Battle of Myriokephalon

Battle of Myriokephalon
	Part of the Byzantine–Seljuq Wars
	; This image by Gustave Doré shows the Turkish ambush at the pass of Myriokephalon.
Date	17 September 1176
Location	Pass of Tzivritze, near the fortress of Myriokephalon (not presently identified), west of Konya, Anatolia
Result	Seljuk victory; Military balance maintained;
Belligerents
Byzantine Empire; Hungary; Principality of Antioch; Grand Principality of Serbia	Sultanate of Rum
Commanders and leaders
Manuel I Komnenos; Andronikos Kontostephanos; Baldwin of Antioch †; John Kantakouzenos †; Andronikos Lampardas; Theodore Mavrozomes; Constantine Makrodoukas; Ampud; Leustach Rátót;	Kilij Arslan II
Strength
25,000–40,000	Unknown (likely smaller)
Casualties and losses
Approx. 1⁄4 of the army or half of those troops who were directly attacked (left and right wings only),; possibly heavier	Unknown

The Battle of Myriokephalon (also known as the Battle of Myriocephalum, Greek: Μάχη του Μυριοκέφαλου, Turkish: Miryokefalon Savaşı or Düzbel Muharebesi) was a battle between the Byzantine Empire and the Seljuk Turks in the mountains west of Iconium (Konya) in southwestern Turkey on 17 September 1176. The battle was a strategic reverse for the Byzantine forces, who were ambushed when moving through a mountain pass.

In 1161, the Seljuk Sultan of Rum Kilij Arslan II and Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Komnenos concluded a peace agreement. Manuel wanted to achieve peace for his Anatolian provinces with the help of this treaty. Kilij Arslan needed to eliminate internal rivals and gather his strength. After the death of Nureddin Zangi in 1174, the Sultan conquered the Danishmend emirates and expelled his brother Shahinshah, the ruler of Ankara. The emirs fled to Manuel, who demanded the surrender of the captured territories of the Danishmendids to him, which the Sultan was obliged to do under the treaty. However, Kilij Arslan ignored Manuel's request.

In 1176, Manuel I Komnenos gathered a large army and set out on a campaign against Konya. The Seljuks, under the command of Kilij Arslan II, organised an ambush at the Tzivritze Pass and defeated the Byzantine Army. According to the Byzantine historian Niketas Choniates, in the vicinity of the pass there were the ruins of the fortress named Myriokephalon, which gave the name to the battle. The exact location of the battle is the subject of debate among researchers.

The battle was to be the final, unsuccessful effort by the Byzantines to recover the interior of Anatolia from the Seljuk Turks.