Battle of Philomelion The Battle of Philomelion ( Latinised as Philomelium - modern Akşehir ) of 1117 consisted of series of clashes over a number of days between a Byzantine expeditionary army under Emperor Alexios I Komnenos and the forces of the Sultanate of Rûm under Sultan Malik Shah ; it occurred in the course of the Byzantine - Seljuq wars . Background . Following the success of the First Crusade , the Byzantine armed forces , led by John Doukas the " megas doux " , reconquered the Aegean coastline and much of the interior of western Anatolia . However , after the failure of the Crusade of 1101 , the Seljuq and Danishmend Turks resumed their offensive operations against the Byzantines . Following their defeats , the Seljuqs under Malik Shah had recovered control of central Anatolia , re - consolidating a viable state around the city of Iconium . Emperor Alexios I Komnenos , aged and suffering from an illness which proved to be terminal , was unable to prevent Turkish raids into the recovered areas of Byzantine Anatolia , though an attempt to take Nicaea in 1113 was thwarted by the Byzantines . In 1116 Alexios was able to personally take the field and was engaged in defensive operations in northwest Anatolia . Basing his army at Lopadion , and later at Nicomedia , he succeeded in deafeating raiding Turks in a minor battle at Poemanenon . After receiving reinforcements to his army Alexios decided to move onto the offensive . Byzantine advance to Philomelion . In the campaign of Philomelion Alexios led a sizeable Byzantine army deep into the Anatolian interior . Anna Komnene , the primary source for the campaign , implies that the Seljuq capital of Iconium was the goal of the expedition , but evidently Alexios abandoned this plan and contented himself with staging a conspicuous show of force and evacuating the native Christian population from the Turkish dominated areas his army passed through . The Byzantines were to employ a new battle formation of Alexios ' devising , the " parataxis " . Anna Komnene ' s description of this formation is so imprecise as to be useless . However , from her account of the army in action it is obvious that the " parataxis " was a defensive formation , a hollow square with the baggage in the centre , infantry on the outside and cavalry in - between , from whence they could mount attacks . An ideal formation for tackling the fluid Turkish battle tactics , reliant on swarm attacks by horse - archers . A similar formation was later employed by Richard I of England at the Battle of Arsuf . The Byzantines moved through Santabaris , sending detachments via Polybotos and Kedros , and , after dispersing Turkish resistance , took Philomelion by assault . Parties of scouts were then sent out to round up the local Christian population for evacuation to areas under firm Byzantine control . Battle . Alexios became aware that a substantial Seljuq army was approaching from the north and began his retreat to his own territory . His army resumed its defensive formation with the civilians accompanying the baggage in the centre . The Turks , under an officer called Manalugh , were initially baffled by the Byzantine formation and did not attack with any vigour . However , the following day Sultan Malik Shah arrived and the Byzantines were attacked in earnest . The Turks mounted a simultaneous attack on the van and rear of the Byzantine army . The Byzantine cavalry made two counterattacks , the first seems to have been unsuccessful , with Alexios ' son Andronikos being killed . A further counterattack was more fortunate , led by Nikephoros Bryennios the Younger ( Anna Komnene ' s husband and Alexios ' son - in - law ) the leader of the Byzantine right wing , it broke that part of the Turkish force led in person by the Sultan , which then turned to flight . Malik Shah narrowly escaped capture . The Seljuqs then made a night attack , but the Byzantine dispositions again frustrated them . The following day Malik Shah again attacked , his troops completely surrounding the Byzantine army on all sides . The Turks were once more repulsed with loss , having achieved nothing . The next day Malik - Shah sent to Alexios with proposals for peace . Aftermath . Alexios and Malik Shah met , Alexios throwing his own costly cloak around the sultan ' s shoulders . A peace involving an undertaking by Malik Shah to stop Turkish raiding and an admission by the sultan of some measure of , largely theoretical , dependence on the Byzantine emperor was made . Anna Komnene records that the peace treaty involved an undertaking by Malik Shah to evacuate Anatolia , but this is unlikely in the extreme and must represent hyperbole on her part . The campaign was remarkable for the high level of discipline shown by the Byzantine army . Alexios had demonstrated that he could march his army with impunity through Turkish dominated territory . The reverse suffered by Malik Shah at Philomelion and the consequent loss of prestige probably contributed to his demise as he was soon deposed , blinded and eventually murdered by his brother Mas ' ud . Alexios ' death in 1118 meant that the ambition of reconquering all of Asia Minor was left to his 31 year old son , John II Komnenos .