Sack of Thessalonica (1185)

E513423

The Sack of Thessalonica (1185) was a devastating Norman capture and plundering of the Byzantine Empire’s second-largest city, resulting in massive destruction and loss of life and marking a major crisis in late 12th-century Byzantium.

All labels observed (2)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf military conflict
sack of a city
siege
appliesToJurisdiction Byzantine Empire
characterizedBy destruction of churches and buildings
extensive looting
massacres of civilians
chronologyWithin reign of Andronikos I Komnenos
conflict Byzantine–Norman wars
country Byzantine Empire
describedBySource Latin chroniclers of the 12th century
Niketas Choniates
followedBy Norman advance towards Constantinople (1185)
accession of Isaac II Angelos
overthrow of Andronikos I Komnenos
hasCause Norman invasion of the Balkans (1185)
hasCommander David Komnenos (Byzantine defense leader)
Tancred of Lecce
William II of Sicily
hasEffect destabilization of Andronikos I Komnenos’s rule
large-scale loss of life in Thessalonica
major political crisis in the Byzantine Empire
massive destruction of Thessalonica
weakening of Byzantine authority in the Balkans
hasPart plundering of Thessalonica (1185)
siege of Thessalonica (1185)
historicalPeriod Middle Ages
historicalRegion Macedonia
linked to: Macedonia (Greece)
location Byzantine Empire
Thessalonica
linked to: Salonika
notableFor impact on Byzantine–Latin relations
scale of urban devastation in a major Byzantine city
opponent Byzantine Empire
Kingdom of Sicily
opposedBy Byzantine garrison of Thessalonica
outcome capture of Thessalonica by Norman forces
participant Byzantine Empire
Kingdom of Sicily
Normans
partOf Byzantine–Norman wars
late 12th-century crises of the Byzantine Empire
pointInTime 1185
precededBy Norman landing in Epirus and Macedonia (1185)
result Norman victory
secondLargestCityOf Byzantine Empire
significantEventFor history of Thessalonica
history of the Byzantine Empire
reign of Andronikos I Komnenos

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Norman–Byzantine conflicts hasPart Sack of Thessalonica (1185)
Sack of Thessalonica (1185) hasPart siege of Thessalonica (1185)
linked to: Sack of Thessalonica (1185)
Battle of Demetritzes (1185) precededBy Sack of Thessalonica (1185)