ORDER OF BATTLE // September 17, 1176
Battle of Myriokephalon
Estimated force strength by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Forces engaged
1 sides catalogued · combined 25,000–40,000 estimated
Byzantine Empire
25,000–40,000
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
The Battle of Myriokephalon was a strategic reverse for the Byzantine Empire in its long contest with the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum. Fought in the mountains west of Iconium in west-central Anatolia, the engagement ended in defeat for the Byzantine forces under Manuel I Komnenos when they were ambushed while moving through a mountain pass. Within the broader arc of the Byzantine–Seljuq Wars, the battle marked a significant check on Byzantine power in Anatolia, curtailing the empire's capacity to project force into the interior of the peninsula against the Sultanate of Rum under Kilij Arslan II.
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