Battle of Ongal
Battle of Ongal | |
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Part of the Danube delta (present-day Tulcea County, Romania ) | |
Result |
Bulgar victory
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Seven Slavic tribes
The Battle of Ongal took place in the summer of 680 in the Ongal area, an unspecified location in and around the
Origins of the conflict
In 632, Khan
During that time the Byzantine Empire was at war with the
The battle
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According to the Chronicles of Nikephoros I of Constantinople:
The infantry moved in battle lines towards the so called Onglos at the Danube and the fleet was ordered to anchor nearby. The Bulgars, seeing the dense and numerous lines, became desperate, fled in the aforementioned fortification and prepared themselves for defence. In the next 3-4 days nobody of them dared to show up and the Romans did not seek a battle because of the swamps. The filthy people, seeing the Roman weakness, recovered themselves and became bolder. The emperor suffered from a fit of gout and had to return to Messembria to take baths, leaving his generals to start the fighting and to engage them in a battle if they leave their fortifications. Otherwise, to put them under siege and to check their advances. The cavalry, however, spread the rumour that the emperor was deserting them, and fled on their own, without being chased by anybody. The Bulgars, seeing this, attacked and chased them and killed most of them by swords, and many were wounded. And after chasing them up to the Danube, they crossed it.
The Bulgars had built wooden ramparts in the swampy area near the Peuce Island. The marshes forced the Byzantines to attack from a weakened position and in smaller groups, which reduced the strength of their attack. With continuing attacks from the ramparts, the Bulgar defense eventually forced the Byzantines into a rout, followed up by the Bulgar cavalry. Many of the Byzantine soldiers perished. According to popular belief, the emperor had leg pain and went to Mesembria to seek treatment. The troops thought that he fled the battlefield and in turn began fleeing. When the Bulgars realised what was happening, they attacked and defeated their discouraged enemy.
Aftermath
After the victory, the Bulgars advanced south and seized the lands to the north of
Significance
This battle was a significant moment in European history, as it led to the creation of a powerful state, which was to become a
Honour
Ongal Peak in Tangra Mountains on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica is named for the historical Ongal area.
Footnotes
- ^ Stoyanov, Aleksandr (July 2019). "The Size of Bulgaria's Medieval Field Armies: A Case Study of Military Mobilization Capacity in the Middle Ages". Journal of Military History. 83 (3): 719–746.
- ^ Образуване на българската народност. Димитър Ангелов (Издателство Наука и изкуство, "Векове", София 1971) с. 202—203.
- ISBN 3319562061, p. 49.
- ^ The Chronicle of Theophanes Confessor. Byzantine and Near Eastern History, AD 284-813. Oxford, 1997, p. 498
- ISBN 0-8047-2630-2..
- ISBN 052131917X, стр. 253.
- ISBN 978-0-520-20496-6..
- ^ Daniel Ziemann: Das Erste bulgarische Reich. Eine frühmittelalterliche Großmacht zwischen Byzanz und Abendland. (German: An early medieval great power between Byzantium and the Occident) In: Online handbook on the history of South-East Europe. Volume I Rule and politics in Southeastern Europe until 1800. Published by the Institute for East and Southeast European Studies of the Leibniz Association, Regensburg 2016
References
- Атанас Пейчев и колектив, 1300 години на стража, Военно издателство, София 1984.
- Йордан Андреев, Милчо Лалков, Българските ханове и царе, Велико Търново, 1996.
- Пламен Павлов, Историята - далечна и близка, Велико Търново, 2010.
External links