Byzantine cavalry annihilating Holy Roman archers on the flank. They struck the enemy so hard, the soldiers were said to fly into the air.
Battle of Tyrol
The battle of Tyrol was a battle between the forces of the Byzantine Empire, led by emperor Epheserus, and the Holy Roman Duchy, led by Duke Hilbert I. It occurred early on in the Italian war, on August 1, 1192.
Byzantine Cavalry engaging Holy Roman spearmen
The battle occurred in the foothills of the Alps. This would have normally been an advantage to the defending Holy Romans, but Epheserus had lured them out with a feint and then slipped in behind, leaving them on the plains and the Byzantines in the highlands. The battle opened with charging by the Holy Romans. The Byzantines used their archers and mounted archers to great effect, disrupting the enemy formations and breaking several of them completely when the cavalry streamed down the hill. The Byzantine cavalry quickly secured the Holy Roman flanks, and the entire Byzantine infantry force rushed down to join them. The Holy Romans soon found that the hill they were rushing up sole inhabitants were the Byzantine missile troops, who would fire and retreat to a safe distance before firing again. With the entire Byzantine force at their back, and infuriating archers at their front, the survivors had no choice but to surrender, thus beginning the end of the Holy Roman duchy.