Last Stand of Manuel Angelos (Premysloides Dynasty)

Background
After Second Battle of Kosovo and its decisive results, include death of Crown Prince Andreas, most hopes of Manuel Angelos dimnished. Because Andreas did not had any son or daughter, Manuel Angelos was last of his branch of Angeloides Dynasty from second marriage of Isaac II Angelos.

Despite that, Manuel Angelos was decided to take one last stand against loyalists and Emperor Romanos and he moved his army to Voivodina. There, at bottom of Alma Mons, he assembled his remaining army and offered all soldiers option to leave his service without any punishment or anger. About half of his army (5,000 troops) left battlefield and returned to their families, even with their salary. Rest of his army pledged loyalty until death.

Manuel, however, did not want to take his last stand as clash where his army will be massacred and enemy will achieve victory with few casualties. He was decide for bitter fight until end.

Emperor Romanos and his army arrived to Alma Mons in September 1271 and found out fortification and barricades on bottom of hills and remaining Manuel Army. While many officers, include legatus Marcus, were selfconfident about last victory, Emperor Romanos and stratégos Alexius knew about battles where much larger armies were decimated by smaller armies, especially when smaller army had good morale, experienced leadership and optimal conditions. In Thapsus and Pharsalus, Optimates had double superiority over Caesar Army and they were destroyed, or Alexander victory at Gaugamela. Romanos remembered all these situation and did not want to lost war at end.

Because of that, Emperor choose careful stance.

Battle
"Careful stance", as it was called by Alexius and Romanos, was based on artillery fire against mountains and forcing enemy army to move against imperial army. Large artillery barrage hited Alma Mons and surrounding terrain, caused casualties to remaining Manuel troops and destroyed part of their fortification, but Manuel only moved his troops about half mile northern and refortified his position at peak of Alma Mons.

Imperial Army also moved, slowly, but steady and part of troops departed to move through forests, in small attack groups with archers and pikemen, while artillery continued in fire against Alma Mons. Bosnian-Dalmatian troops who had numerous experiences with mountainous terrain, used valleys and various paths to walk around of Manuel Army and to reach their rear. This group had large casualties, as it was designed to be barrier troops unit and to tie enemy attacks.

When reach enemy rear, they attacked and provoked Manuel Army to counter-attack. That weakened front line of Manuel Army and imperial forces attacked front. While formation of Manuel Army collapsed, their morale and dedication to fight for False Emperor did not and it took about 4 hours of bloody struggle ended by death of False Emperor Manuel Angelos. Manuel Angelos died with sword in hand, when he attacked Alexius and his personal guard, slaying three elite troops, before he was himself stabbed by spear and beheaded by Varangian axe.

Aftermath
When False Emperor death spread around, remaining few hundreds of his troops surrendered. Emperor Romanos praise their loyalty and heroism and allowed them to leave battlefield and return to their families. Romanos had also speech to his troops and soldiers in which he praised their morale, courage, their loyalty to Emperor and Empire and promised them generous reward, as well as asked many of veterans to remain in army and continue in military career to replenish decimated ranks of Imperial Army.

However, war itself had one more consequence. Emperor Romanos returned to Constantinople and summoned whole top military command of Imperial Army and Imperial Fleet in to Imperial Palace to meeting about terryfing outcome and results of Imperial Military in this civil war.