Editing John II Komnenos (section)

===The Pechenegs destroyed (1122)===
In 1119–1121 John defeated the [[Seljuq Turks]], establishing his control over southwestern [[Anatolia]]. However, immediately afterwards, in 1122, John quickly transferred his troops to Europe to counter a [[Pechenegs|Pecheneg]] invasion across the [[Danube]] frontier into [[Paristrion]]. These invaders had been auxiliaries of [[Vladimir Monomakh]], the Prince of [[Kiev]]. John surrounded the Pechenegs as they burst into [[Thrace]], tricked them into believing that he would grant them a favourable treaty, and then launched a devastating surprise attack upon their fortified camp. The ensuing [[Battle of Beroia]] was hard-fought, John was wounded in the leg by an arrow, but by the end of the day the Byzantine army had won a crushing victory. The decisive moment of the battle was when John led the [[Varangian Guard]], largely composed of Englishmen, to assault defensive Pecheneg wagon [[laager]], employing their famous axes to hack their way in.<ref name="Choniates, p. 11">Choniates, p. 11</ref><ref>Kinnamos, p. 16</ref> The battle put an effective end to the Pechenegs as an independent people; many of the captives taken in the conflict were settled as soldier-farmers within the Byzantine frontier.<ref name="Angold 1984, p. 153">Angold (1984), p. 153</ref>