The Hammer of Cilicia

The spectacular ruins of Anavarza, seen from below

1137. John II continued to march through eastern Anatolia, taking city after city. News of his successes reached the ears of Raymond of Antioch, who became seriously alarmed. It looked like the triumphant Roman emperor would batter his way across the continent to the Holy Land,  then set about reconquering the long-lost Roman provinces of the East.

In desperation, Raymond made a bargain with Leon, ruler of Cilicia, whom he had recently captured. Leon agreed to hand over his recent conquests to Raymond, along with a sum of cash, and leave his sons as hostages. As a result of this somewhat one-sided treaty, Raymond and Leon then allied against the emperor.

Meanwhile John marched on Anazarbos, the chief city of Armenian Cilicia. This was guarded by Anavarza castle, the spectacular ruins of which can still be seen today (pictured). They were were protected by high walls on a hill, mounted with siege engines and crammed with soldiers, well-armed and trained. 

The emperor was typically cautious. First he sent forward a band of Turks, who had recently taken part in his conquest of Gangra, to discover if the Armenians would agree to surrender the city without resistance. Unfortunately this ended in disaster, as the Turks were attacked by the garrison, heavily defeated and chased all the way back to the main Roman army.

John then brought up his heavy siege weapons. However, unlike other cities, the defenders returned fire with their own missile throwers; these included burning pellets which set fire to the Roman artillery. More soldiers charged out to inflict further damage, while their comrades taunted John from the walls.  

In contrast to his earlier conquests, Anazarbos was proving a tough nut to crack. John started to lose heart, until his son Alexios suggested the siege weapons should be covered by brick hoardings, to prevent them being set alight. This worked well, and the Romans were able to smash open breaches in the city walls. Some of the defenders begged for mercy, while others retreated to the citadel, where they were prised out after two determined assaults.

Among those taken prisoner were Leon's wife and children. Leon himself may have also been present, but if so he escaped just before the city fell. 

After securing Anazarbos, John now set about reducing the last Armenian strongholds in Cilicia.