Siege of Braničevo (1154)

Siege of Braničevo
Part of the Komnenian restoration of the Byzantine Empire
Date Late 1154 Location Braničevo, Byzantine Empire (now Serbia) Result Abandoned siege, Hungarian retreat
Belligerents
Kingdom of Hungary	Byzantine Empire
Commanders and leaders
Géza II Ban Borić
Units involved
Cuman unit Bohemian unit Foreign mercenaries

The Siege of Braničevo was laid by Hungarian king Géza II against Byzantine-held Braničevo in late 1154.

Background

Emperor Manuel's cousin, Andronikos Komnenos, who administered Belgrade, Braničevo and Niš sent a letter to Géza II in 1154, offering to hand over those towns to him in exchange for his support against the emperor.^[1] Géza II sent his envoys to Sicily to sign a new alliance with William I of Sicily around the end of the year, but William I was fighting with his rebellious subjects.^[2]

Siege

Although Andronikos' plot was discovered and he was captured, Géza II invaded the Byzantine Empire and laid siege to Braničevo in late 1154.^[3][4] Géza II was aided by Cumans, who had been raiding the Danube at the time.^[5] As a Hungarian vassal, Borić, the ban of Bosnia took part, alongside a Bohemian detachment, in the attack.^[6][7] Braničevo was besieged and the surroundings were ravaged.^[7] After hearing of the imprisonment of Andronikos, Géza II abandoned the siege and returned for Hungary.^[2]

Aftermath

Manuel answered by dispatched troops towards the battlefield.^[8] Through Serdica (Sofia) and Niš, Manuel arrived in the Smilis province near Paraćin where he set up camp.^[8] The Hungarian Army retreated towards Belgrade.^[8] The pursuing Byzantine troops,^[8] under general Basil Tzintzilukes, entered into battle with them, but the Byzantines were annihilated before the Hungarians returned to Hungary.^[2][9]

In early 1155, the Byzantine and Hungarian envoys signed a new peace treaty.^[2] In the same year, a Byzantine army expelled Géza II's ally, Desa, from Rascia and restored Uroš II who had promised that he would not enter into an alliance with Hungary.^[10]

See also

• Battle of Sirmium (1167)

References

1. Makk 1989, p. 60.
2. Makk 1989, p. 61.
3. Stephenson 2000, p. 231.
4. Makk 1989, pp. 60-62.
5. Alexandru Madgearu (13 June 2013). Byzantine Military Organization on the Danube, 10th-12th Centuries. BRILL. p. 155. ISBN 978-90-04-25249-3.
6. Vladimir Ćorović (13 January 2014). Istorija srpskog naroda. eBook Portal. p. 139. GGKEY:XPENWQLDTZF.
7. Михаило Ј Динић; Сима М Ћирковић (1978). Српске земље у средњем веку: историјско-географске студије. Српска књижевна задруга. зантијског престола. Започело је опет ратовање на Дунаву. Краљ Гејза II опколио је Браничево и опустошио његову околину. Као угарски вазал, у овом нападу суделовао је бо- сански бан Борић, и један одред Чеха. Чар Манојло ...
8. Dragoslav Srejović; Slavko Gavrilović; Sima M. Ćirković (1892). Istorija srpskog naroda: knj. Od najstarijih vremena do Maričke bitke (1371). Srpska književna zadruga. Уследио је силовит угарски напад на Браничево 1154. године. Цар Манојло је одмах одговорио брзим покретом трупа према бојишту. Преко Сердике и Ниша стигао је у област Смилиса (недалеко од данашњег села Смиловца, код Параћина), где се улогорио. Угарска војска је убрзо натерана на повлачење према Београду. Гониоци су се недалеко од Београда упустили у борбу с противницима, али су поражени. Тада се сазнало и за антивизантијску заверу у Београду.
9. Stephenson 2000, pp. 233-234.
10. Fine 1991, p. 238.

Sources

• Fine, John V. A (1991). The Early Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Sixth to the Late Twelfth century. The University of Michigan Press. ISBN 0-472-08149-7.
• Makk, Ferenc (1989). The Árpáds and the Comneni: Political Relations between Hungary and Byzantium in the 12th century (Translated by György Novák). Akadémiai Kiadó. ISBN 963-05-5268-X.
• Stephenson, Paul (2000). Byzantium's Balkan Frontier: A Political Study of the Northern Balkans, 900–1204. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-02756-4.