Battle of Petroe
| Battle of Petroe | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Imperial forces of Michael VI Stratiotikos | Rebel forces of Isaac I Komnenos | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Theodore Prince Aaron of Bulgaria Basil Tarchaneiotes |
Isaac I Komnenos Katakalon Kekaumenos Romanos Skleros |
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| Strength | |||||||
| unknown | unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Heavy | Light | ||||||
The Battle of Petroe, also known as the Battle of Hades, was fought on August 20, 1057 between the Byzantine imperial forces of Theodore, the Domestic of the Schools of the East, and the rebellious general Isaac I Komnenos, commander of the Byzantine field army in Anatolia. Komnenos had rebelled against Michael VI Stratiotikos (r. 1056–1057) and won over the allegiance of many leading generals, including Nikephoros Bryennios and Nikephoros III Botaneiates. After Komnenos was proclaimed emperor, the two armies clashed at Hades, near the city of Nicaea. Although the right wing of the army of Komnenos was routed, the left wing of Komnenos’s army, led by Katakalon Kekaumenos, routed the imperial right, reached and entered their camp, and destroyed the tents. Komnenos himself held firm in the centre, causing the imperial army to break and run, leaving the way open to Constantinople.
The short reign of Michael VI Stratiotikos was plagued by internal dissension, as the new emperor proceeded to alienate the leading figures of the military aristocracy. Of the two most important, Katakalon Kekaumenos and Nikephoros Bryennios, Kekaumenos was the most popular general in the empire and the emperor’s decision to deprive him of his command at Antioch on charges of extortion did not sit well with the other leading nobles. But it was the emperor’s actions towards Nikephoros Bryennios that precipitated the rebellion.
His decision to restore Bryennios’s rank but not his estates or fortune confiscated by the empress Theodora, and insulting Bryennios to his face when he complained to Michael VI in person proved to be his undoing. Michael VI compounded his error by rebuffing Bryennios after he had already ordered the restored general to lead a division of 3,000 men to reinforce the army in Cappadocia. From here Bryennios began plotting to overthrow the emperor. On his arrival however, he attacked and beat a representative of the emperor who countermanded Nikephoros's orders before throwing him in prison, which his officers took as a sign that Nikephoros was about to rebel. Releasing the imprisoned officer, they captured Nikephoros, blinded him and sent him to Constantinople.
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