Anna Komnena, Alexias

Having thus sent away the ambassadors to the king, as I said, he stirred up a very great war. And lest the king, by allying himself with Robert, might become more unbearable, he hastened to announce matters concerning peace to Robert through messengers, although not previously being on friendly terms with him. For having learned that the duke Robert had taken Salerno, he set out from Rome and arrived at Benevento. And having conversed with each other through ambassadors, then thus also having met each other in person. For the one from Benevento went out with his own troop, and the one from Salerno with his army, and then, with the armies positioned at a sufficient distance, each one having withdrawn from his own troop, the two men met and, having taken pledges and oaths from each other, they returned. And the oaths were that the pope would bestow upon him the dignity of king and would give an alliance when the occasion called for it, against the Romans; and the duke in turn swore to the pope to assist wherever he wished. But in vain, it seems, were the oaths being made by both. For both the pope was greatly incensed against the king and the struggle against him was pressing, and duke Robert was casting envious eyes on the possessions of the Romans and like some wild boar was grinding his teeth against them and sharpening his rage, so that their oaths were only words. And the barbarians, having just sworn to each other, immediately also broke their truce. 1.13.7 Duke Robert, turning his reins, hurried to Salerno, while this abominable pope (for I have no other name by which to call him, remembering that inhuman outrage against the ambassadors), the master proceeded to civil war with spiritual grace and evangelical peace, with all his will and with all his might, this peacemaker and disciple of the Peacemaker. For having immediately summoned the Saxons and the leaders of the Saxons, Lantulf and Welf, and having suggested many other things in his promises and having promised to make them kings of the entire West, he draws the men to himself. Thus he had a ready right hand for the appointment of kings, disregarding Paul, it seems, who says, "Lay hands suddenly on no man"; but he was crowning the duke of Lombardy with a fillet and these Saxons. 1.13.8 Therefore, when each had gathered their forces, both the king of Germany, Henry, and the pope, and they had drawn up in battle array against each other, the horn trumpet had given the signal, and the phalanxes immediately clashed, and a great and enduring battle was stirred up on both sides. For to such a degree did they fight bravely on each side and endure the wounds from spears and the volleys of arrows, that in a short time the entire plain below was turned into a sea by the blood from the slaughter and the remaining men fought swimming in the great gore. There were places where, being entangled by the dead bodies, they fell down and were drowned in the river of blood. For if more than thirty thousand men, as they say, had fallen in that battle, how great a stream of blood flowed down, how great a stretch of land was spattered with the gore. 1.13.9 Both sides then, so to speak, held their heads equal in the fray, as long as the leader of the Saxons, Lantulf, directed the war. But when he was struck a mortal blow and immediately gave up his soul, the phalanx of the pope gave way and had turned their backs to the enemies, fleeing not without bloodshed nor without wounds. And Henry pursued them, throwing them into confusion, and very confidently taking up the pursuit, from the moment he learned that Lantulf had fallen and had become the work of an enemy's hand. But he stopped his course and ordered the troops to rest; and having armed himself again, he hastened toward Rome, eager to besiege it. 1.13.10 A thought here

πρέσβεις οὕτως, ὡς εἶπον, ἀποπεμψάμενος πρὸς τὸν ῥῆγα, μέγιστον πόλεμον ἀνηρέθισεν. Ἵνα δὲ μὴ τῷ Ῥομπέρτῳ προσθέμενος ὁ ῥὴξ ἀφορητότερος γένοιτο, φθάνει τὰ πρὸς εἰρήνην τῷ Ῥομπέρτῳ διακηρυκευσάμενος, οὐδὲ πρότερον φιλίως διακείμενος πρὸς αὐτόν. Πυθόμενος γὰρ τὸν δοῦκα Ῥομπέρτον κατειληφότα τὴν Σάλερνον ἀπά ρας ἐκεῖνος τῆς Ῥώμης εἰς Βενεβενδὸν παραγίνεται. Καὶ διὰ πρέσβεων πρὸς ἀλλήλους διαλεχθέντες εἶθ' οὕτως καὶ αὐτοπροσώπως ἐντετυχηκότες ἀλλήλοις. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ μὲν τῆς Βενεβενδοῦ μετὰ τοῦ οἰκείου ξυντάγματος, ὁ δὲ τῆς Σαλέρνου μετὰ στρατιᾶς ἐξιόντες, κᾆθ' οὕτως τῶν στρα τευμάτων γεγονότων ἐκ διαστήματος ἱκανοῦ, ἑκάτερος τοῦ οἰκείου τάγματος ἀποστάς, συνηλθέτην τε τὼ ἄνδρε καὶ πίστεις παρ' ἀλλήλων καὶ ὅρκους λαβόντες ὑπέστρεψαν. Οἱ δὲ ὅρκοι, ἵν' ὁ μὲν πάπας τήν τε τοῦ ῥηγὸς ἀξίαν περιθείη αὐτῷ καὶ συμμαχίαν δοίη καιροῦ καλοῦντος κατὰ Ῥωμαίων· ὁ δὲ δοὺξ ἀνθωρκίζετο τῷ πάπᾳ προσβοηθεῖν ὅποι βούλοιτο. Μάταια δ' ἄρα ἦσαν τὰ τῶν ὅρκων παρ' ἀμφοτέρων τελούμενα. Ὅ τε γὰρ πάπας κατὰ τοῦ ῥηγὸς εὖ μάλα παρώξυντο καὶ ὁ πρὸς ἐκεῖνον πόνος κατήπειγεν, ὅ τε δοὺξ Ῥομπέρτος τῇ Ῥωμαίων ἐπωφθαλμία καὶ ὥσπερ τις κάπρος ἄγριος τοὺς ὀδόντας κατὰ τούτων ἐτετρίγει τε καὶ τὸν θυμὸν ἔθηγεν, ὥστε μέχρι λόγων οἱ ὅρκοι τούτων. Καὶ ὀμνύντες αὐτίκα τὸ πρὸς ἀλλήλους οἱ βάρβαροι τὸ παραυτίκα καὶ παρεσπόνδουν. 1.13.7 Ὁ μὲν δοὺξ Ῥομπέρτος συστρέψας τοὺς χαλινοὺς ἐπὶ τὴν Σάλερνον ἔσπευδεν, ὁ δὲ κατάπτυστος οὗτος πάπας (οὐδὲ γὰρ ἔχω τί ποτ' ἂν ἄλλο τοῦτον ἐπονομάζειν τὴν ἀπάνθρωπον ἐκείνην ὕβριν ἐνθυμηθεῖσα τὴν εἰς τοὺς πρέσβεας) μετὰ πνευματικῆς χάριτος καὶ εὐαγγελικῆς εἰρήνης ἐπὶ τὸν πόλεμον ὁ δεσπότης ἐχώρει ὅλῃ γνώμῃ καὶ ὅλαις χερσὶ τὸν ἐμφύλιον, ὁ εἰρηνικὸς ταῦτα καὶ τοῦ εἰρηνικοῦ μαθητής. Τοὺς γὰρ Σάξονας αὐτίκα καὶ τοὺς Σαξόνων ἡγεμόνας Λαντοῦλφόν τε καὶ Οὐέλκον μεταπεμψάμενος, καὶ πολλὰ μὲν καὶ ἄλλα ἐν ὑποσχέσεσιν ὑποτείνας καὶ ῥῆγας ποιήσειν τῆς ἑσπέρας ἁπάσης ἐπαγγειλάμενος εἰς ἑαυτὸν ὑποσύρει τοὺς ἄνδρας. Οὕτως ἐκεῖνος εὔκολον εἶχε τὴν δεξιὰν εἰς χειροθεσίαν ῥηγῶν τοῦ Παύλου παρακούων, ὡς ἔοικε, «χεῖρας ταχέως μηδενὶ ἐπιτίθει» λέγοντος· ὁ δὲ τὸν δοῦκα Λογγιβαρδίας ἐταινίου καὶ τοὺς Σάξονας τούτους ἔστεφε. 1.13.8 Συνα γηοχότος τοίνυν ἑκατέρου τὰς δυνάμεις αὐτῶν, τοῦ τε ῥηγὸς Ἀλαμανίας Ἐνερίχου καὶ τοῦ πάπα, καὶ πρὸς ἀλλήλους παραταξαμένων ἥ τε κερατίνη σάλπιγξ τὸ ἐνδό σιμον ἐδεδώκει καὶ συνερράγησαν εὐθὺς αἱ φάλαγγες καὶ μάχη ἐξ ἑκατέρων ἀνερριπίσθη μεγάλη καὶ παραμόνιμος. Ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον γὰρ ἐξ ἑκατέρου μέρους ἠνδρίσαντο καὶ ταῖς ἀπὸ τῶν δοράτων τρώσεσι καὶ τοξευμάτων βολαῖς ἐνεκαρ τέρησαν, ὡς ἐν βραχεῖ χρόνῳ πᾶσαν τὴν ὑποκειμένην πεδιάδα ὑπὸ τῶν αἱμάτων τῶν ἀπὸ τῶν φόνων ἐνθαλατ τεύεσθαι καὶ τοὺς ὑπολοίπους ἄνδρας ἐμπλέοντας τῷ πολλῷ λύθρῳ μάχεσθαι. Ἔστιν ὅπου καὶ τοῖς νεκροῖς σώμασι συμποδιζομένους διαπίπτειν καὶ τῷ ποταμῷ τῶν αἱμάτων ἐμπνίγεσθαι. Εἰ γὰρ ὑπὲρ τὰς τριάκοντα χιλιάδας ἄνδρες κατ' ἐκείνην τὴν μάχην, ὥς φασιν, ἐπεπτώκεισαν, πόσος ῥοῦς αἵματος κατερρύη, πόσον διάστημα γῆς τῷ λύθρῳ πεπάλακτο. 1.13.9 Εἶχον οὖν, ὡς οὕτως εἰπεῖν, ἴσας ὑσμίνῃ τὰς κεφαλὰς καὶ ἑκατέρα μερίς, ἕως ὁ τῶν Σαξόνων ἡγεμὼν Λαντοῦλφος διεῖπε τὸν πόλεμον. Ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐκεῖνος καιρίαν ἐβλήθη καὶ αὐτίκα τὴν ψυχὴν ἀφῆκεν, ἔκλινεν ἡ φάλαγξ τοῦ πάπα καὶ τὰ νῶτα τοῖς ἐχθροῖς ἐδεδώκει οὐκ ἀναιμάκτως οὐδ' ἄνευ τραυμάτων φεύγοντες. Ἔφεπε δὲ τούτους κλονέων ὁ Ἐνέριχος καὶ μάλα θαρρήσας τὴν μετα δίωξιν, ἐξ ὅτου καὶ τὸν Λαντοῦλφον ἐπύθετο πεπτωκότα καὶ πολεμίας χειρὸς ἔργον γεγενημένον. Ἀλλ' ἔστη τοῦ δρόμου καὶ ἀναπνεῖν ἐπέταττε τὰ στρατεύματα· καὶ ἐξο πλισάμενος αὖθις ἐπὶ τὴν Ῥώμην ἔσπευδε πολιορκήσειν αὐτὴν προθυμούμενος. 1.13.10 Ἐνθύμιον ἐνταῦθα