Atlas of Battles

battle, major, medieval

Battle of Dyrrhachium

Battle of Dyrrhachium was a battle fought on 18 October 1081 at Durrës, in what is now Albania. It was part of the Byzantine–Norman Wars, which ran from 1039 to 1189. The recorded result: Norman victory. Recorded strength: 20,000–25,000 against 15,000.

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Italië & Illyrië rond 1084.
Italië & Illyrië rond 1084.. derivative work: Podzemnik (talk) Italy_and_Illyria_1084_v2.svg: MapMaster, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought18 October 1081
WhereDurrës, Albania41.300N, 19.500E
OutcomeNorman victory
BelligerentsByzantine EmpireagainstDuchy of Apulia and Calabria; Kingdom of Croatia
Part ofByzantine–Norman Wars1039 to 1189

Where it sits in the Byzantine–Norman Wars

Siege of Bari, 1068Battle of the Zompe Bridge, 1074Battle of Dyrrhachium, 1081Battle of Larissa, 1083Siege of Dyrrhachium, 1107Siege of Antioch, 1137Battle of Brindisi, 1156Sack of Thessalonica, 1185Battle of Demetritzes, 118510681185Battle of Dyrrhachium, 1081
9 placed engagements of the Byzantine–Norman Wars in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date18 October 1081
PlaceDurrës, Albania
41.300N, 19.500E
KindBattle, medieval
Strength20,000–25,00015,000
Casualties and losses5,000 dead, 7,000 deserted
Commanders
  • Alexios I Komnenos
  • George Palaiologos
  • Gregory Pakourianos
  • Nikephoros Melissenos
  • Nikephoros Palaiologos
Battle of DyrrhachiumBattle of DyrrhachiumSiege of DyrrhachiumBattle of DyrrhachiumBattle of DyrrhachiumBattle of DurazzoBattle of DurazzoBattle of DurazzoBattle of DurazzoSkopjePodgoricaLecceShkodërBrindisiBitolaPrizrenElbasan100 km41.300N, 19.500E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Dyrrhachium
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 10 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Dyrrhachium today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2023-08-27. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2023.

The recorded site stands at about 2 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from -5 to 171 m, 176 m of relief, hilly country and today it is 40% water, 22% built-up, 18% grassland.

water: 40%built-up: 22%grassland: 18%tree cover: 12%shrubland: 4%cropland: 2%water 40%built-up 22%grassland 18%tree cover 12%shrubland 4%
west to east, 10.0 km0 to 126 mnorth to south, 10.0 km0 to 30 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 4 times between 48 BC and 1107.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1081

Battle of Dyrrhachium is one of 334 engagements of the 11th century in the atlas and one of 62 in present-day Albania.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q1987213, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Dyrrhachium (1081), revision 1380918330, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.