Of all tribes and tongues (1)

Emperor John II from the mosaic at Hagia Sophia

In 1136 John II Komnenos embarked upon the most ambitious military expedition of his reign. After seizing power in 1118, he had spent much of his reign at war, reconquering western Anatolia from the Seljuk Turks as well as fighting the Hungarians and Venetians in the West. Finally, after almost twenty years of struggle, he was in a position to try and recover former Roman provinces in Cilicia and Syria. 

His opportunity came thanks to two major developments. In 1135 he received an offer of marriage by ambassadors from Antioch, now ruled by the Franks. At the same time the province of Pamphylia was invaded by Leon I, lord of Armenian Cilicia. These things combined gave John every reason to mount a campaign in the east.

The envoys from Antioch probably arrived at Constantinople in late 1135, after John had returned to the capital from Paphlagonia. They proposed a marriage between Constance, heiress to the principality of Antioch, to John's youngest son Manuel. As part of the agreement, Antioch would once again be part of the Roman Empire. From the emperor's perspective, it offered the chance of a bloodless reconquest.

John seems to have started preparations for a major campaign before the year was out. According to William of Tyre, he set about gathering a large army of diverse peoples and supplies. Quote:

"From every part of his empire he had summoned people of all tribes and tongues, and now, with a countless number of cavalry and a vast array of chariots and four-wheeled carts, he was on the march..."

At the same time John engaged in intense diplomatic manoeuvres with the Latin west and Fatimid Egypt. These western initiatives focused on aligning him with the Italian maritime republics, the Papacy and the Geman Emperor against the rising power of the Normans of southern Italy. While these new allies guarded his western flank, John would be free to march east.

Events took a fresh twist in early 1136, when news arrived of Leon I's invasion of Pamphylia. After expanding his power beyond the mountains of his homeland, Leon had laid siege to the strategic Roman fortress at Seleukeia, guarding the coastal road leading out of Cilicia.

Thus, John marshalled his army 'of all tribes and tongues' and set out for the distant east.