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We share real, powerful, and emotional stories from the past:
📜 Survivors.
🏛️ Revolutions.
🕊️ Forgotten voices.
⚔️ Untold truths.
🎥 Watch full episodes on YouTube:
👉 https://youtube.com/@vaultofcenturies1?si=Gbm3uXRdoHTb7g_9
📌 Follow for weekly history stories that the world tried to forget.
Vault of Centuries — History, Remembered.
#history
#real story
#true history
#documentary
#survival
#world war
#historical events
#human story
#Vault of Centuries
#Urdu history
#emotional story
Category
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LearningTranscript
02:00This defeat was more than just one lost battle.
02:03It shook the empire's control over Anatolia and Armenia.
02:08It opened the door for Turkish tribes, who had been moving west, to settle and claim this land as their own.
02:15Slowly, the heart of the empire.
02:19Its farms, its soldiers, its resources, began to slip away.
02:23For the Byzantines, Manzikert was a wound that never healed.
02:29But for the Turks, it was the gateway into Anatolia, remembered as Malazgert the victory that started a new era.
02:36In this video, we'll discover how the mighty Byzantine Empire suffered defeat at the hands of the Seljuk Turks in the Battle of Manzikert.
02:44This clash was more than just a fight, it was the turning point that marked the decline of Byzantium and the rise of the Turks.
02:51Together, we'll see how the battle was fought, why the Byzantines lost, and how the Turks gained their first real foothold in Anatolia.
02:59For centuries, the Byzantine Empire, the Eastern Roman state, had survived through clever diplomacy, endless gold, and its once-disciplined armies.
03:11But by the mid-11th century, this strength was crumbling.
03:15Political intrigues inside the royal court created instability, and emperors like Constantine IX and Constantine X made disastrous choices, such as disbanding veteran soldiers to save money.
03:27One historian even wrote that dismissing the famous Iberian army of 50,000 men was nothing less than a catastrophe for the empire's defenses.
03:37Meanwhile, far to the east, a new force was rising, the Seljuk Turks.
03:42They were tough nomadic horsemen from the Central Asian steppes, recently united under Islam.
03:49Within a few decades, they built a powerful empire stretching from Persia to Syria, and their raids shook the borders of Byzantium.
03:58Their young and ambitious sultan, Alp Arslan, whose name meant, Heroic Lion, was determined not only to defend his frontiers but also to expand Seljuk power into the rich lands of Anatolia.
04:11Anatolia was more than just a frontier for Byzantium, it was the empire's heart.
04:16Its fertile farmlands fed the people, its taxes filled the treasury, and its strong men supplied the army.
04:23Whoever held Anatolia would control the empire's future.
04:28Both the Romans and the Seljuks knew this well.
04:32But Byzantium was already in decline.
04:35Under emperors like Constantine IX Monomachos and Constantine X Daucas, corruption and poor leadership drained its power.
04:42The most disastrous decision came in 1053, when Constantine IX disbanded the mighty Iberian army of nearly 50,000 soldiers.
04:53Overnight, the empire's eastern frontier was left dangerously exposed.
04:58The Seljuks wasted no time.
05:00In 1064, sultan Alp Arslan led a grand campaign into Armenia.
05:07His target was Ani, the city of a thousand churches, a rich and fortified stronghold of the Byzantines.
05:15Alp Arslan's siege engines and relentless assaults broke Ani's defenses in just 25 days.
05:20The city fell, shocking the Christian world and proving that the Seljuks were no longer raiders, but empire builders.
05:29This victory gave them a permanent foothold in the region and sent fear racing through Constantinople's walls.
05:36In 1068, a new emperor came to power, Romanos IV Diogenes.
05:42Unlike the emperors before him who preferred the palace, Romanos was a real soldier.
05:47He believed that the only way to save Byzantium was to rebuild its army and face the Turks head-on.
05:54He started reforms.
05:57Old weak commanders were removed, and strong generals were appointed.
06:02One of them was Manuel Comnenos, who managed to win some victories against Turkish raiders.
06:08These small successes gave hope that maybe, just maybe, Byzantium could recover.
06:14But the reality was very difficult.
06:16The empire was already weak.
06:20Years of corruption and poor leadership had drained the treasury.
06:24The army, once the pride of Rome, was much smaller than before.
06:29Many of the new soldiers were inexperienced, and the eastern frontier was still wide open for raids.
06:36On the other side, Sultan Alp Arslan was growing stronger.
06:39He was young, ambitious, and clever.
06:44For him, the real enemy was not Byzantium but the Fatimid Caliphate in Egypt, who controlled Syria and Jerusalem.
06:53Alp Arslan wanted to expand his empire and bring glory to the Seljuks by defeating them.
06:58So in 1069, he made a smart move.
07:03He signed a temporary peace treaty with Byzantium.
07:06This gave him security on his northern border, so he could freely focus on the south.
07:12For a while, there was calm between the Seljuks and the Byzantins.
07:16But this peace was only a pause, a short break before a much bigger storm.
07:22In the beginning of 1071, Emperor Romano's four Diogenes made another attempt for peace.
07:29He sent messengers to Sultan Alp Arslan, asking for a truce.
07:34On the surface, the Sultan agreed.
07:36He acted as if his only focus was Egypt and the Fatimids.
07:41But in reality, both rulers were playing a dangerous game of strategy.
07:46Romano's thought this was the perfect chance.
07:50If Alp Arslan was busy in the south, then Byzantium could finally strike back in the east.
07:56So the emperor gathered one of the largest Byzantine armies in years.
08:00Soldiers came from every corner of the empire, Greeks, Armenians, mercenaries from Europe, even Pecheneg and Normans.
08:10With this mixed army, Romano's marched deep into Armenia, determined to take back the fortresses that had fallen into Turkish hands.
08:18It was a bold gamble, full of risk.
08:22Romano's hoped a quick campaign would restore Byzantine power in the east.
08:26But what he did not know was that Alp Arslan was already on the move.
08:32Their paths were about to cross, not in Egypt, but on the open plains of Manzikert.
08:38This gamble, this clash of two worlds, would decide the future of Anatolia.
08:43Why did the Byzantins and Seljuks fight at Manzikert?
08:47There were three big reasons.
08:50First reason, the Seljuks were raiding deep inside Byzantine lands in Anatolia.
08:55They were burning farms, attacking villages, and cutting supply routes.
09:02Emperor Romano's four Diogenes wanted to stop this and show everyone that the empire was still strong.
09:09Second reason, Romano's himself.
09:12He became emperor in 1068 by marriage, not by royal blood.
09:17Many rich and powerful families, especially the Daukas family, did not respect him.
09:22Romano's believed that if he won a big victory against the Turks, he would earn respect and make his crown secure.
09:30Third reason, for Sultan Alp Arslan, the real enemy was not Byzantium but the Fatimids of Egypt.
09:37He actually wanted peace with the Byzantins.
09:40But when Romano's marched into Armenia in 1071 and attacked the cities of Manzikert and Alat, Alp Arslan had no choice but to respond.
09:51He had to protect his northern border.
09:53So, both leaders had different goals, but their paths crossed.
09:58And this crossing brought them face to face on the fields of Manzikert, a battle that would change history.
10:04When Emperor Romano's four Diogenes prepared for the Great Campaign, he gathered a huge army of nearly 40,000 soldiers.
10:13But this army was not one solid force, it was a mixed collection of many different groups.
10:20There were about 10,000 professional Byzantine soldiers, trained and disciplined, coming from both the eastern and western provinces of the empire.
10:28With them marched Frankish and Norman knights, fierce warriors led by the famous commander Roussel de Balliol.
10:36Romano's also hired Turkic and Pecheneg horsemen, fast riders skilled in archery.
10:42From the Balkans came Bulgarian infantry, while Armenian and Georgian allies joined to defend their homelands.
10:48And at the emperor's side stood the elite Varangian guard, tall, axe-wielding warriors, many of them Vikings and Anglo-Saxons, feared across the medieval world.
11:00On paper, this looked like a powerful army.
11:03But in reality, it was fragile.
11:07Not all soldiers were loyal to the emperor.
11:10Many were mercenaries who fought only for gold, and if they felt unpaid or unhappy, they could abandon him at any time.
11:18Others were supplied by local lords, whose loyalty was always uncertain.
11:24And most dangerously, one of Romano's top commanders was Andronicos Daukas, the son of his greatest political enemy in Constantinople.
11:33This meant that even inside his own army, Romano's had men who were ready to betray him if the moment came.
11:40This mixture of strength and weakness would decide the fate of the empire at Manzikert.
11:48The year was 1071.
12:01In the bright spring sun, Emperor Romano's marched at the head of a grand Byzantine host, banners flying, armor shining.
12:09But behind the glitter lay trouble.
12:11His campaign moved slowly, chained down by an enormous baggage train, stuffed not just with weapons but with luxuries, tents, gold, silks, things an emperor thought he needed, but which only angered his soldiers.
12:26The army's discipline cracked.
12:29The Frankish mercenaries, always hungry for loot, turned their rage on the very towns they passed.
12:35Villages were plundered, civilians terrorized.
12:38Romano's could not tolerate this chaos.
12:43In anger, he dismissed them, losing some of his fiercest warriors before the real battle had even begun.
12:50By June, Romano's and his tired army finally reached Theodosiopolis, today's Erzurum.
12:57Here, the emperor faced an important choice.
13:00Some of his generals advised caution, let's stay here, fortify the city, and force the Seljuks to come to us.
13:08But Romano's was determined to show strength.
13:12He wanted a fast and bold victory that would prove his power.
13:16Ignoring the cautious advice, he decided to march further east.
13:20As the army marched through the forests of Knuz, soldiers cut fresh wood and sharpened new spears.
13:28Step by step, they pushed forward toward the shining waters of Lake Van.
13:33Romano's was confident, he believed the cities of Manzikert and Olat would fall quickly.
13:39In his mind, victory was certain, lost fortresses would be reclaimed, and his enemies would be scattered.
13:45But Romano's was terribly wrong.
13:50Sultan Alp Arslan was already on the move, leading 30,000 skilled horsemen from Aleppo and Mosul.
13:57His scouts watched every step of the Byzantine army, silent and unseen.
14:02Romano's believed he was the hunter, but in reality, he was the prey, walking straight into a trap that would soon decide the fate of empires.
14:11Romano's four diogenes was a soldier and a reformer.
14:15He knew the empire was weak, but he believed discipline, fair pay, and one bold campaign could restore its power.
14:24Romano's wanted action, and in 1071, he got it.
14:28On the other side was Alp Arslan, his name meant heroic lion.
14:33He was quick, clever, and a master of steppe warfare.
14:37He preferred fast strikes and surprise attacks over long sieges.
14:41That summer, he didn't plan a big clash with the Byzantines, but when Romano's marched into his lands, Alp Arslan had no choice but to face him.
14:52The two armies met near the town of Manzikert, close to Lake Van.
14:57The land was rough, with hills and open plains.
15:00It was perfect ground for horse archers, and it gave the Seljuks a big advantage.
15:07Romano's gathered one of the largest Byzantine armies in years.
15:12He had professional units from the east and west, the elite Varangian guard, Armenian and Georgian allies, and many mercenaries, Normans, Franks, and Turkic tribes.
15:22We don't know the exact numbers, but it was a huge force, meant to show Byzantine strength.
15:30Alp Arslan's army was smaller but faster.
15:33His men were mostly mounted archers and light cavalry, trained in hit-and-run tactics and the deadly trick of pretending to flee, only to return and strike again.
15:43Here, speed mattered more than numbers, and the Seljuks had the edge.
15:47Before the battle even began, Romano's made a mistake.
15:53He split his army, sending part of it to attack a nearby town called Alat, while he moved toward Manzikert with the rest.
16:01That decision weakened the Byzantins at the very moment they needed to be strongest.
16:06On a hot afternoon at Manzikert, Emperor Romano's prepared his army.
16:12On the left, Nycforos Bryennios led his men.
16:15On the right, Theodore Aliates.
16:19Romano's himself stood in the center.
16:22Behind them was the reserve, commanded by Andronikos Daukas, a man from a family that never trusted the emperor.
16:29It was a dangerous choice.
16:32Across the hills, Alp Arslan and his Seljuk army waited.
16:37They formed a wide crescent.
16:38Their horsemen moved quickly, riding in and out, shooting arrows, never standing still.
16:46This was their style of war, speed, tricks, and distance.
16:51By the afternoon, Romano's pushed his army forward.
16:55They even captured Alp Arslan's empty camp.
16:59But it was a false victory.
17:00The Byzantine army was now stretched too far, tired, and in danger.
17:07As evening came, Romano's ordered a retreat to camp.
17:11But in the confusion, the message was misunderstood.
17:15On the right, some troops panicked.
17:18In the rear, Andronikos Daukas abandoned his duty and marched away.
17:23Some say it was betrayal.
17:25Others say he thought the battle was lost.
17:29Whatever the reason, the result was the same, the line broke.
17:34The Seljuk crescent closed in like a trap.
17:37The Byzantine army collapsed.
17:40Soldiers scattered.
17:42Romano's himself was surrounded, wounded, and taken prisoner,
17:46the first Byzantine emperor in centuries to be captured alive.
17:50The captive emperor.
17:52When Romano's was brought to Alp Arslan,
17:55the sultan at first could not believe this dirty, wounded man was the emperor of the Romans.
18:01But when he was told the truth,
18:03he placed his boot on Romano's neck and made him kiss the ground,
18:07an old symbol of surrender.
18:09Then, to everyone's surprise, Alp Arslan showed mercy.
18:14He gave Romano's food at his table and offered peace.
18:17Cities like Antioch, Edessa, and Manzikert would be handed over.
18:23A ransom was agreed, 1.5 million gold coins at once, and a smaller yearly payment.
18:30To seal the deal, a marriage was planned between their families.
18:35After one week, Romano's was released with honor and escorted back to Constantinople.
18:40But his story did not end there.
18:44The Battle of Manzikert in 1071 is remembered as a turning point in world history.
18:49On the surface, the battle itself was not the massacre many later imagined.
18:58Most Byzantine soldiers survived, commanders like Bryennios and Daukas escaped,
19:03and the Seljuks did not even chase the fleeing army or occupy much land immediately.
19:08But the real tragedy came afterwards.
19:11In Constantinople, the powerful Daukas family staged a coup,
19:16Emperor Romano's was betrayed, captured, brutally blinded, and soon died in misery.
19:22This civil war tore Byzantium apart from within,
19:26and the Seljuks quickly realized the empire was weak.
19:30Over the next decades, Turkish tribes moved deeper into Anatolia,
19:33what began as raids slowly turned into permanent settlements,
19:37and the empire's Anatolian heartland slipped away.
19:42Manzikert was not an instant death blow, but it shattered Byzantine confidence,
19:46destroyed its unity, and opened the door for Turkish migration.
19:51For the Byzantines, it became a wound remembered for centuries,
19:55while for the Turks it became a triumph,
19:57Malazgert, the first great step toward a new homeland in Anatolia.
20:01For the Byzantines, it was, like, a day of the Byzantines,
20:17the first great step toward a new calendar of the year in our community,
20:20and it was very, very young.
20:21After the first of July was a hero of the Byzantines,
20:23and it was an astounding guide in the city of Israel,
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