Stones and thunderbolts

The island fortress of Kizkalesi, Mersin Province, Turkey

In spring 1137, after months of preparation, Emperor John II Komnenos set out through the mountain passes of Pampylia. His objective was the coastal fortress of Seleukia, which was besieged by the army of Leon I, ruler of Armenia. After that he intended to conquer the former Roman province of Cilicia in southern Anatolia.

The situation was urgent. Leon had already captured the plains cities of Mopsuestia, Tarsus and Ardana, as well as Sarventikar, an important fortress that guarded the Amanian Gate: this was the main northern pass through the Amanus mountains (the Nur mountains in modern-day Turkey). 

Leon's control of these unstable lands, wracked by so many decades of war, was fragile. They were swarming with bandits, pirates, bands of nomadic Turks, as well as Isaurians still loyal to the distant Emperor in Constantinople. 

To make things worse, Leon himself had been captured by Raymond, the Frankish prince of Antioch, and thrown into prison. His three sons then fell out with each other. The eldest, Constantine, was blinded by his brothers, before they too were captured by the Franks. 

All of which made John II's task that much easier. Marching swiftly through the mountains, he attacked the twin fortresses of Korykos and Kizkalesi (pictured) which had been seized by the Armenians. They were soon bombarded into surrender: the poet, Italikos, described how Korykos was overwhelmed by the stones and 'thunderbolts' of the Emperor's siege weapons. The capture of this fort and its harbour was an essential first step for John's reconquest of Cilicia.

John then moved on towards Seleukia. The Armenians lifted the siege and withdrew, enabling the imperial army to march on towards Cilicia. His men entered the Cilician Gates through a narrow pass 'above the clouds', where they were ambushed by Armenians waiting on the rocky heights above. These men threw missiles down onto the heads of John's soldiers, but after hard fighting the Romans broke through and stormed an unnamed mountain stronghold. 

This stronghold has been identified with Gulek Kalesi (castle), a dramatically situated fortress inside the Taurus Mountains. Set high above the peaks, the castle has been described as:

"...like the nest of some prehistoric bird almost 1600 metres above sea level."

The capture of the fortress secured both the pass and the entrance to Cilicia from the north. John was now poised to drive further into Cilicia, capturing or destroying smaller castles and settlements en route to the plains cities.