A 1071 battlefield capture of an emperor permanently shifted the power of the Byzantines
The capture of Emperor Romanos IV at the Battle of Manzikert in 1071 fundamentally altered the map of the world by opening the Byzantine heartland to Turkic migration and settlement.
The Battle of Manzikert remains one of the most consequential defeats in military history. In 1071, the Seljuk Sultan Alp Arslan captured the Byzantine Emperor Romanos IV, marking the first time a Christian emperor was taken prisoner by a Muslim leader.
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