Atlas of Battles

battle, major, medieval

Battle of Myriokephalon

Battle of Myriokephalon was a battle fought on 17 September 1176 at Lake Beyşehir, in what is now Turkey. It was part of the Byzantine–Seljuq Wars, which ran from 1048 to 1308. The recorded result: Seljuk victory; Military balance maintained. Recorded strength: 25,000–40,000 against Unknown (likely smaller).

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Battle of Myriokephalon
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought17 September 1176
WhereLake Beyşehir, Turkey37.911N, 31.947E
OutcomeSeljuk victory; Military balance maintained
BelligerentsByzantine Empire; Kingdom of Hungary; Principality of Antioch; Grand Principality of SerbiaagainstSultanate of Rum
Part ofByzantine–Seljuq Wars1048 to 1308

Where it sits in the Byzantine–Seljuq Wars

Battle of Ganja, 1046Battle of Vaspurakan, 1046Battle of the Stragna River, 1048Battle of Kapetron, 1048Siege of Manzikert, 1054Siege of Ani, 1064Battle of Caesarea, 1067Battle of Iconium, 1069Battle of Sebastia, 1070Battle of Manzikert, 1071Battle of Caesarea, 1073Siege of Antioch, 1084Siege of Antioch, 1084Siege of Nicaea, 1113Battle of Cotyaeum, 1113Battle of Philomelion, 1116Battle of Bolvadin, 1116Battle of Şiran, 1120Siege of Gangra, 1135Siege of Neocaesarea, 1140Battle of Acroënus, 1146Fall of Turbessel, 1151Battle of Myriokephalon, 1176Battle of Hyelion and Leimocheir, 1177Siege of Cotyaeum, 1182Siege of Trebizond, 1205Siege of Antalya, 1207Battle of Antioch on the Meander, 1211Siege of Sinope, 1214Battle of Sudak, 1221Siege of Kalonoros, 1221Siege of Karacahisar, 123210461232Battle of Myriokephalon, 1176
32 placed engagements of the Byzantine–Seljuq Wars in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date17 September 1176
PlaceLake Beyşehir, Turkey
37.911N, 31.947E
KindBattle, medieval
Strength25,000–40,000Unknown (likely smaller)
Casualties and lossesApprox. 1 of the army or half of those troops who were directly attacked (left and right wings only),; possibly heavierUnknown
Commanders
  • Manuel I Komnenos
  • Andronikos Kontostephanos
  • Baldwin of Antioch
  • John Kantakouzenos (sebastos)
  • Andronikos Lampardas
  • Theodore Mavrozomes
  • Kilij Arslan II
Battle of MyriokephalonBattle of MyriokephalonBattle of IconiumBattle of PhilomelionBattle of PhilomelionSiege of ManzikertSiege of SozopolisBattle of IconiumBattle of PhilomelionBattle of PhilomelionSiege of ManzikertSiege of SozopolisAntalyaAfyonKaramanIspartaBurdur100 km37.911N, 31.947E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Myriokephalon
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 100 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Myriokephalon today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-09-12. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 1,257 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 0 to 1,709 m, 1,709 m of relief, mountainous country and today it is 69% grassland, 22% cropland, 6% tree cover.

grassland: 69%cropland: 22%tree cover: 6%grassland 69%cropland 22%tree cover 6%
west to east, 10.0 km0 to 1,491 mnorth to south, 10.0 km1,257 to 1,670 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1176

Battle of Myriokephalon is one of 438 engagements of the 12th century in the atlas and one of 622 in present-day Turkey.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q730553, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Myriokephalon, revision 1384624920, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.