Battle of Pharsalus (1277)
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Pharsalus was fought in late 1277 at the plain of Pharsalus in Thessaly
between an invading Byzantine
army led by the megas stratopedarches John Synadenos
and megas konostaulos Michael Kaballarios
, and the forces of John I Doukas
, ruler of Thessaly
. This was the first major Byzantine campaign against Thessaly after the failure of the previous expedition at the Battle of Neopatras
(dated variously to 1273–1275). The battle resulted in a crushing victory for John Doukas: Synadenos was captured, while Kaballarios died shortly afterwards of his wounds.
Thessaly
Thessaly is a traditional geographical region and an administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, Thessaly was known as Aeolia, and appears thus in Homer's Odyssey....
between an invading Byzantine
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
army led by the megas stratopedarches John Synadenos
John Synadenos (megas stratopedarches)
John Komnenos Angelos Doukas Synadenos was a Byzantine noble and military leader with the rank of megas stratopedarches during the reigns of Michael VIII Palaiologos and Andronikos II Palaiologos John Komnenos Angelos Doukas Synadenos was a Byzantine noble and military leader with the rank of...
and megas konostaulos Michael Kaballarios
Michael Kaballarios
Michael Kaballarios was a Byzantine aristocrat and military leader. In ca. 1277 he was megas konostaulos . Along with the megas stratopedarches John Synadenos, he led a Byzantine army against John I Doukas of Thessaly, but was defeated in the Battle of Pharsalus and died shortly afterwards of his...
, and the forces of John I Doukas
John I Doukas
John I Doukas was ruler of Thessaly from c. 1268 to his death in 1289....
, ruler of Thessaly
Thessaly
Thessaly is a traditional geographical region and an administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, Thessaly was known as Aeolia, and appears thus in Homer's Odyssey....
. This was the first major Byzantine campaign against Thessaly after the failure of the previous expedition at the Battle of Neopatras
Battle of Neopatras
The Battle of Neopatras was fought in the early 1270s between a Byzantine army besieging the city of Neopatras and the forces of John I Doukas, ruler of Thessaly. The battle was a rout for the Byzantine army, which was caught by surprise and defeated by a much smaller but more disciplined...
(dated variously to 1273–1275). The battle resulted in a crushing victory for John Doukas: Synadenos was captured, while Kaballarios died shortly afterwards of his wounds.