained rabble, light cavalry with javelins and a force of light archers, javelinmen etc.
Meanwhile, on the center and left wing, the Norman and Breton horse moved ahead to engage the Droungharios Panayotis in the center and outflank the Byzantines from the left respectively, but were checked by the Cumans who advanced and showered them with arrows. The Normans and Bretons suffered their first casualties (mostly horses), which not only surprised them, but made them very timid. Their commander checked their advance and sent ahead the numerous rabble to absorb the missiles instead. He repeated this tactic on his right against Vassilios.
The Byzantine response was initially very positive. Vassilios sent light and heavy cavalry to outflank the rabble on his extreme left, while 1000 Thematics under Panayotis charged and dispersed the rabble in the center with much slaughter. The Norman spearmen had deployed defensively behind the peasants, near rough terrain (in the center left of the Norman line-up) and were instrumental in stopping the Thematics, who in turn, feared the dense line-up of the heavy infantry. Having thus stopped, they then became an easy target for the Norman knights, who charged them and pushed them back. Surprisingly, the Thematics held on despite the odds. This allowed the other 2 units of Thematic horse to charge into the stopped Normans knights and the disorderly melee which ensued continued for over half an hour without a clear victor. It was the last reserves of the Bretons that decided the day in the center. Overcoming and surrounding most of the Thematics, they drove the rest from the table in rout, killing their general Panayotis in one ugly pile-up. The rest of the Byzantine force melted away, pursued by the knights and Bretons, the Clivanophoroi being captured en route.
But what of Vassilios? He had not only destroyed the enemy rabble on the extreme left, mostly with mounted archer shooting, but had stood waiting on the defensive with the heavy infantry to meet the eventual counter-attack by the Norman knights.
These sure enough, without waiting for the rest of the army to assist them, crashed into the Byzantine heavy spearmen/archers, who were supported by the Varangians. The Menavlatoi of the infantry taxeis were instrumental in breaking up the Norman wedges, and even killed a Norman unit leader head-on. The Varangians were the only ones to suffer a few casualties, along with a few of the psiloi, but the remnant of the Norman charge was taken in flank by the Byzantine cavalry that had destroyed the rabble on the extreme left and most of them broke. The rest were destroyed piecemeal where they stood. The Norman right wing had virtually ceased to exist.
Vassilios’ victory on the left flank was complete, but he now found himself facing the two most powerful Norman commands alone and, of course, ordered his troops to withdraw from the battlefield claiming complete victory so as to support his claim to the throne of Constantinople.
During the whole battle he had not advanced more than 300 yards from the table edge, which allowed him to withdraw without as much as a nose-bleed….The Normans remained masters of the battlefield but their main foe was too strong to pursue and their losses had been heavy. This was not much of a victory.